Aboriginal Envelope - Health System Renewal Initiatives
Nursing Strategy
$4,200,000
The Office of Nursing Services (ONS), First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) of Health Canada, was established in 2001. The mandate of ONS is to provide professional strategic leadership for nurses employed in FN&I communities and strategic policy advice to senior management from a nursing perspective. Note that funding to FNIHB for the Nursing Strategy and Health Integration Initiative totals $15,000,000.
Partners:
Canadian Nurses Association; Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing; Aboriginal Nurses Association; and, various clinical and academic consultants across Canada
Objective:
- Address long standing recruitment and retention issues for nurses;
- Develop sustainable clinical and professional supports and resources for nurses working in FN&I communities; and
- Develop strategies to increase the number of Aboriginal people entering health care professions, particularly nursing.
Activities:
- Develop a National Nursing Portal;
- Organize a consensus workshop on Aboriginal nursing education;
- Implement advanced nursing practice initiatives across Canada, including development of clinical nurse specialists and nursing education consultants in each region; establish consensus on the competencies and statement of qualifications for nurse practitioners; and, development of standard competencies for nurse practitioners across Canada.
- Develop a CD ROM of physical assessment to assist nurses in obtaining and maintaining an expanded skill base;
- Develop a standardized orientation framework for all FNIHB nurses; and
- Organize a workshop to increase the profile of FN&I nursing practice, improve networking opportunities with nursing colleagues working in rural and remote settings, explore current research underway into challenges and opportunities for rural and remote nursing.
Expected Results:
- Increased professional and clinical supports for nurses;
- Better communication nationally to nursing leaders and front line staff;
- Increased awareness of nursing and the breadth of health care in FN&I communities;
- Improved and standardized orientation of nurses to work in FN& I communities;
- Improved clinical skills for nurses in rural areas; and
- Increased numbers of people of Aboriginal descent choosing nursing as a profession.
Contact:
Brenda Canitz
A/Executive Director
Office of Nursing Services
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada
Room 1611A, Jeanne Mance Building
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
Tel: (613) 946-0442
Fax: (613) 957-9986
Email: brenda_canitz@hc-sc.gc.ca
|
