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VOL XXXII NO 3 SEPTEMBER 2011 ACCESS IN THIS ISSUE: • AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN NURSING RECIPIENTS • • PROVINCIAL ELECTION: MAKE YOUR vote COUNT FOR health • • education AND RESEARCH TRUST celebrates 25 YEARS • • WELCOME, NURSING graduates! . & more! • ARNNL STAFF Executive Director Pegi Earle 753-6173 [email protected] Director of Regulatory Michelle Osmond 753-6181 Services [email protected] Director of Policy Lynn Power 753-6193 & Practice [email protected] Communications Officer Jennifer O’Neill 753-6198 [email protected] ARNNL COUNCIL Director of Corporate Services Elizabeth Dewling 753-6197 Beverly White, President (2010-2012) [email protected] Cathy Stratton, President-Elect (2010-2012) Nursing Consultant – Siobhainn Lewis 753-0124 Colleen Kieley, Eastern Region (2011-2014) Policy & Practice [email protected] Sandra Evans, Central Region (2009-2012) Jennifer Ballett, Western Region (2011-2014) Nursing Consultant – Beverley McIsaac 753-6174 Regulatory Services & [email protected] Beverly Pittman, Labrador/Grenfell Region (2009-2012) Advanced Practice Cathy Alyward, Advanced Practice (2009-2013) Evelyn Peyton Murphy, Practice (2009-2013) Regulatory Officer Bradley Walsh 757-3233 Madonna Manuel, Education/Research (2009-2012) [email protected] Cathy Burke, Administration (2009-2012) Project Consultant JoAnna Bennett (part-time) 753-6019 Dr. Carmel Doyle, Public Representative (2011-2014) QPPE [email protected] Ray Frew, Public Representative (2011-2014) Irene Baird, Public Representative (2011-2014) Research Analyst & Julie Wells 753-6182 ARNNL Trust [email protected] Walter Arnold, Public Representative (2011-2014) Pegi Earle, Executive Director Administrative Assistant to Christine Fitzgerald 753-6183 Representatives from nursing student societies (observers) Executive Director & Council [email protected] Administrative Assistant to Jeanette Gosse 753-6060 Consultants & Workplace [email protected] Representative Program Administrative Assistant to Jennifer Rideout 753-6075 Consultants, ACCESS & QPPE [email protected] CONTENTS Administrative Assistant to Colleen Jones 753-6041 Consultants & Professional [email protected] 1 | Message from the President Conduct Review Administrative Assistant to Renee Reardon 753-6040 2 | From the Executive Director’s Desk Consultants, Data Processor [email protected] &Registration 3 | May 2011 Graduates 4 | Excessive Hours of Work: Professional and Union Considerations ACCESS is the official publication of the Association of Registered Nurses of 5 | Ask a Practice Consultant Newfoundland and Labrador. 6 | Home Visits: Optimizing Medical Care for the Elderly ACCESS is published three times a year in January, May and September. Subscriptions are available for $25.00 per year. 7 | Nurses of Note ON THE COVER: ARNNL’s Awards for Excellence in Nursing were presented during ARNNL’s 57th Annual General Meeting in June. L to R: Ellen Peddle, RN – Practice; Sharon Smith, BN, MN 8 | Students Dressed in Red – Administration; Beverly White, ARNNL President; Denise English, RN, BN, MN – Education; Paula Didham, RN, BN – Research (missing from photo: Ashley Preston, RN, BN – Elizabeth 9 | Dominos, Public Policy, and the Provincial Election Summers Novice Nurse Award) 10 | Goings On EDITOR | Jennifer O’Neill, Communications Officer 12 | ARNNL Council Matters CREATIVE DESIGN | Vanessa Stockley, GraniteStudios.ca 13 | Clinical Corner CONTRIBUTING EDITOR | Danielle Devereaux 14 | ARNNL Trust: Reaching a Milestone ADMINISTRATION | Jennifer Rideout, ARNNL 16 | Regulatory Notes: Substance Abuse in the Workplace Advertise in the next issue of ACCESS 18 | Improving Member Services: A Review of Online Registration Contact Jennifer O’Neill, Communications Officer, ARNNL [email protected] 753-6198 19 | Workplace Reps 55 Military Road St. John’s, NL A1C 2C5 Ph: (709) 753-6040 Fax: (709) 753-4940 Toll Free: 1-800-563-3200 email: [email protected] www.arnnl.ca ©Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador (ARNNL). All rights reserved. For editorial matters, please contact the editor. The views and opinions expressed in the articles and advertisements are those of the authors or advertisers and do not necessarily represent the policies of ARNNL. ACCESS VOL XXXII NO 3 SEPTEMBER 2011 Messagefrom the President As I write this article for the September issue of ACCESS, summer is just beginning. I hope everyone enjoyed the bit of good weather that we did get, and that you had some time to take care of yourself and relax with family and loved ones. The Council meeting on June 8 marked a milestone for ARNNL – for the first time we had students sitting at the Council table as observers! This is an initiative to increase nursing students’ awareness of ARNNL, and to spark their interest in becoming