The politicians are participating in the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario's (RNAO) Take Your MPP to Work initiative. The event, now in its tenth year, gives nurses the chance to bring this year's Nursing Week theme, Nursing: You can't live without it, to life. Elected officials will see how public health nurses ensure people stay healthy and protect themselves from disease; how nurses in long-term care homes improve the health and quality of life for their residents; how nurse practitioners in NP-led clinics have opened access to thousands of people who had no primary care; the way RNs in hospitals work with people struggling with acute illnesses; and how RNs' expertise enables people to receive care in their homes so they can remain there with their loved ones.
RNAO President David McNeil says the event is a chance to showcase nurses' knowledge, skills and compassion, as well as the demands of their daily work. "Every day, RNs all over this province are providing world class, evidence-based, patient-centred care," he says. "They are committed to the profession and their patients, but they are stretched to the limit. In order to meet the immediate, ever-growing demand for nursing care, and to prepare for the future, the government must keep its commitment to hire 9,000 additional nurses by 2011."
RNAO Executive Director Doris Grinspun says Take Your MPP to Work allows politicians to see the breadth of what nurses are doing across the province and will underscore the urgency of fast- tracking the funding and implementation of the 9,000 additional full- time nursing positions the provincial government has promised. "RNAO is becoming increasingly concerned with experiences shared by RNs across the province about fewer employment opportunities," says Grinspun. "We are sounding the alarm bell and saying to the government and employers: We must not return to the 90s. Open the doors wide and fully so that RNs, including all our new graduates, remain in Ontario. This is necessary if we are to ensure patients receive the quality of care they deserve."
Hiring more nurses isn't the only recommendation that registered nurses have for politicians this Nursing Week. In January 2010, RNAO released a comprehensive set of policy recommendations it wants Ontario's political parties to adopt as they develop their platforms ahead of the provincial election in October of 2011. The recommendations are contained in a report called Creating Vibrant Communities: RNAO's Challenge to Ontario's Political Parties. The recommendations are related to: eliminating poverty; building sustainable, green communities; enhancing Medicare; improving access to nursing services; building a nursing career in Ontario; and strengthening public services.
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Politicians Visit Nurses' Workplaces for Nursing WeekOriginally from: http://www.nursinglink.monster.com/news/articles/12376-politicians-visit-nurses-workplaces-for-nursing-week
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