Nursing News contains synopses of healthcare related and nursing-specific news that has been published in the industry and popular press. It highlights innovations, advances in the state of the art or practice, interesting facts, and transitions in the industry that will help you keep up with what is happening.

On August 19, 2005, registered nursing in British Columbia was placed under the Health Professions Act and the Registered Nurses Association of BC became the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC). The Health Professions Act empowers CRNBC to regulate the practice of registered nursing and to govern registrants according to the Act, the regulations and the bylaws of the College. CRNBC also has responsibility for registering and regulating nurse practitioners.

Ontario Residents Graduate from the Johnson & Johnson - Wharton Program for Nurse Executives

Toronto resident Marla Fryers and Markham resident Janet Roberts have graduated from the Johnson & Johnson - Wharton Fellows Program in Management for Nurse Executives, an intensive three-week management education program held at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Fryers, vice-president of people strategies and chief nursing officer at Toronto East General Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, and Roberts, Vice-President and Chief Nursing Officer at Markham Stouffville Hospital in Markham, Ontario, were two of 43 senior nurse executives selected to participate in the program, which provides participants with critical business and management knowledge. This year's participants are from the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan.

The Johnson & Johnson - Wharton Fellows Program has been enhancing the leadership capabilities of nurse executives for 23 years. The program recognizes the important role of nurse executives in strategic planning within their own healthcare institutions, as well as influencing health policy regionally, nationally and globally. The input and influence of nurse executives take on added significance today, given the serious nursing shortage that threatens the quality of healthcare in the US and abroad.

The Wharton School, in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania's Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, competitively selects nurse executives to study strategic, financial, managerial and leadership approaches to organizational development. During the program's Executive Forum, nurse executives collaborate with their healthcare institutions' chief executive officers to analyze the role of nursing in hospital management and strategic planning.

Established in 1881 by Philadelphia industrialist and philanthropist Joseph Wharton, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was the world's first collegiate business school. The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) is the centre of the University of Pennsylvania's activities and programs in health services research, health policy and healthcare management executive education.

Johnson & Johnson is the world's most comprehensive and broadly based manufacturer of healthcare products, as well as a provider of related services, for the consumer, pharmaceutical and medical devices and diagnostics markets. The more than 200 Johnson & Johnson operating companies employ approximately 111,000 men and women in 57 countries and sell products throughout the world.

Johnson & Johnson also supports the Campaign for Nursing's Future, a multiyear public awareness initiative to work with nursing leadership to help address the nursing shortage. Working in cooperation with various professional nursing organizations, schools, hospitals and other healthcare groups and providers, the campaign focuses on promoting opportunities within nursing as well as increasing awareness of the value of the nursing profession to the healthcare community. For more information visit www.discovernursing.com.

Helping Sustain Canada's Health System: Advancing the Nurse Practitioner Role

Today, Canadians are more engaged than ever in the national healthcare debate. They're more interested, concerned and aware about challenges facing the health-care system such as access and wait times. According to a recent poll, five million Canadians over the age of 18 were unable to find a family physician over the period of 12 months. From coast to coast to coast, there is a rising call for solutions - and a growing recognition that nurse practitioners are among these solutions.

This support is not limited to the general public. The 2003 Health Accord prioritized timely access to family and community care through primary healthcare reform for all federal, provincial and territorial governments. In the Accord, the first ministers set an objective that 50% of Canadians will have access to a healthcare provider - 24 hours a day, seven days a week by 2011. This priority cannot be met effectively without the contribution of nurse practitioners, who provide health services to communities, families and individuals, in collaboration with physicians and other health-care professionals.

The Canadian Nurse Practitioner Initiative (CNPI), led by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and funded by Health Canada, is now in its final year of developing a pan-Canadian framework for the sustained integration of nurse practitioners. The initiative focuses on five component areas: legislation and regulation, practice and evaluation, education, health human resource planning and strategic communications and change management.

"The CNPI is making a contribution to primary healthcare renewal in Canada," asserted Lucille Auffrey, Executive Director of the CNA. "We can enhance access to primary healthcare by integrating nurse practitioners with other healthcare providers in urban, rural and remote areas. The scope of a nurse practitioner's practice complements the roles of other healthcare providers."

The CNPI has been busy making these contributions a reality. In phase one, an environmental scan, including broad literature reviews, was commissioned to inform the broader consultative second phase of the initiative. A total of seven roundtable discussions were held across the country and more than 180 stakeholders, including educators, employers, nurse practitioners, physicians, regulators, students and other healthcare professionals participated. In addition, a public opinion poll was conducted measuring Canadian's awareness of nurse practitioners in the health system and the first-ever Canadian Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies Framework was made available. The Canadian Nurse Practitioner Examination blueprint is also being developed specifying how the 78 core competencies for nurse practitioners will be measured in the pan-Canadian examination.

