My Role in the Health System

"I've learned that people will forget what you've said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." I've attributed this quote to Maya Angelou on my eportfolio site but I have heard it in many versions over the years. As a perioperative nurse I lived by this saying as I usually only had minutes to make a connection with a patient, to help them feel safe, and to reassure them that the team will do their very best for them. This is no small feat given that for most patients this is one of the most stressful and fearful times of their lives. When I think of my role it the Canadian health system, being a patient advocate is my first an foremost duty.

Patient safety in the operating room has been something I've strived to improve throughout my career. As a frontline nurse that meant following standards of practice outlined in the code of ethics such as providing safe, compassionate and competent care to my patients, as well as promoting and respecting their informed decision-making. The Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada (ORNAC) also provides us with a set of standards and guidelines for preoperative practice for. In 2008 the World Health Organization launched the Safe Surgery Saves Lives initiative geared towards improving safety for patients in the surgical setting and in 2009 they published the “WHO Guidelines for Safe Surgery”. This had an impact to many surgical sites as it compelled surgery programs across the globe to implement safety measures such as the Surgical Safety Checklist.

As I gained experience and my role shifted to education I began to think in terms of having a greater role in the health care system. Currently I am employed by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), working under the surgery program. Manitoba and the WRHA are currently undergoing many changes which includes the launch of a new provincial health system called Shared Health. The goal of Shared Health is that it “leads the planning and coordinates the integration of patient-centred clinical and preventive health services across Manitoba. The organization also delivers specific province-wide health services and supports centralized administrative and business functions for Manitoba health organizations.” As part of the reorganization of the health system the WRHA has also been implementing changes within the region that include consolidation of services and restructuring within the organization.

The WRHA is funded by Manitoba Health who’s vision is “To meet the health needs of individuals, families and their communities by leading a sustainable, publicly administered health system that promotes well-being and provides the right care, in the right place, at the right time.” The role of the federal government is to provide financial support to the province as outlined it the Canada Health Act, and to provide funding certain groups of people including indigenous groups, members of the military, and refugees.

As a nurse in Manitoba I am a member of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM). On May 31, 2018 nurses in Manitoba will become governed under the Regulated Health Professionals Act (RHPA). This means that registered nurses will still have their own set of professional regulations but also will fall under common legislation along with other health professionals. Most nurses in Manitoba also belong to the Manitoba Nurse Union (MNU) but my current position in not a unionized one.

References:

Canadian Nurses Association (2017). Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses (2017 Edition). Ottawa, Ontario.

College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2018 from https://www.crnm.mb.ca.

Government of Canada (n.d.). Canada’s Heath Care System. Retrieved May 18, 2018 form https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/reports-publications/health-care-system/canada.html.

Government of Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living (n.d.). The Regulated Health Professionals Act. Retrieved May 20, 2018 from https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/rhpa/.

Healing our Health System (n.d.). Retrieved May 17, 2018 from http://healingourhealthsystem.ca/.

Manitoba Nurses Union (n.d.). Retrieve May 20, 2018 from http://www.nursesunion.mb.ca.

Operating Room Nurses Association of Canada (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2018 from https://www.ornac.ca/en/.

Shared Health Manitoba (n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2018 from http://sharedhealthmb.ca/.

World Health Organization (2009). WHO Guidelines for Safe Surgery 2009: Safe Surgery Saves Lives. Geneva, Switzerland.