Standards of Practice

Rachel, a nurse practitioner (NP), and Patsy, a registered nurse (RN), work in a busy primary care clinic. Their manager, Joelle, also an RN, has decided to add another staff person to address work load issues. After completing a job analysis, she decided a licensed practical nurse (LPN) would be the best fit.

How will Rachel and Patsy ensure they meet indicator 4.7 when the LPN is hired? How could Joelle, the manager meet this indicator as well?

(4.7: practises both independently and in collaboration with members of the health care team while understanding and respecting other team members’ scope of practice and contributions in the delivery of safe, competent, compassionate and ethical care)

Answer

They could meet this indicator by:

• Respecting and seeking to understand the LPN scope of practice e.g. call the regulatory body of LPNs (ANBLPN), ask others.
• Facilitating a staff meeting to discuss how they can work collaboratively as a team that Joelle will coordinate and oversee.
• Creating and maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all.
• Joelle should ensure everyone’s job roles are clearly outlined, that policies are updated, and that huddles occur to check in on teamwork and to clarify questions related to collaborative practice.

To know more about RN and LPN working in collaboration, please refer to the Nursing Intraprofessional Collaboration Guidelines: LPNs and RNs Working Together.

For more information on Professional Relationship and Leadership, continue to explore Standard 4 within the 2019 Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses. If you have any questions in meeting this standard of practice, please contact a Nurse Consultant at practiceconsultation@nanb.nb.ca.

Becky has worked as a community health registered nurse (RN) in a First Nation community for two years.  Recently her supervisor asked her to develop a policy guide for a methadone clinic at the health center.  As such programming is new to this community, many residents are opposed to this type of service for fear of it leading to further addiction issues.  In recognizing her role in advocacy for marginalized populations, Becky hosts several community consultation sessions to get input and to provide information to the community about the risks and benefits of methadone therapy. Becky understands the importance of access to relevant health services and the impact of determinants of health in populations.

Question: How can Becky meet standard 4, Indicator 4.4?

(4.4 advocates, individually and collectively, for healthy public policy and programs that are informed by the determinants of health)

Answer

Becky gathered crucial information from the First Nation’s community regarding the fear of methadone clinics triggering further addiction issues. Moving forward, Becky is also responsible to prepare herself with evidence-informed resources. To do so, she needs to consult credible resources like the Government of Canada regarding health inequalities so that she can give everyone the same opportunities to be healthy, no matter who they are or where they live. With her experience, she already knows that many factors have an influence on health, and she must support the reduction of health inequalities in this marginalized community when developing this policy guide.

For more information on Professional Relationships and Leadership, continue to explore Standard 4 within the 2019 Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses. If you have any questions in meeting this standard of practice, please contact a Nurse Consultant at practiceconsultation@nanb.nb.ca .

Randy has been a dedicated CCU registered nurse (RN) for twenty years.  Over the years Randy has provided nursing care to many clients who have experienced a myocardial infarction.  Randy has been vocal about the lack of access to health promotion programs in his community which has led him to integrate comprehensive teaching related to healthy lifestyle choices.  Due to his leadership in this area, his Nurse Manager has invited him to represent their unit as part of a cardiac wellness pilot project.

Question: How can Randy meet standard 4, indicator 4.5? 

(4.5 contributes to and supports initiatives that improve the health system and population health)

Answer

Randy can use his expertise to inform the project team about the needs of upstream investments in preventing cardiovascular disease. To do so, he could use The Population Health Template Working Tool that focuses on 8 elements to structure the cardiac wellness pilot project:

• Focus on the Health of Population
• Address the Determinants of Health and Their Interactions
• Base Decisions on Evidence
• Increase Upstream Investments
• Apply Multiple Strategies
• Collaborate Across Sectors and Levels
• Employ Mechanisms for Public Involvement
• Demonstrate Accountability of Health Outcomes

To access this tool and other relevant information on population health, refer to the following link: What is the Population Health Approach?

For more information on Professional Relationships and Leadership, continue to explore Standard 4 within the 2019 Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses. If you have any questions in meeting this standard of practice, please contact a Nurse Consultant at practiceconsultation@nanb.nb.ca .

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