Professional Practice

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The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) and other regulatory bodies have Standards of Practice that registrants are expected to meet in order to provide safe, ethical and quality patient/client/resident care within their scope of practice.

ONA has developed the Professional Responsibility and Workload (PRW) process to resolve professional practice and workload issues.

By engaging in the PRW process, you are playing a pivotal role in meeting your Accountability Standard for your regulatory college, while advocating for patient safety and quality patient care.

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The Professional Practice Process

Section 8 of the Provincial Collective Agreement provides for a Problem-Solving process for nurses to address concerns related to patient care and to meet their Standards of Practice in accordance with the CNO.

When you are unable to meet any of your nursing standards, you must as soon as possible raise your concern with a supervisor. This can be your charge nurse and/or unit manager during regular day shifts but can also include the site administration manager (SAM) or director on call after hours, weekends or holidays.

Once reported to a supervisor, you then must formally document the workload concern using the online Professional Responsibility Workload form (PRWF) which is unique to HHS. Based on the form in the collective agreement, this electronic form once completed is then automatically submitted to the key stakeholders including your manager and the union.

Tip Sheet - Find and Complete a Workload Form

Key things to remember ….

once reported, you have up to 20 days to complete the PRWF. This can be done during another shift if time allows or at home on a Citrix enabled computer
all fields with a red must be filled out in order for the form to be submitted successfully
manager email must be spelled correctly to ensure they receive it
your are responsible to complete information from section 1 to section 6; the manager is responsible to complete sections 8 or 9
once you complete and submit the report, managers have 10 days to respond to the form. The manager should also connect with you to discuss the workload form at some point before or after they respond to the form.

What happens once I complete a workload form?

The Hospital Association Committee (HAC) which is comprised of Union executive representatives as well as hospital managers & directors involved in nursing practice, are responsible to assist with workload issues. At this level, all PRWFs submitted are reviewed and issues and resolutions are discussed.

Just because you do not hear directly from someone about your form, that does not mean it has not been reviewed!

Resources

Professional Responsibility and Workload Process: A Guide for ONA Members

College of Nurses of Ontario Professional Standards

Ask-a-Specialist Sessions

It’s More than Just Unsafe Staffing

Hallway Nursing Position Statement

Position Statement Hallway Nursing/ER Overcapacity

Workload Concerns Template

CNO - Working with Unregulated Care Providers

CNO - RN and RPN Practice: The Client the Nurse

Looking for sector-specific resources?

Find Professional Responsibility Workload Report Forms (PRWRFs) and other resources specific to your sector, on the ONA Professional Practice webpage.

You should contact the Professional Liability Insurance Plan if 1) you have been named in a malpractice lawsuit or 2) you have not been named but have been asked for a statement by your employer regarding a work-related lawsuit, and you have questions or concerns.

Click here for more information.

Information on HHS and Personal Liability Insurance

ONA’s Legal Expense Assistance Plan (LEAP) was established in 1980 to help you with legal or regulatory body problems relating to your work. This includes problems that arise under Ontario’s Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA).