Addressing Nursing Issues

Nursing Capacity

Progress has been made in raising awareness of issues affecting the supply of nurses. Some of the work needed to reverse damaging trends has begun -- for example, there are more places in schools of nursing; but there is still work to do to ensure Canadians have access to nursing services, across all sectors of the health system and along the continuum of care. The Office of Nursing Policy will continue its efforts to enhance Canada's nursing capacity by advancing health human resources planning, to ensure the right number, mix and distribution of nurses to care for the population; by exploring evolving roles for nursing professionals; and promoting better use of the nursing workforce.

Quality of Workplace Settings

Strides have been made in improving the health of nurses and their workplaces, and the office is promoting the importance of quality workplace settings in Canada and around the world. Healthy and safe workplaces will continue to be a key focal point for us, as we study links among workplace health, safety and high-quality patient care. It's widely acknowledged that patients do best when treated under a system of effective inter-professional practice and that all health professionals could work more collaboratively. The Office of Nursing Policy is leading the development and implementation of a national strategy for inter-professional education, the best way to build a collaborative practice environment.

We frequently hear that nurses love nursing. However, the toll of health reform has overshadowed many of the positive aspects of nursing practice. The office is committed to rekindling nurses' enthusiasm and passion for their profession, by promoting efforts to increase job satisfaction and decrease burnout, and stimulate innovative care-delivery models.

Sustainability of the Health System

Through ONP, Canada's nurses will continue to participate in health-system policy making, thereby helping to create a system that promotes a healthier population and will be capable of caring for future generations. The office will continue to provide nursing advice, expertise and perspective on critical developments in the Canadian health care system.