Moving forward, there will be an integration of the findings and recommendations from the environmental scans and roundtables (phases one and two), as well as feedback from expert workshops that will result in the pan-Canadian framework next spring. A list of the deliverables can be found online at www.cnpi.ca.

"The cornerstones of our efforts are collaboration and consultation," explained Marian Knock, Executive Director of the CNPI. "I see a time in the near future where the absence of a nurse practitioner will be the exception in communities throughout Canada."

The results of the public opinion poll, commissioned by the CNA in April 2005, indicated that more than 90% of Canadians support the full implementation of nurse practitioners in the healthcare system. The time is right for nurse practitioners and the CNPI is on schedule to help them meet the needs and expectations of Canadians.

A $189 million investment by the Alberta government and Canada Health Infoway will digitize x-rays and CT and MRI scans across the province to improve quality of care for Albertans by providing doctors and patients faster access to reports and images. Alberta Health and Wellness and Canada Health Infoway will contribute a total of $143 million and $46 million respectively to the project. The project will invest in sophisticated new diagnostic imaging systems that will allow hospitals and clinics throughout Alberta to electronically share patient x-rays and CT and MRI scans through Alberta's Electronic Health Record (EHR).

The provincial government is strengthening public health services in Saskatchewan with the allocation of $740,000 in funding to regional health authorities. The funding for increased public health capacity, which was announced in the 2005-06 provincial Budget, includes $220,000 in one-time funding for 2005-06, and an additional $520,000 in annual base funding beginning this year. This new money will enable regional health authorities to hire new public health inspectors and/or other staff in order to support existing services and improve inspection rates, particularly in the food, water and public swimming pool program areas. It will also provide support for enforcement of The Tobacco Control Act, and for public health program and protocol development, as well as enhanced surveillance.

Also in Saskatchewan, a new initiative will allow more internationally trained doctors to work in the province. Saskatchewan Health will fund four new residency seats at the University of Saskatchewan's College of Medicine for internationally educated doctors who need more training before they qualify to practice medicine in the province.

The seats will be available to international medical graduates who live in Saskatchewan and who choose to specialize in anesthesia, general surgery, internal medicine, radiology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology. International medical graduates who qualify for the new seats must sign a return-of-service agreement with a commitment to practise in Saskatchewan one year for every year of funding provided.

Ontario's health ministry recently announced plans for improving health services for babies, women and people waiting for hip and knee surgery with a three-point plan for Toronto's Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. The three-point plan includes :

• Transferring the perinatal and gynaecological program currently at Women's College to Sunnybrook's Bayview site in order to ensure the best possible care for newborns and their mothers. Also, providing the go-ahead and funding to Sunnybrook to expand its M-wing to accommodate the program, renovate and expand its emergency department, and undertake other infrastructure upgrades.
• Making Sunnybrook's Orthopaedic and Arthritic Institute a Centre of Excellence for hip and knee joint replacements and increasing the number of surgeries performed at the Wellesley site, leading to reduced wait times and improved patient care.
• Restoring independent governance for Women's College. Women's College would assume a new role as an ambulatory care centre, and become a provincial leader in women's healthcare, education and research.

Health Minister George Smitherman announced the appointment of former Ontario Health Minister Elinor Caplan to be the lead on the governance, program and financial aspects of the plan, and Carleton University Law professor Diana Majury who will help define a new vision, role and objectives for the new Women's College. The Health Minister also thanked Dr. Jack Kitts, CEO of the Ottawa Hospital, for his recent report on Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre. The Perinatology and Gynaecology Program Review recommended that the maternal/newborn and gynecological program be transferred to the Bayview site.

New guidelines that define the appropriate scope of practice for nurse practitioners have been approved for the Northwest Territories. The Nursing Act allows Nurse Practitioners to:

• Diagnose diseases, disorders or conditions and communicate that diagnosis to the patient,
• Order and interpret screening and diagnostic tests,
• Select, recommend, supply, prescribe and monitor the effectiveness of drugs, and
• Perform any other procedures allowed in the guidelines.

The Practice Guidelines for Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioners were developed by the Registered Nurses Association of the NWT and Nunavut (RNANT/NU). Nurse Practitioners and the Department of Health and Social Services were involved as well. NU nurse practitioners have identical guidelines in place, since the RNANT/NU serves as the regulatory body for nurses in both Nunavut and the NWT. The guidelines will be printed in booklet form for distribution to nurses. They will also be posted on the RNANT/NU website (www.rnantnu.ca)

Ontario physicians will be able to provide better care to those individuals living with cardiovascular disease with the creation of a registry that tracks the treatment and health of patients who have experienced a heart attack or bypass surgery. The Ontario Cardiac Rehabilitation Registry (OCRR), which has received $125,000 in start-up funding from Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. and the Lawson Health Research Institute, will optimize care for patients enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation programs and will be integrated into the delivery strategy of cardiac rehabilitation in Ontario.

