In the 2022 updated regulatory bylaws that were approved and published in the September 9, 2022, Saskatchewan Gazette and came into effect on November 1, 2022, it included an update to Bylaw VI Categories of Practice, Section 3 Nurse Practitioner Category, which enables NPs to order or request medical imaging. This involves the application or detection of forms of energy for diagnostic and screening purposes and to receive and interpret reports, or to perform ultrasound imaging for the sole purpose of point-of-care diagnostic assistance when it is in the best interest of the client, in accordance with their practice standards and code of ethics, when they have the competence and judgment to safely do so, when it is in alignment with best practice evidence and when agency policy permits.
In our work to facilitate RNs and NPs practicing to their full scope, we’ve worked with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) to minimize disruptions and fully support NPs with equal opportunity to order diagnostic imaging exams SHA provides to General Practitioners (GP).
This allows access to almost all diagnostic testing services.
For MRI and PET/CT exams, NPs and GPs may require additional documentation of approval following a discussion with a radiologist, or a recommendation for such an exam in a previous medical imaging diagnostic report.
If an NP is experiencing challenges ordering diagnostic imaging, please get in touch with Jordan Vercaigne, Manager of Provincial Diagnostic Imaging Standards and Operations, at 306.491.8220.