Professionalism Audit

The College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia (CRNNS) is the professional organization that holds registered nurses accountable.  CRNNS is mandated by government to protect the public through the regulation of RNs and NPs. As the regulatory body, they issue licenses to qualified RNs and NPs practicing in Nova Scotia, set the nursing practice standards, approve nursing education programs, enhance the continuing competence of nurses, and address complaints received about nursing practice. (CRNNS, 2019)

Although the College issues licenses, sets forth the practice standards, approves the education programs and enhances nursing competencies it does not protect a registered nurse in the event of a complaint or litigation.  The mandate of the college is to protect the public not the nurses themselves.  The organization that provides protection to registered nurses is the Canadian Nurses Protective Society.  The Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) provides a range of professional liability protection services to nurses in Canada.  By holding a license with the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia you are eligible to become a beneficiary of the services of the Canadian Nurses Protective Society.  Some of the services offered by CNPS are:  legal advice, assistance with legal proceedings, as well as risk management and education.

The profession of nursing interacts with all other healthcare professionals on a daily basis.  To demonstrate these interactions, let’s take a closer look at what goes into a simple discharge of and elderly patient back to her home after a fall.  Some of the professionals that the nurse may involve with include:

Social work to determine what kind of family supports are in place and what kind of support will be needed to maintain the client in her home

Dietician to ensure proper nutrition and councelling on healthy eating

PT work on mobility

OT to ensure any modifications are inplace to assist with getting the patient back home

Physicians to lead the discharge planning process, order and respond to diagnostic testing

Nursing staff to carry our physician orders, to provide care, education and support to the clients and families.

Pharmacy to provide med reviews, medication reconciliation on discharge and to support the team as the care for the client

These are just a few examples of how nurses interact with other healthcare professionals.  In my opinion nurses are at the center of healthcare delivery for our patients which is why it is so crucial for them to have good working relationships with the multidisciplinary healthcare team to provide quality holistic care to our patients.

References

Canadian Nurses Protective Society.  (n.d.).  About us.  Retrieved from                https://www.cnps.ca/index.php?page=2College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia.  (2019). About CRNNS.  Retrieved from https://crnns.ca/about-crnns.