Advocating for Protected Professional Development for Nurse Practitioners

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), in conjunction with the government, Ontario Health Teams (OHTs), organizations, academic institutions and placement partners, develop a plan informed by Recommendations 2.2, 4.1, 5, and 6 of the Nurse Practitioner Task Force’s Vision for Tomorrow Report to support NPs in negotiating employment with any employer to exercise their professional right, as part of self- regulation, to include professional development and support for non-clinical activities, such as NP-led research, quality improvement, continuing education, and teaching, as part of their term of employment so if audited by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), can demonstrate these competencies as part of personal and professional growth.

Action

RNAO, the Nurse Practitioner Interest Group and the people who moved this resolution have developed a template letter intended to help NPs negotiate professional development time during the hiring process. This template, informed by Recommendations 2.2, 4.1, 5 and 6 of the Nurse Practitioner Task Force’s Vision for Tomorrow report, was presented to attendees of RNAO’s NP Institute in April 2022.
The collaborative process used to develop this template included a literature review and discussions with the CNO to confirm that the resolution is consistent with CNO Professional Standard 2. The development process was also informed by presentation and discussion of the above resolution at RNAO’s NP Symposium in November 2021.