Resolving Professional Practice Issues Update

The CRNS is pleased to announce the release of the updated Resolving Professional Practice Issues: A Toolkit for Registered Nurses/Nurse Practitioners that was approved by the CRNS Executive Director on August 27, 2024.

The resource was updated to include Nurse Practitioners (NP), NP Practice Standards and NP Entry-Level Competencies. Reviewing this document may help to support RNs and NPs when addressing professional practice issues. 

CRNS Practice and Education Nursing Advisors are available to answer your questions. They can be contacted by phone at 1.800.667.9945 or 306.259.4227 or by email at practiceadvice@crns.ca.

External Consultation Self-Employed Practice Guideline and Aesthetic Nursing Resource

The CRNS is updating advertising direction to its members who are self-employed and/or practice aesthetics nursing. The CRNS seeks feedback on two documents from members and external stakeholders, including the public, as part of the external consultation process. This process is in place to ensure relevant information is clearly presented. Feedback can be provided by accessing the following surveys and will be accepted until Friday, September 16, 2024, at 4:00 pm.

Self-Employed Practice Guideline Survey

Self-Employed Practice Guideline Survey

  • Please note, that the focus of this survey is to seek feedback on the advertising and compensation sections of the Guideline and did not include a full review of the document content, however, minor changes have been made throughout. A full review of the document will be coming up in the future.
  • For ease of providing feedback on the revised sections of the Guideline, in the survey these sections are required to answer(marked with an asterisk), and the other sections can be reviewed, and skipped if you have no further feedback.

Aesthetic Nursing Resource

Aesthetic Nursing Resource Survey

Questions or comments are welcome and can be directed to Shayna Moore at smoore@crns.ca and/or Virginia Deobald at vdeobald@crns.ca.

Prescribing Intravenous Iron – Provincial Program Roll-Out

The Saskatchewan Health Authority began the launch of the provincial Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) Management program on June 3, 2024. Implementation of the program involves a mandatory outpatient IV iron order set that can be accessed here. The order set is scheduled to be gradually rolled out across the province in the coming months. A memo containing a more detailed site-specific timeline can be found here. The program will affect ALL OUTPATIENT IV iron prescribing once implemented in your community.

IDA Management Program Pharmacists are available to answer your questions. Please find their info below. Live virtual education sessions will be offered for those interested. Dates to follow.

Ben Kinsley (Regina/South)                          Brent Vanin (Saskatoon/North)

Ph: 306 766 2896                                           Ph: 306 655 6077

Ben.kinsley@saskhealthauthority.ca         brent.vanin@saskhealthauthority.ca

Advertising Nursing Services

RNs and NPs are professionally accountable for how they convey their self-employed practice/business to the public through advertising. The purpose of advertising is to provide information so the public can make an informed decision when selecting registered nursing services from a self-employed registrant. Registrants may engage in advertising their nursing services for the purpose of promoting, maintaining or restoring health; and, preventing illness and alleviating suffering.

Registrants who advertise nursing services shall:

  • comply with federal, provincial and CRNS legislation; 
  • present information in a manner consistent with the current practice standards, entry-level competencies and the code of ethics;
  • advertise services only within the legislated scope of the registrant; 
  • state full name and protected title in the advertisement;
    • CRNS designation may only be used once you obtain Recognition of Practice (ROP) approval, or if the nursing services are designated nursing activities as interpreted by the Act; 
  • provide an accurate written description of the services provided, including risks and benefits of the service; 
  • address any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest;
  • obtain informed consent and always maintain client privacy and confidentiality;
  • use reasonable and appropriate illustrations, images, representations or claims; 
  • keep a copy of all advertisements for a reasonable time (suggested 5-year retention, or as suggested per legal counsel) for your record keeping;
  • only provide and advertise health services or products that are authorized for sale in Canada by Health Canada;
  • avoid comparative statements that claim or imply superiority over others or include promotional/sale advertising;
  • ethically manage the potential risks associated with endorsements, refraining from endorsing products, product line or health care services that are not related to the care or services provided;
  • do not mislead the public with exaggerated claims of the effectiveness of the service being provided; and,
  • ensure advertisements are presented in a manner that maintains the public’s trust and are accurate, factual, evidence-based, verifiable, ethical and professional. 

