Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has been awarded the Employer Award of Excellence by the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario.

The Award recognizes and honours the employer that has demonstrated outstanding achievement in improving the utilization of Registered Practical Nurses in innovative and creative ways and creating multidisciplinary team environments for all healthcare workers.

The evolution of RPN practice at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre began in 2002 as part of the development of a strategic plan for Nursing. Concurrent with institutional changes and amalgamations, the Nursing Strategic Plan was developed as was the Nursing Practice Team. The Team had two primary goals: one, to create one consistent model of Nursing care that would be adopted for the entire organization and secondly, to advance Nursing scopes of practice with particular focus on support to RPNs to develop to their full scope of practice. Working together with RNs and RPNs through the Nursing Practice Team, strategies emerged to support the plan. Strategies included educational need assessments, inservices and skills labs, preceptorship arrangements, partnerships with Confederation and Mohawk Colleges and flexible work scheduling in order for educational needs to be met. Over 100 RPNs participated in the practical and academic upgrading over a 16-month period. RNs and RPNs worked together to practice, mentor and be a resource to each other.

Dave Gladun, RPN and member of current Nursing Practice Team, said “TBRHSC is deserving of this Award as it is always looking for new opportunities to enhance patient care and provide leadership and support to ensure success…it is the demonstration of this progressive thinking that has led to the recognition of the RPN in the model of care.”

TBRHSC is extremely proud of its Nursing accomplishments. In particular, we are proud of our professional nursing staff. RPNs have been challenged to work very hard to enhance knowledge and skills and change practice dramatically, while RNs have added to an already demanding workload to assist and preceptor colleagues and to work into a new Nursing care delivery model.

Audrey Stieh, RPN lead on Nursing Scope Task Force, said “the enhancement of the RPN role together with the unification of the model of Nursing care has given an ownership and emotional pride in the care I provide each day…and with this there is a feeling of great job satisfaction”.

We would like to thank our professional nurses for the efforts and determination to put patient care at the center while creating a consistent model of Nursing care based on a collaborative practice model.

Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, VP & CNO said “the commitment and dedication of our partners including our staff RNs and RPNs, RN preceptors, clinical educators, managers and community college educators was what enabled TBRHSC to advance nursing scopes of practice and create a comprehensive, collaborative and inclusive nursing care model, responsive to the needs of patient care.”

“As we look ahead to our future, we will continue our commitment to advance Nursing care and practice in support of excellence in patient care.”

Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, V.P., Patient Care & Chief Nursing Officer, George Fieber, Professional Practice Leader (and a CNO Council Member), Dave Gladun, RPN (and a RPNAO member and Clinical Fellowship recipient) and Audrey Stieh, RPN accepted the Award on behalf of TBRHSC at the Annual RPNAO Meeting in Toronto on April 28, 2006.

:: back to Media Releases ::