Special points of interest: 2 Educational Awards for CNS. Deadline: December 15 th, 2017 Inside this issue: Messages 1-2 Articles 2-4 CNS-Canada AGM (Oct. 5) CNS-ON Annual Reports 2016-17 5-6 7-9 Executive 12 Two (2) $1,000 CNS 13 Volume 2017. No 2 Message from the CNS President of Ontario Let s move further into ACTION! Hello Colleagues, With the annual CNS week just ending (September 1-7), we had the opportunity to raise the profile of CNSs visible in our workplaces and identified ourselves as a CNS. This requires a continuous effort to make a difference to improve patients and clients outcomes. Recently, I was talking about Magnet Hospitals and the fact that in Canada we only have one hospital that received this type of accreditation to this day, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto ( January 2015). Such designation indicates that these hospitals across USA, for example, have many CNSs on staff, some hospitals have even more that 25 CNSs involved with direct care and in every day clinical work to bring up or keep up high standards of care and at the same time, reducing length of stay and saving costs. We can attend the Annual Conference of NACNS where CNSs present research findings from their own work. Once again, we want to congratulate our Canadian CNS colleagues who have made it official with the Magnet designation at Mount Sinai Hospital!! On the national scene: we have been busy in developing our national association CNS- Canada and promoting the role of CNSs in our discussions. We are a member of the CNA nursing network of specialties. Ontario representatives are speaking up at every occasion not only for CNSs in Ontario but also for CNSs in Canada. You can follow us on our Ontario Facebook and website (CNS- ON) and on our Canadian (CNS-C) Facebook. As Provincial President of CNS-Ontario, I attend all the meetings in Toronto, e.g. the RNAO AGM, the Assembly of Presidents of Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 1 Interest Groups / Associations and the Assembly of all Presidents (Chapters, IG/ associations, with the RNAO BOD). We have been raising concerns about the partnership with RNAO and we are still awaiting details to ensure true collaboration and the ability to communicate directly with you all. Our membership numbers are down from last year. Please consult our website for other information, such as Members voice report that I have been producing for RNAO and posting on our website. http://cns-ontario.rnao.ca/ members-voices We are looking for information to be published in our Newsletters. Send us details of what is taking place in your organisation, the research you are involved, etc. In this Newsletter, you will enclose reports or articles from Executive members and CNSs in Ontario. http://cns-ontario.rnao.ca/ newsletters Send us your concerns and suggestions to keep Paul-André Gauthier President
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 2 us on track and informed on what is happening. E-mail: cnsontario1@gmail.com Sincerely, Paul-André Gauthier President CNS-ON RN, CNS; TCC, DMD, MN, PhD (Nursing) Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative Care ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Did you know? Elsabeth and Paul-André have been recognized by the Canadian Nurses Association for the 150 th anniversary of Confederation (2017) http://www.mountsinai.on.ca/about_us/news/2015- news/mount-sinai-first-in-canada-to-achieve-magnetrecognition-for-nursing-excellence-and-patient-care https://cna-aiic.ca/en/about-us/awards-andrecognition/150-nurses-for-canada/independent-emeritus/ paul-andre-gauthier https://cna-aiic.ca/en/about-us/awards-andrecognition/150-nurses-for-canada/independent-emeritus/ elsabeth-jensen +++++++ The President (Paul-André) of CNS-ON has his CNS profile on the CNA-AIIC website... among 6 CNS representing Canada (2016) https://cna-aiic.ca/en/professional-development/advancednursing-practice/clinical-nurse-specialists/clinical-nursespecialist-profiles/paul-andre-gauthier ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Trying to Differentiate Certification in a Specialty from being a Specialist This is the time of year when the Canadian Nurses Association is promoting their certification program. This program was started so that RNs in generalist practice could identify particular expertise in the area where they were practicing. The website (Canadian Nurses Association [CNA], 2017) describes this as CNA certification is a nationally recognized nursing specialty credential for registered nurses. They go on to say: Certified RNs are Recognized nationally for their practice excellence and commitment to lifelong learning; Valued by employers, because their certification demonstrates specialized knowledge and brings many benefits to organizations; Viewed as having enhanced professional credibility. There are currently 8521 RN s in Ontario who are certified in one of 20 clinical areas of practice. It is worth noting that