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Nurse Practitioners

After 10 Years, What's Next for Nurse Practitioners? by Mark Schultz, NP

The introduction of Nurse Practitioners in B.C has just recently passed the 10 year mark. Throughout this past decade, we have had some notable successes in NP integration - some large, some small. We're finally starting to see general acknowledgment by the Ministry of Health, the health authorities, and even some of our medical colleagues, that nurses with advanced practice education and the appropriate resources to support them can be… Read More »After 10 Years, What's Next for Nurse Practitioners? by Mark Schultz, NP

Self-Care in Nursing: A Call to Action, by Maren Austen, BSN Student

There is evidence that nurses know that we should take care of ourselves and how we should be doing it, yet there is still a gap between what is known and what is practiced (Malloy, et al.). As a profession centered on caring, nurses spend much of our time providing care for others; unfortunately, we often do not give the same consideration to self-care – those activities we do to… Read More »Self-Care in Nursing: A Call to Action, by Maren Austen, BSN Student

B.C.’s Flu Shot Policy for Healthcare Providers: it just makes sense, by Hannah Varto, NP

This year again the BC Ministry of Health has mandated that all healthcare providers must receive the influenza vaccine and if they choose not to, they must wear a mask for the duration of flu season whilst providing patient care. I applaud this decision and am frustrated by some of my colleagues who argue against science and common sense. Let’s examine some of the arguments. Point 1: Flu kills.  It… Read More »B.C.’s Flu Shot Policy for Healthcare Providers: it just makes sense, by Hannah Varto, NP

Canadian Nurses Association Lobby Day on Parliament Hill: Insights on Nursing as a Political Act

Have you ever had one of those days where you said to yourself “If I had the opportunity to go to Ottawa, I’d tell those politicians how to fix our health care system”? Well, that is just what happened for five nurses from B.C. who were part of the Canadian Nurses Association annual “day on the hill” lobby opportunity on November 25th, 2014. These nurses included two current CNA board… Read More »Canadian Nurses Association Lobby Day on Parliament Hill: Insights on Nursing as a Political Act

Doctors Should not be a Business, by Hannah Varto, MN, NP(F)

I had a patient recently go to the Emergency Department (ED) for a pregnancy test!  It was a very expensive pregnancy test…not for her, but for our health care system.  The cost of this test came out of my pocket and yours.  I reflected about how and why our patients use the ED and the unfortunate state of our health care system. The ED has replaced general primary health care… Read More »Doctors Should not be a Business, by Hannah Varto, MN, NP(F)

Reflecting on the B.C. Budget 2014, by Julie Fraser, RN, MN, ARNBC President

Earlier today, February 18, 2014, the B.C. Government revealed its 2014 Budget along with Service Plans for each Ministry.  ARNBC has had some time to reflect on the budget, and hope that registered nurses and nurse practitioners will take an interest in reading the documentation and considering how this budget will impact their practice and Nursing in B.C. Government has identified a 2.3% increase ($385 million) in the health budget… Read More »Reflecting on the B.C. Budget 2014, by Julie Fraser, RN, MN, ARNBC President

Nursing Leaders Address the Need for Major Change in Health Policy, by Rob Calnan RN

On December 17, 2013, a small group of nurse leaders met in Vancouver to discuss the future of nursing in British Columbia, the challenges the profession is facing, and the need to have a stronger voice that represents the interests of the community of nursing. Much of the discussion during this meeting centred on the lack of cohesiveness among nursing groups and lack of respect that many leaders within the… Read More »Nursing Leaders Address the Need for Major Change in Health Policy, by Rob Calnan RN

Nurse Practitioners: Essential Health Care Professionals, by Carrie Murphy NP

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recently released a report entitled What’s Really Behind Canada’s Unemployed Specialists.  A subsequent Vancouver Sun article noted that the report doesn’t address whether there are too many specialists for the Canadian health care system, but does identify a number of possible reasons why newly certified specialists are having trouble finding work (i.e., competition for resources such as operating rooms, hospital beds… Read More »Nurse Practitioners: Essential Health Care Professionals, by Carrie Murphy NP

BC Nurse Practitioners in the News

UPDATE, January 13, 2013:  The discussion around nurse practitioners in B.C. continues to evolve on the Globe and Mail Website.  On January 11, 2013, Dr. Ross submitted a Letter to the Editor [Click here to view] querying whether or not the 'numbers add up'.  Subsequentlly, Rosemary Graham, BCNPA President, has shared the following message with ARNBC [Click here to view].  The BCNPA would like to hear the views of nurses, colleagues and the public… Read More »BC Nurse Practitioners in the News

Adding the RN Voice to Primary Care Reform , by Sally Thorne RN

Nurses across a wide range of service sectors contribute a major component of the spectrum of primary care – supporting patients, families and communities in a wide range of health promotion, disease prevention, and chronic illness management activities to name a few. However, wherever they work, nurses also witness the individual impacts of a troubled primary care system -- a system that does not yet guarantee access for all British Columbians, that remains strongly physician-centric at a time when physicians themselves are concerned about the serious scarcity of primary care providers within their own ranks, and whose funding and management systems operate in isolation from the rest of the publicly funded health care system. British Columbia lags behind most other provinces and many other nations in enacting a truly comprehensive and coordinated interprofessional system of care. And nurses see first hand how the gaps in primary care lead to unacceptable acute and chronic illness rates as well as preventable human suffering.

Read More »Adding the RN Voice to Primary Care Reform , by Sally Thorne RN

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