RNAO board of directors welcomes new interest group for Ontario nurse practitioners

TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2017 /CNW/ - A new interest group for nurse practitioner (NP) members of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) will build on the association's longstanding advocacy to further propel the role of NPs in the province's health system.

Launched today, the Nurse Practitioner Interest Group (NPIG) will provide NPs with a venue to network and collaborate, bring an advanced NP perspective to RNAO's public policy work, and contribute to an even stronger collective nursing voice in Ontario.

As the professional association for RNs, NPs, and nursing students, RNAO has spent decades supporting NPs and has been the catalyst for major developments in the NP role. These include the legislated NP role in 1998, launching of Ontario's first NP-led clinic in Sudbury in 2007 and 25 additional ones in subsequent years, major expansions to NPs' scope including the authority to admit, treat, transfer and discharge hospital in-patients since 2011, working with the provincial government to fund 75 new attending NP positions in long-term care since 2015, and enabling NPs to prescribe controlled substances in 2017.

"On behalf of RNAO's board of directors, we are delighted to unanimously approve the formation of this group. RNAO is extremely proud of our NP members, and our collective efforts to expand their role within Ontario's health system," says RNAO President Carol Timmings. "We have accomplished so much together, and we know that NPs must have an even more profound impact moving forward."

The formation of NPIG was officially announced this morning at RNAO's NP Knowledge Exchange Forum, an annual event where leading NPs come together with policy makers to discuss important issues related to their practice. NPs attending the event were excited about how the new group will empower them to take action on issues that affect them, the nursing profession overall, and the health-care system.

"The outstanding NP leaders gathered today are evidence of our tremendous voice," says NP Larissa Gadsby, one of the two inaugural co-chairs of NPIG and a practising McMaster Children's Hospital. "By continuing to come together with RNAO as NPs, and working collaboratively with our RN and nursing student colleagues, I can't wait to see the positive outcomes we can bring for the health of Ontarians."

NP Mae Katt, the group's other co-chair, says she looks forward to seeing how NPIG will grow along with Ontario NPs. "With the formation of this RNAO interest group, NPs will have a forum to advocate and promote important practice and policy issues affecting health in the province," she says, adding that her Indigenous background will add to the group's capacity to tackle the most salient issues affecting Ontario today.

All RNAO members, including NPs, RNs, and nursing students are eligible to join NPIG. To learn more about the group, or to join NPIG up for the 2017-2018 membership year, visit RNAO.ca/NPIG or call 1-800-268-7199.

RNAO is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the healthcare system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario