TPNIG Newsletter ISSUE ONE Spring / Summer 2009

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1 TPNIG Newsletter ISSUE ONE Spring / Summer 2009 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Our Mission: The Tele-practice Nursing Interest Group exists to promote excellence in the development, innovation, education and application of Tele-practice nursing as a means of improving healthcare in Ontario. OUR VISION: We strive to be the leading VOICE provincially and nationally in the Tele-health industry through the advancement of consistent, cutting edge evidence Tele-practice nursing, education and research.

2 EDITOR S NOTE: pg.2 The spring of 2009 brings hope of a new season, new beginnings like the gift of blossoms, the brush of gentle breezes and the warm whispers of spring rain. The year2009 also brings with each lengthening day the honour of the development of the First Tele practice Interest Nurse s Group Newsletter. We have come of age and are prepared to reach out and declare we have a voice! This year of 2009 holds a very special anniversary for Tele practice in the Province of Ontario. May of 2009 celebrates the Tenth Anniversary of a landmark idea put into action. It all began in North Bay, ON in 1999 with a group of forward driven, Nurse s willing to think outside the box willing to invest in a frontier not yet explored. We salute courage as we stand on the professional foundations of Tele triage. We salute the professional communicator that so often is a voice of calm, during that charged situation A highly skilled individual who is willing not only to hear but to listen. Who has the knowledge, skills and tools to empower! We have come a long way in Ten Years! Well done Teletriage professionals Well done! Grace Gibson >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> TPNIG Executive Committee Members: 2009 Sandy Brioux President sandyann@ontera.net Connie Kuc Past President Mireille Mitchell Finance Treasury Executive Officer mmitchell6@cogeco.ca Brenda McCurdy Policy and Political Action Executive Network Officer brenda.mccurdy@sympatico.ca Marion Tilemans- Membership Executive Network Officer

3 Jill Shaw Member at large- Recording Secretary Grace Gibson- Member at large- Communications co-chair PRESIDENT S MESSAGE: SANDY BRIOUX Greetings to the Tele practice Interest Group members I have been very active in the RNAO over the past year and it has been very fulfilling. Meeting with Nurse Leaders from all over Ontario gives us a sense of belonging. Tele practice Nurses come from all areas of nursing. The experience that we bring to the table is wide and varied. We need to be proud of ourselves. Tele practice Nurses have come a long way, in this new field of Nursing. Tele practice is the way of the future. Thank you to each and every one of you for supporting us. Last years Educational Symposium was a success. We had varied speakers and a great turnout for our entry into educational pursuits. We did loose money because our registration rate was low, but it was still a great success. As spring is reaching out to us the Tele practice Nursing Interest Group would like to reach out to you. Over the past year we have worked diligently to bring you our next educational symposium. The Tele practice Nursing Interest Group has partnered with the RNAO Centre for Professional Excellence to bring you an even better program. This year s symposium is titled Tele practice Nursing Past, Present and Future. We will be having varied speakers from all aspects of Tele practice. Health Canada will be giving us insight; Laurie Peachy will be speaking about students and technology, Legal issues from the Canadian Medical Protective Society, and Floriann Shaw offering us a look into Tele practice monitoring. We have a very dynamic keynote speaker Rosita Hall. I would like to invite each and every one of our members to participate in this exciting conference. We are having it this year in beautiful North Bay, the origin of Telepractice in Ontario. This is the 10 year anniversary of Tele health services in Ontario.

4 Pg.4 North Bay is only 3 3 1/2 hrs from Toronto. The route is scenic and only a hop, skip and jump away. The North Bay and area has provincial parks, camping sites and a beautiful waterfront with double carousels. There will be lots to do for the family so bring everyone with you and enjoy a fun filled long week end. I have been informed that our symposium does qualify for the Nursing Education Initiative. If you qualify you will be able to get your registration fee paid for. I would also like to invite each and every one of you to participate in our professional group. We need your support. Please call or me and let me know what you would be willing to do for our group. It could be as small as writing a short article or finding an interesting article for the newsletter or a willingness to participate in our executive. Sandy Sandy Brioux RN, BA is President of the Tele practice Nursing Interest Group and a Telepractice nurse at Sykes Tele health.