administration/ leadership and education are NOT in the list. Clearly, the focus for certification is to recognize expertise and a concentration of knowledge and skill in a clinical area. The CNA (2007) Position Statement on Advance Nursing Practice recognizes Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) and Nurse Practitioners (NP) as the only two groups who are in this category. Note, they do not use the term Advance Practice Nurse (APN) in this statement. The statement does say these nurses have graduate educational preparation, in-depth clinical nursing knowledge and expertise in meeting the health needs of individuals, families, groups, communities and populations. The term APN is one often used by employers to describe a job, just as CNS is used as a job title. None of these titles is protected so anyone can be employed as a CNS or APN. Credentials are not required by employers at this time. As nursing moves toward the certification of CNSs, this will change. To confuse things even further, there are graduate programs that graduate CNSs in a variety of clinical specialties. These nurses have a graduate degree that is a credential supporting them to be a CNS. Historically there were many CNS programs in Ontario before the NP was approved. Currently there are none. Many graduates of these programs are still working. One can argue that being certified in a specialty is one thing, being a specialist is another. The certification credential allows a nurse prepared at a generalist level to provide evidence that they do have a concentration of knowledge and skill in an area of practice. This makes them a very good generalist prepared nurse in a clinical area where they have invested time and energy in making sure they can provide the best nursing care to patients. This knowledge and skill is usually acquired through continuing education. A Specialist, however, has acquired specialty knowledge and skill at an advance level, through graduate Elsabeth Jensen
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 3 education with a focus on the clinical field of interest. The CNS has studied in depth clinical skills, the application of theory to practice, the use of research skills to solve practice questions and has engaged in experiential learning through clinical practicums as part of their graduate education in nursing. If you remember your curve from research class, it can help to visualize the generalist RN as able to care for most people in the population within one standard deviation from the mean. The RN who has engaged in ongoing continuing education brings more skill and knowledge, and can deal with most people within two standard deviations from the mean. This leaves a group of people who are often not responsive to usual care and these people need a CNS who has greater depth and breadth of knowledge and skill in nursing these people. The CNS is also skilled in searching research literature and distilling the results when confronted with a new and challenging case. It is the depth and breadth of specialised clinical nursing knowledge and practice that makes these nurses invaluable in looking at the system and moving to improve practices through policy development, education, mentoring and clinical supervision. In discussions with colleagues, there is time to clarify the differences between being certified in a specialty and being educated as a specialist. We can talk about the differences between job titles decided by employers and credentials recognized by titles as determined by the nursing profession. However, for the time being, we still have to deal with the confusion of ``specialty certification`` and ``specialist`` in nursing language. Hopefully with time we can come up with clearer terms so that we are clearer with ourselves and with the publics we serve. -Canadian Nurses Association. (2017). https:// www.cna-aiic.ca/en/certification -Canadian Nurses Association. (2007). Position Statement: Advance Nursing Practice. Downloaded from: https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/ professional-development/advanced-nursingpractice Elsabeth Jensen, RN, PhD President-Elect, CNS-ON; Ontario Representative, BOD, CNS-C; Associate Professor, York University; Director York-CAMH Collaborative ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Advancing Nursing Practice in a time of change; it is an historical juncture In the climate of an increasingly corporate healthcare system and new public management, our health care system is under mounting pressure to do more with less, at the cost of the people whom we serve and, too often, at the cost of nurses well-being and that of our profession. All of this is happening in the context of a call to primary care reform and movement to community health care. Given this reality, our practice partners need us to graduate nurses who understand the foundations of care (and own it), can discern quality improvement and performance measurement and grasp the