THUNDER BAY — Confederation College has been accepted into a three-year pre-designation program in the Best Practice Spotlight Organization by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, recognizing the school's practical nursing program.
The project, which is co-led by Jamis Robins, and Michael Scarcello, a Registered Nurses Association of Ontario member, will span three years.
The college's nursing faculty, staff and students will undergo training to embed the nurses association's best practice guidelines into the practical nursing curriculum and clinical placements.
The college strives to integrate evidence-based practices with an Indigenous worldview through its strategic partnership with Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Wenjack Education Institute.
Robins said the Best Practice Spotlight Organization commits to the implementation of best practices within specific areas of their organization.
"At Confederation College, we have opted to implement three best practice guidelines into our practical nursing program, which has received the provincial approval of our regulatory body and other mechanisms, so it makes sense that we would take on the additional opportunity to add to our program," she said.
Other organizations like the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Care Group have also received Best Practice Spotlight Organization designation demonstrating their commitment to evidence-based practice.
Robins said they will begin with the transitions in care guideline in September, which will focus on supporting safe and effective transitions across the health-care spectrum for pediatric and adult persons and their support network.
"This designation means we have joined the ranks of other health-care organizations locally, provincially, nationally, and globally," she said.
"Nurses and other health-care professionals collaborate to take the most current evidence and create guidelines to apply the evidence to practice."
Robins added that the plan is to eventually move into guidelines that will support the health-care needs of Indigenous people for the program's future nurses caring for Indigenous people.
"Indigenous peoples tell us about the disproportionate health challenges that they encounter, like timely access to care," she noted.
"By infusing best practice in our curriculum, we are creating a change by exposing both Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners to an evidence-focused curriculum, which is not only going to expose students to the unique health-care needs of Indigenous Peoples, it will better prepare them to address those unique health-care needs in practice."
The Chronicle Journal / Local Journalism Initiative