Nova Scotia's South West Nova District Health Authority has received government approval to begin recruiting a nurse practitioner. The province's Department of Health has added $650,000 to its budget this year to fund four new nurse practitioners, bringing the total in the province to 20. Of the three remaining positions, one will support the primary healthcare Tui'kn initiative - a partnership among the five First Nations communities in Cape Breton, Health Canada, Dalhousie University, the Cape Breton District Health Authority and the Nova Scotia Department of Health. The locations for the other two positions have yet to be decided.

Manitoba's new command and control centre for rural emergency medical services will be located at the Brandon Regional Health Centre. The Medical Transportation Coordination Centre (MTCC) will become the dedicated centre for the dispatch of all rural and northern medical services including northern medivacs, management and coordination of all interfacility transfers across the province and will help to ensure faster response times and more efficient coordination and deployment of emergency medical resources.

In British Columbia, patients with rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma, migraines and high blood pressure are among those who will benefit from improved health and quality of life through access to eight new drugs under PharmaCare.

In the last month, PharmaCare listed the following prescription medications for coverage:

• Humira, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis
• Combigan, for glaucoma and ocular hypertension
• Axert, for migraine
• Teveten Plus, for high blood pressure
• Avodart, for enlarged prostate (prostatic hyperplasia)
• VFEND, for invasive fungal infections in immune-compromised patients
• Keppra, for epilepsy
• Xalacom, for glaucoma and ocular hypertension

PharmaCare estimates that more than 10,000 patients will receive coverage for these drugs in 2006.

The Government of Nunavut has partnered with several Inuit organizations to train 12 workers in health centres as basic radiography workers, also known as x-ray technicians. The program is intended to capitalize on the potential of experienced but underutilized workers in health centres, who are familiar with the patients and fluent in Inuktitut. The program, which was broken into three phases over two years, cost $248,000. The new workers graduated in Iqaluit this month, along with two assistant instructors who can help teach the course in the future. Including this year's graduates, 42 people have received their Basic Radiography Workers Certificate through this program. They are qualified to take x-rays of the limbs and the chest or abdomen.

Appointments

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has appointed Dr. Joshua Tepper the Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Human Resources Strategy, effective September 6, 2005. Dr. Tepper will head up the Health Human Resources Branch, which is in the midst of preparing a HHR development of the HR strategy for Ontario hospitals.

The Board of Trustees of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children announced the appointment of Bruce Richmond as the chair of the board, effective July 1, 2005. Mr. Richmond has served on the Sick Kids Board of Trustees for four years. He is also a director of the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation in Canada and is the past chair of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.

The Scarborough Hospital recently announced the appointment of Dr. Hugh Scott as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the hospital. Dr. Scott has served successfully as Interim President and CEO for the past seven months.

Markham Stouffville Hospital has announced the appointment of Ms. Janet M. Beed as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of Markham Stouffville Hospital, effective September 12, 2005. Ms. Beed has held senior level positions in hospitals, including Vice-President of Nursing at the Hospital for Sick Children, Vice-President at the Ontario Cancer Institute, Princess Margaret Hospital and most recently, Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer at the University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital. In addition, Ms. Beed has been a partner and senior manager with Deloitte Consulting focusing on Organizational Development and Change Management. She also brings strong academic credentials with a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Toronto.

At Ontario's London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) President and CEO, Tony Dagnone, has announced his plans to retire effective December 31, 2005. Dagnone first went to London 13 years ago as President and CEO of the former University Hospital. When University and Victoria hospitals merged in 1995, Dagnone became the President and CEO of the newly created London Health Sciences Centre.

During his tenure, London Health Sciences Centre has consistently rated high in efficiency and patient satisfaction. The hospital has been a leader in advancing technological innovations, including the development of the world-class CSTAR facility and the acquisition of state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging systems, and has served as a model for the rest of Canada in digital imaging and electronic patient record.

In Newfoundland, Anita Ludlow has been named the province's first chief nurse, honouring the government's Blueprint commitment to establish the position.

Ms. Ludlow holds a bachelor of nursing and a masters of nursing from Memorial University of Newfoundland and an acute care nurse practitioner certificate. As a practising nurse for over 30 years, Ms. Ludlow's professional career has spanned all domains of nursing, including education, administration, practice and research. Ms. Ludlow has served as an administrator with Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit, Nunavut, gaining valuable experience working with Aboriginal populations. Her knowledge in other jurisdictions, particularly in the delivery of services in rural and remote areas, will be an asset in her new position.

Ms. Ludlow will be responsible for providing leadership, strategic advice and nursing expertise on a wide range of provincial health policies and programs and specific nursing issues, including recruitment and retention and the development of clinical practice guidelines.