intersection between these elements. Nurses also need to master safety science and have the ability to articulate with the vast array of information and new technologies. In addition, given what we know about social and structural inequity and its impact on health, we need to graduate nurses who understand health promotion, the social determinants of health and the principles of primary health care and their application. Graduates need to be grounded in a set of values and ethical principles that include, as a few examples, health equity, cultural safety/ humility, relational practice and social justice; nurses who also understand the importance of deep theorizing in nursing that must occur as we grapple with numerous health care challenges and the necessity to shift practice. We need nurses with voices to advocate for their clients (and reform) and who can lead the professional practice team. We need as Duncan, Rodney and Thorne (Nursing Inquiry, 2014) note, full expression of the voice of the profession, both for the advancement of nursing practice and to unleash the profession s capacity to lead public policy and systems transformation (p. 27). It is my view and the research is clear we need to build on the unique capacities of all nurses BUT also to build a strong workforce of nurse leaders to shift practice. Nurse clinicians/ educators/ researchers/ policy analysts need to work with the Canadian nursing professional bodies, including regulators and unions to prepare for the dynamic shifts in nursing practice roles that will occur to support positive health outcomes in the Canadian populace at this time. It is my view, we must educate Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Practitioners and other Professional Practice Leaders en masse; those who are prepared to pick up this mantle. We, in nursing at Western University, are grappling with what this means for both graduate and undergraduate education BUT what we know is we are committed to the advancement of nursing practice to support positive health outcomes for all, including a healthy nursing workforce. We are committed to the education of Nurse Leaders: Clinical Nurse Specialists; Nurse Practitioners; Professional Practice Leaders; and, the Professoriate. We have before us very real challenges BUT we also have extraordinary opportunities; this an exciting time in nursing! Vicki Smye, RN, PhD Director of Research
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 4 Clinical Nurse Specialists of William Osler Health Systems Leading Change for Healthier Lives Left to right: Colleen Seereeram, Sara Fung, Kyla Corrado, Bonnie Keating, Rashmy Lobo, Stephanie Jarvis This year at Osler CNS week is celebrated from Sept 1 st - 8 th Did you know? Osler Clinical Nurse Specialists work in: wound care, obstetrics, acute pain service, palliative care, cardiac care, and seniors health; Promote nursing research and use new knowledge in clinical practice; Provide expert nursing care for specialized/complex client populations; Play a leading role in the development of clinical guidelines and policy; Provide expert support, consultation and facilitate system change; Improve client, organization and system outcomes; Understand and use evidence-based knowledge; Plan, coordinate, implement and evaluate programs to meet client needs and support nursing practice; Demonstrate advanced judgment and decision-making skills. All CNSs at Osler had the unique opportunity to showcase their work and the program benefits in relation to their role in the true sense of the theme, Leading change for healthier lives. Rashmy Caroline Lobo, Director of Policy and Practice.
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 5 SAVE THE DATE! Clinical Nurse Specialist Association of Canada Notice Annual General Meeting CNS-C / ICN-S was incepted in January 2016 and is part of the Canadian Nursing Association s Specialty Groups network. Mission: The national Clinical Nurse Specialist association provides a leadership platform through which Canadian Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) impact and influence cost-effective health care system change to support safe, quality care and superior outcomes. Vision: The CNS is an essential component of a sustainable health-care system. The vision was developed with the goal that Canadians will understand the importance of the CNS in the improvement of safety and health outcomes. DATE: Thursday, October 5, 2017 Time: (depending where you live ) --- > Venue: Teleconference format, connection information will be given to all registered members of the CNS-C / ISC-C. How do you get involved and participate? 08:00 BC 09:00 AB 10:00 MB / CT 11:00 ON / QC 12:00 NB / NS 12:30 NFL Membership: Registered Nurses or Registered Psychiatric Nurses who: have completed a masters of nursing and a clinical specialty and meet the current Canadian Nurses Association Pan-Canadian CNS Core Competencies or prior to 2016, hold a graduate degree or higher level of education in a discipline other than nursing which meets the current Canadian Nurses Association Pan-Canadian Core Competencies. Membership fee: $65.00 and registration must be submitted prior to October 1 st, 2017 in order to participate in the AGM (see the link below). Associate fee: $50. English: Go to Sign up now then go to Create Login and select the language. http://www.karelo.com/register.php?bid=650&bt=10&ev=16560 For more information - contact : Paul-André Gauthier at CNSCanada1@gmail.com www.facebook.com/cnscanada