5 Pg.5 North Bay, Ontario >>>>>>>>>>>> NEWS FROM TpING REPS: Jill Shaw GTA /Sykes Tele health GTA has a TPNIG NEWS Bulletin Board located in the kitchen for all nurses to read. Information on the upcoming TPNIG Symposium and the names, positions and sites of pg,6

6 the TPNIG Executive Committee is posted. Articles about Tele-nursing, the certification process and RNAO brochures are available for reading. This Information Board is starting to generate some discussions and questions about the Tele-Practice Nursing Interest Group. The "Lunch Bunch" started in GTA 5 years ago. One staff member selects her/his favourite luncheon location and communicates the date and location to the rest of the staff. We meet around 11:00 and finish usually around 1:00 to enable those of us who are scheduled for an evening shift to get to work on time. It is a great opportunity to get to know our workmates and learn about new and fun places to eat. It can be a small group of 4 or as large a group as 14 attending. We have enjoyed seafood, waterfront restaurants, great delicatessens, Italian and Thai foods, small town fare, yacht clubs, ice cream parlours, all day breakfasts and grand old hotels to name a few. We always have good food and good conversations. POLITICAL ACTION Sandy Brioux The president, political action representative and membership ENO attended the RNAO day for political actions. We each met several MPP s and staff members and encouraged them to listen to us with regard to the upcoming budget. Our initiatives to hire 9,000 nurses, 3,000 in the next budget, initiatives to help end poverty, the breastfeeding initiative, passing the pesticide law and consider beefing it up to include golf courses and other areas not covered. TpNIG partnering with the RNAO encourages all of its members to work to bring the issues to the forefront especially those that are determinants of health. POLITICAL ACTION Jill Scarrow RNAO As you are likely aware, in the last few weeks, RNAO has launched several action alerts encouraging members to write to Premier McGuinty to urge him to keep his promise to hire 9,000 nurses, including providing funding for 3,000 in this year's budget. The provincial budget is expected to be

7 released in late March, and as it draws nearer, RNAO home office is asking you to help us speak out on this important issue by reaching out to your local media. Pg.7 For example, if a local health-care organization is laying off staff, this could be a good time to write to the paper and remind the public of the Premier's promise - and the difference nurses make to patient care. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you would like assistance with a letter, or need contact information for your local paper. Kind regards, Jill Scarrow Ph: / ext. 210 RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION - We welcome nurses who are engaged in the Tele-practice Nursing profession or are interested in the realities of this emerging nursing practice. We are actively recruiting more members from various settings: offices, clinics, community, acute care and nursing call centers. We empower Tele-practice nursing as an innovative and valued field of professional nursing practice and want to enhance the lines of communication amongst nurses who are concerned and work within Tele-practice locally, regionally and nationally. Certification The Tele practice Interest Group has been looking at certification for Tele practice Nurses. We need to prove to the Canadian Nurses Association that we are unique in our practice. We have had several teleconference calls with Tele practice Nurses from coast to coast. This needs to be a national initiative. We need to formulate our presentation and will need to have the manpower to follow through. Please let us know if you are willing to participate now or sometime in the future. It doesn t need to be a big role, it can be for an hour if that is all the time you have available. It is really exciting to get in on the ground floor. Please contact me Sandy Brioux at sandyann@ontera.net or Jackie Hickey jackie.hickey@sykes.com.

8 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Pg.8 TPNIG Survey: Please take a moment to complete the few questions listed below: Definitions Tele-health - has been defined as the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs), to deliver health services and transmit health information over both long and short distances. Canadian Society of Tele-health Tele-triage - healthcare services (symptom triage, healthcare management advice, health information, community referrals) that provides callers with access to Registered Nurses who provide healthcare solutions over the telephone. Sykes Tele-health E-health electronic information connecting people through the convergence of the internet to support healthcare. Sykes Tele-health Tele-practice refers to a professional providing interactive, long-distance services to a consumer in another location. In its broadest sense, Tele-practice includes practicing by telephone or facsimile, activities that have occurred for many years. But it is the licensed professional's increased use of more interactive technologies, from Internet connections to advanced video conferencing systems, that is attracting legislative attention. Like their predecessor technologies, the new methods are not dependent on geographic boundaries for their effectiveness Do you work in Tele-triage / Tele-practice? Yes No

9 2. What are the issues in Tele-triage /Tele-practice you foresee as a barrier in the future of Tele-health. 3. What are the key solutions that would take Tele-triage /Tele-practice to the next level? 4. What organizations need to be heavily involved with Tele-triage /Tele practice? 5. What are some ideas you can suggest that can increase the awareness of Teletriage / Tele -practice? 6. Please share your comments and your contact information for further discussion if you wish. Many thanks to Jackie Hickey >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Education: Educational programs in the area of Tele-practice nursing are important to ensure competency and effectiveness in Tele-practice. Centennial College /ON currently offers a one-year online certificate program: Nursing Tele-practice. Courses include: 1.Informatics for Nursing Tele-practice, 2.Nursing Tele-practice Assessment and Communication, 3.Ethics and Legalities for Nursing Tele-practice, 4.Nursing Tele-practice Theory and Laboratory and Nursing Tele-practice Preceptor ship. Check out these courses for confirmed start dates. G.Gibson Pg.9 >>>>>>>>>>>>>

10 TpNIG Symposium -to be held at the - Clarion Pinewood - North Bay ON -May a.m. to 4 p.m. Michelle Zander. Jackie Hickey, Sandy Brioux, Mimi Mitchell, and Brenda McCurdy say you Can/Can - Enjoy yourself! See you there!