active ARNNL members once they graduate and become registered nurses, thus supporting the valuable profession they have chosen as their life’s work. From now on, one of the three schools of nursing will be represented Aat each Council meeting, with the exception of the meeting immediately preceding the biannual conference and annual general meeting (AGM), where all three sites will be represented and will then take in the conference as well. Students who attended this year’s meeting, AGM, and conference certainly appreciated the opportunity and enjoyed the experience. We look forward to a continued partnership with the schools of nursing to sustain this initiative in the future. June 9 and 10 marked ARNNL’s 57th AGM and certainly highlighted the busy year Council has had, and the many successes at ARNNL as a result of the hard work, commitment and dedication of our staff and volunteers. The two-day meeting was action-packed with the business of the Association, as well as numerous presentations related to evidence-based practice. There was also opportunity to honour some of our colleagues with Awards for Excellence in Nursing and Honorary Membership. Congratulations to all and thank you for your valuable contribution to the nursing profession and for the profound difference you make to individuals, families, and communities in Newfoundland and Labrador. One of the AGM events that Council is particularly proud of was the launch of the new ENDS. These ENDS were developed at an October 2010 strategic planning session and were presented during a member linkage session at the AGM. Council will now be working with these new ENDS to guide and monitor activity to move nursing practice and the Association into the future. These ENDS are fewer in number than previously, thereby making them more focused. They are also more geared toward areas that ARNNL has the ability to influence and therefore have an effect on. As we go forward, Council will be working with these ENDS to monitor successes and identify areas that need attention. The new mission of ARNNL is “Nursing Excellence for the Health of the Population” and the ENDS are in the areas of: • Accountability for Self-Regulation; • Professionalism; • Quality Professional Practice Environments; and • Healthy Public Policy. As we monitor progress on these ENDS, I look forward to reporting many successes moving the nursing profession into the future. I also look forward to continued linkage with ARNNL members (you) and owners (the public) to inform our work, which confirms our current ENDS and/or indicates a need for revision. Thank you for any input that you have given to date and I look forward to other opportunities to engage in linkage activity with you. Beverly White, RN, MScN, CCHN(C) [email protected] 1 FMARGAREromT (P EGIt) EeARLE , RN, MScN Exe cutive Director’s Desk RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION: The important role you play in keeping our nursing graduates home n this issue of ACCESS we welcome the province’s There is no doubt that the availability of full-time employment newest graduates to our profession. In May, 190 with good benefits is very important for retention, however, nursing students graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing the significance of the quality of a new graduate’s work life on (Collaborative) degree from our province’s three schools of his/her decision to stay in the province cannot be understated. nursing. At least 82 per cent (n=155) of these new graduates Research has validated the obvious: the transition from graduate accepted employment in the province and along with a small nurse to registered nurse is stressful. While new graduates are Inumber of graduates from other provinces and countries, have anxious to achieve, they often feel a lack of confidence in their helped to reduce the provincial external vacancy rate to one clinical decisions and organizational skills. This phenomenon per cent (n=81), the best it has been in years. Recruitment has been referred to as ‘reality shock.’ This is where you, initiatives are working. Government’s ARNNL members – as experienced RNs contract with the Newfoundland and STUdies AND EXperieNce – have a part to play in the provincial Labrador Nurses’ Union (NLNU), along recruitment and retention strategy. Studies with financial incentives such as education alike demONSTraTE THAT and experience alike demonstrate that when bursaries and signing bonuses, play an WHEN New gradUATes are new graduates are mentored by supportive important role in this positive trend. These colleagues, they adjust positively to recruitment initiatives must continue as meNTOred BY SUppORTIVE their new professional role, they stay in there are still areas of chronic understaffing, COlleagUes, THEY adjUST supportive practice environments, and most difficulties