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 6 RÉSERVEZ CETTE DATE! Association des infirmières et infirmiers cliniciens spécialisés du Canada Avis d'assemblée Générale Annuelle CNS-C / ICS-C a été créée en janvier 2016 et fait par e du réseau des groupes spécialisés de l AIIC. Mission: L Association des infirmières et infirmiers cliniciens spécialisés du Canada (ICS-C) fournit une plateforme de leadership à travers laquelle les infirmières cliniciennes spécialistes influencent des changements dans le système de santé pour prodiguer et soutenir des soins sécuritaires et de qualité supérieure. Vision: Les ICS sont une composante essentielle d un système de soins de santé viable. La vision a été élaborée avec l objectif que les Canadiens comprendraient l importance des ICS dans l amélioration de la sécurité et des résultats cliniques. DATE: Jeudi 5 octobre 2017 Heure: (selon l endroit où vous résidez ) --- > Format : téléconférence, les informations pour se connecter seront fournies à tous les membres inscrits à l ISC-C. 08:00 BC 09:00 AB 10:00 MB / CT 11:00 ON / QC 12:00 NB / NS 12:30 NFL Comment s impliquer et participer? Adhésion: Infirmières autorisées ou Infirmières psychiatriques autorisées qui : ont complété une maîtrise en sciences infirmières et une spécialité clinique, et qui rencontrent les compétences pan-canadiennes de l AIIC ou avant 2016, étaient détentrices d un diplôme d'études supérieures (2 e cycle) ou un niveau d'éducation plus élevé dans une discipline autre que les soins infirmiers, répondant aux compétences pancanadiennes de l AIIC. Cotisation membre : 65 $ Remplir et soumettre votre inscription avant le 1 er octobre 2017 afin de participer à l'assemblée générale annuelle (voir le lien internet plus bas). Cotisation - Associée : 50 $. Français: Aller à S inscrire maintenant et ensuite «Créer utilisateur» et sélectionner la langue. http://www.karelo.com/register.php?bid=650&bt=10&ev=16560&cl=fr Contactez : Paul-André Gauthier à: CNSCanada1@gmail.com pour plus d'informations. : www.facebook.com/cnscanada
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 7 Short Annual Reports from Executive Members 2016-2017 Provincial President My role as President of CNS-ON is to ensure that we are responding in a timely fashion to a multitude of requests relevant to CNSs and RNs. Also, I facilitate the collaboration among our executive and the sharing of information with our members, e.g. either on our Facebook and/ or website. Furthermore, I continue to ensure the coordination of our work within our association, CNS-ON, and with other nursing associations in Ontario and across Canada, especially CNS-C and CNA. There are also discussions with our US counterpart, NACNS. I believe that learning from them help us to support our own efforts here in Ontario to be recognized officially as Clinical Nurse Specialist. Last February (2017), I had the opportunity to speak personally with the Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, with the Minister of Health, Eric Hoskins, and other ministers and MPPs, regarding the important role that CNSs play in the health care system and the difference we can make. I meet regularly with France Gélinas, NDP health critic for Ontario. Moreover, I followed up with them with an e-mail with research information to support the utilization of CNS, e.g. in hospitals. For them to know me as a CNS representative helps to increase the visibility of CNSs, which often are not well known. With colleagues such as Elsabeth Jensen, Carmen Rodrigue, and Rashmy Lobo, CNSs have been more visible with politicians over the past 17 years, because we attend the Day at Queen s Park in Toronto every year. I also sit on various committees locally and provincially, e.g. RNAO-MRRC Membership, Recruitment and Retention Committee; and RNAO- Nursing Practice Committee. As President I represent the CNS-ON on these two committees. I chair the regional ethic committee in Sudbury- Manitoulin (SMEN). I continue to do interviews mainly on radio (SRC - CBC French), I have make over 300 official interviews since my involvement with CNS-ON over 10 years ago speaking up about nursing and about health. More information and reports can be found on our website in our Newsletters, Members voice reports, the main page of http://cnsontario.rnao.ca/ so, yes we are active and working for you, Clinical Nurse Specialists! Lastly, we remain concerned about the membership list that we are not