Abstract
Persistent nurse turnover and professional dissatisfaction remain critical challenges across global healthcare systems, threatening clinical quality, patient safety, and institutional viability. Shared governance frameworks, which decentralize decision-making authority to clinical nurses, are a foundational hallmark of Magnet-designated healthcare facilities intended to bolster professional autonomy and retention. This cross-sectional survey evaluated the relationship between perceived shared governance maturation, nurse job satisfaction, and intent to stay among 438 registered nurses practicing across three urban, Magnet-designated tertiary hospitals in the United States. Data were gathered using validated instruments, including the Index of Professional Nursing Governance, the McCloskey/Mueller Satisfaction Scale, and the Anticipated Turnover Scale. Multiple linear regression and mediation path analyses revealed that higher levels of shared governance participation significantly predicted elevated job satisfaction (β = 0.48, p < 0.001) and stronger intent to stay (β = 0.39, p < 0.001). Furthermore, professional autonomy and psychological empowerment operated as significant mediators in the governance-retention pathway. Unit-level governance engagement demonstrated a stronger protective effect against turnover intention than hospital-wide committee representation. These findings provide empirical evidence that structured, mature shared governance mechanisms substantively enhance bedside nurse retention and job fulfillment, underscoring the necessity for nurse leaders to sustain meaningful clinical agency rather than symbolic committee structures.