CRNS Nursing Advisors are available to answer your questions. They can be contacted by phone at 1.800.667.9945 or 306.359.4227 or by email at practiceadvice@crns.ca

Resources

Aesthetics Nursing Resource

Self Employed Practice Guideline

Recognition of Practice (ROP) Information Page

The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards

The Registered Nurses Act, 1988

Joint Statement on Long-Term Care – Authorized Prescriptions

There have been several questions and requests for clarification in follow up to the Long-Term Care – Authorized Prescriptions joint statement that was sent out by CPSS, CRNS, CLPNS and SCPP. Legislation requirements were included in the original joint statement. This second joint statement has been issued to provide further clarity regarding the use of verbal/telephone orders to dispense a prescription in a Long-Term Care (LTC) setting.

Pharmacists

  • Must receive orders to dispense a prescription directly from a physician, NP, RN (AAP), dentist and other authorized prescribers.
  • May accept a verbal/phone or faxed original prescription written and signed by an authorized prescriber.
  • May receive a faxed transcribed order from a nurse as a means of communication so the pharmacist can expect an order from the authorized prescriber and alerts the pharmacist to follow up with the prescriber if the prescription is not received.

Physicians

  • May provide nurses with a telephone/verbal order to facilitate timely patient care.
  • Must provide pharmacists with an order directly to authorize the pharmacist to dispense a prescription.

Nurses

  • May take telephone/verbal orders from an authorized prescriber and may fax the transcribed order to the pharmacist for communication purposes.
  • Cannot act as a third party in the direct communication required between the authorized prescriber and the pharmacist when there is an order to dispense a prescription.

CRNS Nursing Advisors are available to answer your questions. They can be contacted by phone at 1.800.667.9945 or 306.359.4227 or by email at practiceadvice@crns.ca.

Medical Assistance in Dying Guideline (2024)                 

The CRNS is pleased to announce the release of the updated Medical Assistance in Dying Guideline (2024). The Medical Assistance in Dying Guideline was approved by CRNS Council on February 23, 2024.

The guideline was updated to reflect best practices and standards as outlined in the nationally developed Model Practice Standard for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) MAID program; Nurse Practitioner (NP) Entry-Level Competencies (ELC) were updated to the 2023 version; and the date in which people whose sole underlying medical condition is mental illness and wish to seek MAID was updated to reflect federal legislation and is March 17, 2027.

Reviewing this document will assist you in knowing the expectations of RN and NP practice in providing care to people seeking MAID. CRNS Practice Advisors are available to answer your questions. They can be contacted by phone at 1.800.667.9945 or 306.259.4227 or by email at practiceadvice@crns.ca.

Joint Statement: Long Term Care – Authorized Prescriptions                 

The SCPP, the CRNS, the CLPNS, and the CPSS have issued a joint statement regarding verbal orders generated from Long Term Care (LTC) Facilities. A pharmacist may only accept a verbal or faxed original order written and signed by an authorized prescriber e.g. physician, NP, dentist. A pharmacist may not accept a verbal or faxed written order (transcribed) from an RN. The full statement can be accessed here.

CRNS Nursing Advisors are available to answer your questions. They can be contacted by phone at 1.800.667.9945 or 306.359.4227 or by email at practiceadvice@crns.ca

Cervical Cancer Screening Updates

Cervical cancer screening in Saskatchewan recently changed when the revised cervical cancer screening clinical practice guidelines were updated in November 2023. Key changes to the new guidelines include:

  • Screening will start at age 25 or three years after becoming sexually active, whichever is later;
  • Routine screening will now be every three years until the age of 69; and,
  • The addition of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) reflex testing. 

These new evidence-based changes ensure people continue to benefit from screening while avoiding unnecessary tests and follow-up treatment. 

Click here to find information about the guidelines, including the new guidelines document. (link to: http://saskcancer.ca/health-professionals-article/cancer-screening-guidelines-and-resources/cervical-cancer-screening)

The SCA has collaborated with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Division of Continuing Medical Education to create a free accredited course on the guidelines. The course will be available until July 2024. It can be found here. (link to: https://cmelearning.usask.ca/learn-here/cme-online-courses/cervical_cancer_guidelines_online-course.php)

If any questions arise about the guidelines, please feel free to reach out to the Screening Program for Cervical Cancer at ED.Coordinator@saskcancer.ca.

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