receiving from RNAO home office. We discussed this at our CNS-ON AGM and the President mentioned it at the mic at the RNAO AGM. Here some of the reasons supporting our request -- The membership list facilitates A quick access to confirm who is a member or not; Help us to know who is a member in each region / city of Ontario; To ensure that all executive members are an RNAO member; To ensure that our candidates and recipients for awards are members; To ensure that refund provided to a nurse is a member of our IG /association; To look at how much fund we can expect to receive during the fiscal year; To communicate quickly with members; To communicate specifically with one member by locating her/ his e-mail or phone number; To look up potential resource person within our membership; To look up potential executive members to our association / IG; To look up potential candidates to nominate for RNAO awards; To look up potential candidates to nominate for RNAO- BOD or committees. There are probably way more reasons for using our own membership list. FYI: In June 2017, we requested that a message/e-mail to be sent to all CNS-ON members asking them to provide the following information - that request (see below) was denied by RNAO home office. We were asking that members send us their own information. By doing so, CNS members agree to allow us to have their information on hand (with CNS-ON). Is Paul-André Gauthier, RN, PhD President
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 8 Short Annual Reports from Executive Members 2016-2017 this censorship or not? This question has not been answered to our satisfaction. Requested: We are in the process of developing a bank of information regarding our membership. We are receiving requests to identify experts in specialized areas of nursing and we need to be able to refer one of you when needed. By doing so, you agree for us to share you info, ** however, we will confirm with you before sending your information to an outside organization. ** Send us an e-mail with the information below directly to: cnsontario1@gmail.com Information required / CNS-ON member : Name: Tel # : e-mail: Specialization / domain of expertise : Type of Master / PhD completed : Paul-André Gauthier President ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Past President: Annual Report Since the AGM (Annual General Meeting) of our Association one year ago, I have been active on behalf of Clinical Nurse Specialists in Ontario. As Past President I have provided support and advice to the President. As the auditor of our Association, I reviewed all the documents with the Director of Finances on April 29 th, 2017. They were in order and all funds were accounted for. I also represented Ontario on the steering committee that developed bylaws for a national organization and became incorporated as the Clinical Nurse Specialist Association of Canada. This group held its inaugural AGM on October 2016. At that time, I was ratified as the initial Ontario Representative on the founding Board of Directors. In that capacity, I report on the activities of the CNS community in Ontario. As a member of the Canadian Nurses Association, I also work with CNA- Ontario in order to connect with CNSs no longer in RNAO. This is important as we will be seeing national certification of the CNS in the near future. I have attended CNS Association of Ontario board teleconferences and have contributed to the newsletter in the past year. It was also my pleasure to nominate a graduate student from York University for a Student Award. Jennifer Anderson, RN, BScN is studying the transition experience of adults being discharged to the community following a hospitalization in a psychiatric institution. She was not able to attend our AGM, so I will be passing the award to her on behalf of our Association. Respectfully submitted Elsabeth Jensen, RN, PhD Past-President ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Membership & Education Officer On September 24, 2016, I attended the RNAO Assembly meeting in Toronto for Membership Officers. During this meeting, it became clearly evident that RNAO would be implementing significant changes pertaining to the identification of our membership during the upcoming year. Although the CNS-Association of Ontario (CNS-ON) was able to maintain its membership approximately around 250 members, organizational changes were instituted by our host agency RNAO in such a way that our executive members were no longer able to directly identify its membership. This decision has caused a restriction in CNS-ON directly accessing its membership. In order to consult, to ask for assistance and/or to seek expertise within its membership, the CNS-ON can only access its membership through RNAO intervention and request that RNAO send an e-mail at large to all our CNS-ON members. Consequently, the CNS-ON will now require that members show their RNAO membership card with CNS- ON Association on it for identification purposes.