In Nova Scotia, George McLellan will become president and chief executive officer of Emergency Medical Care (EMC) in October 2005. EMC manages ambulance operations, including paramedic and medical communications, and supports medical first-response services in Nova Scotia on behalf of the provincial Department of Health.

Mr. McLellan has been the chief administrative officer of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) since 2002 and has been employed in senior management positions there since 1993. His experience overseeing the development and practice of HRM's emergency response plan and the operations of numerous emergency services makes him an ideal candidate for this position.

The University of Toronto recently announced the appointment of Professor Sioban Nelson as Dean of the Faculty of Nursing, effective November 1, 2005 and ending June 30, 2011.

Professor Nelson is currently Head of the School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science at the University of Melbourne. She has her PhD from the Faculty of Humanities, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, in which she historicized the relationship between care of the sick, subjectivity and ethical practice. The monograph from this work, "A Genealogy of Care of the Sick," was published late 2000 by Nursing Praxis Press, Southsea Hants, UK. She is currently editor of the international journal Nursing Inquiry (published by Blackwells, Oxford, UK).

New Program Director, Trauma/Neurosurgery and Mobility Programs Appointed at St. Michael's Hospital
St. Michael's Hospital is pleased to announce the appointment of Lorraine Sunstrum-Mann to the position of Director, Trauma/Neurosurgery and Mobility Programs effective August 15, 2005. The appointment is an important element in the ongoing commitment of SMH to continue to deliver and enhance clinical excellence in these areas. Most recently, Lorraine held the position of Director of Maternal Child and Child Youth and Family Mental Health Programs at Lakeridge Health. Lorraine's prior experience has included Director of General Medicine and a varied number of clinical positions, including Neurosurgery, General Medicine and Emergency. Lorraine is a post-RN graduate of York University where she obtained a BA in Health Studies and more recently a MBA from the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt Business School. Currently Lorraine is Chair of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology - Ontario's newest university - Board of Governors and Chair of the Durham College Board of Governors. Lorraine holds a cross-appointment as Assistant Professor in the faculty of Health Sciences at UOIT.

The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario has announced Mary Ferguson-Pare as its President-Elect. Ms. Fergueson-Pare is Vice-President, Professional Affairs and Chief Nurse Executive at University Health Network, which comprises Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess Margaret Hospitals. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Nursing and cross-appointed to the University of British Columbia, School of Nursing and the University of Victoria, School of Nursing.

New Director, Clinical Informatics
St. Michael's Hospital is pleased to announce the appointment of Sally Remus to the position of Director, Clinical Informatics, effective August 15, 2005. The appointment is an important element in the ongoing commitment of SMH to ensuring effective infrastructure to support excellence in clinical informatics and patient care. Most recently, Sally held the position of Manager, Patient Care Informatics at London Health Sciences Centre. Prior to joining London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in 2001, Sally held a variety of leadership roles. Prior to her joining LHSC she had experience as a consultant/director in health management and health informatics and has also had an extensive career in management positions in other health services organizations, government and private business. Sally is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto, where she obtained a BScN and MScN respectively. Currently, Sally holds appointments on Canada Health Infoway's EPR Standards Advisory Committee and Smart Systems for Health Agency - Ontario Health Informatics Standards Council.

New Director, Professional Practice Appointed at St. Michael's Hospital
St. Michael's Hospital is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Schleifer Taylor to the position of Director, Professional Practice, effective August 2, 2005. The appointment is an important element in the ongoing commitment of SMH to ensuring effective

Brian Golden, a professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, has been elected Chair of the Board of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). ICES is an independent, non-profit organization, whose core mission is to conduct research that contributes to the efficiency of healthcare, health services and pharmaceutical policy in Ontario.

Prof. Golden is the Sandra Rotman Chair in Health Sector Strategy at the University of Toronto and the University Health Network (UHN), and is founding Director of the Centre for Health Sector Strategy at the Rotman School. He is a Full Professor of Strategic Management at the Rotman School of Management, with a joint appointment in the Faculty of Medicine's Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. infrastructure to support excellence in patient care. Most recently, Ms. Schleifer Taylor held the position of Director, Quality & Professional Practice at St. Joseph's Health Centre (Toronto). Prior to joining St. Joseph's Health Centre in 2001, Ms. Schleifer Taylor was a Lecturer in the Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Ms. Schleifer Taylor is also President of the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario.

Errata - A reference in the paper "Patient Safety: Is It Just Another Bandwagon" (CJNL 18(2):54) should have been identified as: Wynn, E. and E. Peter. 2003. "Nurses and Quarantine: Reflections upon the SARS Crisis in Toronto." Nursing Inquiry 10(4): 207-208.

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