Where Have We Come From?A Brief History of ARNBC

Sally Thorne

July 2013

1912 Graduate Nurses Association of BC

• 1918 - Registered Nurses established the Graduate Nurses Association of BC as the body responsible for regulating registered nursing

• 1935 - Name change to Registered Nurses Association of BC through amendment of Registered Nurses’ Act

1981

Labour Relations Division of the RNABC

Becomes the BC Nurses Union

2003 The Health Professions Amendment

Includes the provisions necessary to repeal the

Nurses (Registered) Act and bring registered nursing

(along with medicine, optometry, dentistry, podiatry

and chiropractic) under the Health Professions Act.

The Health Professions Act provides for a new

model of regulating the scope of practice of health

professionals in B.C.

Aug 19, 2005College of Registered Nurses of BC

Key elements of the Nurses (Registered) and Nurse Practitioners Regulation include:• Duty to report

• Restricted activities without an order (Section 6)

• (Restricted activities with an order; clinical order sets (Section 7)

• Certified Practice (Section 8)

CRNBC Annual Report 2005

OUR VISION

Excellence in Nursing

OUR VALUES

• Accountability and service to the public

• Visible leadership on nursing and health issues

• Innovation and openness to change

• Collaboration and mutual respect

• Competence

In her 2005 report, President Karen Irving stated:

Nursing continues to be a self-regulating profession in B.C. and CRNBC’s mandate remains the same: protection of the public through the regulation of registered nurses and nurse practitioners

As you can see, much of what RNABC did, CRNBC continues to do. Yet, the new legislation has meant changes for the organization. Here are some examples.– a reduced number of board members and discontinuation of chapters.– authority to regulate nurse practitioners.– reserved actions and college-certified practices for registered nurses.

Implementing change often presents challenges. We are confident that these changes are being managed with minimal inconvenience to registrants.

Devolution of Functions

• Regional Chapters

• Professional Practice Groups

• Nursing BC Magazine

• Membership Cards

• Annual Convention

• Policy Voting

MANDATETo ensure that all individuals seeking entry to practice and maintaining registration are competent and ethical professionals. The College does this by setting standards, supporting registered nurses to meet standards and acting if standards are not met.

VISIONA trusted and valued leader in nursing regulation

PURPOSEProtecting the public by effectively regulating registered nurses and nurse practitioners

BC’s Link to National Nursing Policy

As RNABC gradually transformed itself into the new CRNBC

most nurses:

–did not appreciate the potential impact of these changes for nursing

or

–believed that CRNBC should still be capable of enacting many of the advocacy and policy roles of the profession

Perfect Storm

Early 2009: Breakfast at the Naam

• Lynette BestFormer CNO, Providence Health

• Heather MassFormer CNO, BC Children’s & Women’s

• Sally ThorneDirector, UBC School of Nursing

A Week Later: Breakfast #2

Core Group of Five

• Paddy RodneyFaculty

UBC School of Nursing

• Jo WearingFormer Policy Consultant

RNABC

And the breakfasts continued……

Summer 2009: Expanded Consultation

• Invitational lunch gathering

• Key leaders and nurses of influence

• Confidential strategic dialogue

Puzzling Questions:

• Whether CRNBC’s view about their restricted mandate was real or imagined?

• Whether there were any possibilities of changing the legislation?

• Whether legal action could reverse these changes?

Ultimate ConclusionOnly four possible options:

• Do nothing

• Take the CRNBC to court

• Try to change the legislation

• Start something new

–Transitional Steering Committee

– Heather Mass, Sally Thorne (Co-Chairs)

– Lynette Best, Paddy Rodney, Maureen Shaw, Sharon Toohey, Jo Wearing

To fill the gaps and explore opportunities for a more permanent solution

May 19, 2010 Province-Wide Meeting

• to explain why it is necessary to re-establish an association for registered nurses in British Columbia and

• broaden ongoing support for this work

May 20, 2010

Association of Registered Nurses of BC was born

Board of Directors

Susan Duncan, RN Robert Calnan, RN

Lynette Best, RN Julie Fraser, RN

Suzanne Johnston, RN Leanna Loy, RN

Patricia Rodney, RN Maureen Shaw, RN

Sally Thorne, RN Joan Wearing, RN

Nora Whyte, RNfrom May 2011

Heather Mass, RNto April 2011

Staff Support

Organizational Realignment

ARNBC and CNA MOU

The ARNBC and the Canadian Nurses Association have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a one-year period, effective September 1, 2011.

Policy Dialogue

. . . Now more than ever, we need the

knowledge, expertise and capacity of nurses to

bring solutions to our healthcare challenges.

Nurses are, and will continue to be, at the heart

of the system’s transformation, driving and

managing change related to the delivery of

health services Canadian Nurses Association

May 2012 First Official AGMFirst elected board members

• Brenda Canitz

• Christine Davidson

• Carl Meadows

• Jennifer Parkhill

• Andrea Starck• Rachel Bard (CNA)

CNA Biennium June 18-20, Vancouver

ARNBC Host Provincial Association

BC had 38 voting delegates

presenting 5 of the 17 AGM motions

Strategic Planning

• Expand nursing engagement strategy

• Consolidate sustainability plan

• Strengthen collaborative partnerships

• Rebuild government and policy relations

June 2013 First Fully Elected Board

• Pam Burton

• Tania Dick

• Maylene Fong