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 9 Short Annual Reports from Executive Members 2016-2017 Education was initially identified as a benefit in belonging to our association. With the incorporation of the Canadian Nurse Specialist Association of Canada last year, dedicated efforts were maintained by our President and Past-President to achieve this goal. Therefore the executive members of CNS-ON decided that educational opportunities offered by our provincial association would be deferred to this coming year. In conclusion, it has been a privilege to serve as the Membership & Education Officer for the past six years and to engage you in meaningful conversations. New members on CNS-ON Executive for elected in April 2017 Mitzi Grace Mitchell, Director of Education and Membership. Thank you for your support and commitment. Carmen Rodrigue, RN, MScN, CPMHN(C) Director of Membership & Education ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Director of Communication/Secretary: During the past term, I have worked with members of the committee to provide information to members about the accomplishments that are being made as well as on-going and emerging matters that are relevant to the advancement of CNS-ON. In serving as the secretary, I have attended most of the regular committee meetings and documented the minutes to create an audit trail of the discussions. This is important in maintaining transparency and, highlighting the contributions and activities of the committee and interest group members. Over the next term, we are poised to maintain our communication with you through our presence on social media and the newsletters to keep you update. I encourage you to forward questions and/or stories about your experiences in working as a CNS that we can share with the group through our newsletter. Respectfully submitted, Kadeen Briscoe, RN, BScN, MScN, PhD (student) Director of Communications/Secretary Sydney Truelove, Student representative. To stay informed consult Website: http://cns-ontario.rnao.ca/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/clinical-nursespecialists-association-of-ontariocanada/113210988761198?fref=ts If you have any suggestions, send them to: CNSOntario1@gmail.com
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 10 As the editor : I invite all members of the CNS Association of Ontario to send us notes, articles, pictures of interest for the next newsletter. We are quite interested in your everyday practice, send us a short article to let your colleagues know what you are doing in your practice. At: CNSOntario1@gmail.com ==================== FYI numbers: We have maintained a minimum of 250 members (RNs) over the past years. We do not have any undergrad nursing students. For ex. ο For Oct. 31, 2011 : 250 RNs ο For Oct. 31, 2012 : 251 RNs ο For Oct. 31, 2013 : 262 RNs ο For Oct. 31, 2014 : 300 RNs ο For Oct. 31, 2015 : 270 RNs. ο For Oct. 31, 2016 : 278 RNs. August 2017: 252 + 2 award recipients (254). We have been successful in maintaining a constant number of members despite the turbulence in the nursing profession. Also, it means that we have enough members to receive a group discount by RNAO. Following our requests, RNAO home office refused to recognise us as a group member for group discount ($), despite their policy in place. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In May 2017 Nursing Student Awards were given to CNS-MN Student studying in Ontario. We have contacted all the universities in Ontario asking them to send us the information regarding the MN /M.Sc.N. / M.Sc. (nursing) about their CNS program we are still awaiting more information. They received a certificate, a key chain, and we added them to the list of members: University Western Ontario recipient : - Sydney Truelove, RN. York University recipient : - Jennifer Arthur Anderson, RN. Congratulations to all! Paul-André Gauthier NACNS 23 nd year. February 28th to March 3 rd, 2018 Austin, Texas, USA. NACNS 2018 Annual Conference. Theme: Putting the pieces together CNSs bridging the gaps in health care. For more information http://nacns.org/news-and-events/annual-conference/ Topics of interest include: Clinical Practice Application (e.g., patient-centered outcomes, reduction in complications, comparative effectiveness projects, non-disease specific phenomena); Healthcare System (e.g., delivery, services, costs, safety, nursesensitive indicators); Healthcare Policy (e.g., scope of practice, regulation, prescriptive authority); Health Promotion (e.g., wellness management, disease management, symptom management, quality of life, functional status, medications and other therapeutics); Education (e.g., healthcare provider/students, patients, families, populations [vulnerable, unique], communities); Palliative Care Across the Lifespan; and Pharmacology/prescribing for the CNS (sessions that reflect the CNS role in assessment and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic [or combined] treatment of specific diseases and symptoms). NACNS President Vincent Holly, MSN, RN, CCRN, CCNS, Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist at Indiana University Health, Bloomington Hospital in Bloomington, Ind.. & CNS-ON President: Paul-André Gauthier.
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 11 The Clinical Nurse Specialist as Nursing Instructor in the Clinical Setting Preparing nursing student with the knowledge and skills to ease their transition into independent clinical practice and to engage in effective patient care is a major initiative in nursing education. A Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) can play a critical role in creating a rich learning environment and socialize nursing students to the profession by serving as practicum instructors or preceptors. Clinical rotations are instrumental to student developmental as they gain experience in patient care and develop a sense of understanding about what nursing entails. By the nature of their clinical experience and expertise, a CNS can facilitate educational opportunities, provide much needed support to students and be a role-model for excellence in nursing care. A CNS can guide students on how to integrate into an interdisciplinary health team, engage in collaboration, locate evidence, planning and delivering care across the life span (Gerard, 2010). It can be achieved through the act of sharing their experience, applying theoretical knowledge and ensuring evidence-base nursing care within the clinical learning environment (Malik, McKenna and Plummer, 2015), CNSs can help to enhance the student knowledge, reinforce the value of lifelong education and synthesize new learning. We can implement learning strategies to foster the development of the students clinical reasoning, judgement and decision-making based on empirical evidence and intrapersonal knowledge. CNSs are invaluable learning resource and support for students in the provision holistic patient care and as they begin to integrate theory into clinical practice. Reference Gerard, P. (2010). Reinventing the role of the clinical nurse specialist as practitioner-teacher to transform nursing education. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 24(6), 277-278. Malik, G., McKenna, L., & Plummer, V. (2015). Perceived knowledge, skills, attitude and contextual factor affecting evidence-based practice among nurse educators, clinical coaches, and nurse specialists. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 21(Suppl. 2), 46-57. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nursing Week Declaration in Sudbury on Monday, May 8. 2017 Suzèle Jambakhsh, ONA local 2 representative. Paul-André Gauthier, Chair of the Nursing Week Celebrations. Mark Signoretti, Council Representative of Greater Sudbury. Lise Thomas and Claire Gignac, RNAO-Sudbury Chapter. Kadeen Briscoe, Director of Communication
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 12 CNS Association of Ontario 2017-2019 Executive members Picture (from left to right) : Paul-André Gauthier, President & Director of Finance. Carole Caron, Member-at-large. Rashmy Caroline Lobo, Director of Policy and Practice. Elsabeth Jensen, President-Elect. Victoria Smye, Director of Research. Not on the picture: Kadeen Briscoe, Director of Communications / Secretary. Mitzi Mitchell, Director of Education and Membership. Sydney Truelove, Student representative.
Volume 2017. No 2 September Newsletter Page 13 CNS Association of Ontario Education Award 2017 Two (2) bursaries in the amount of $ 1,000 each will be awarded to a member of the CNS Association of Ontario who: Is pursuing graduate education in nursing with a CNS stream (Master s or PhD level) or Will be attending an advanced practice nursing (CNS stream) conference in the coming year AND Who is a current member of the CNS Association of Ontario (minimum one year or longer); Who currently resides in Ontario; Who has submitted their curriculum vitae (including mailing address, telephone number and email address); Who has enclosed one letter of reference (from a peer or academic reference); Who has completed a short essay (not to exceed 500 words) on: Your professional objectives / career goals (purpose for undertaking the program of study), and your potential contribution to advanced practice nursing as a CNS. Deadline: Friday, December 15 th, 2017 before 1500 hours (3:00pm) Submit to : Clinical Nurse Specialist Association of Ontario Subject: CNS-ON educational award. CNSOntario1@gmail.com Application Process : Please send your current curriculum vitae, one letter of reference (academic or professional), and a short essay of why you are deserving of this award. The bursary will be awarded by the CNS Association of Ontario s Executive before the end January 2018. The person will receive a refund when the Director of Finance of the CNS Association of Ontario has received an official receipt and proof of successful completion prior to October 1 st, 2018, preferably before that date once it is completed. Paul-André Gauthier, President CNS-ON