Nursing Standards of Practice in Canada

Nursing standards of practice describe the minimum level of performance that is expected of each professional nurse. They are applicable regardless of the setting, type of client, or job classification that might affect the nature of the individual nurse's professional practice.

In other words the standards of professional nursing practice apply to every nurse in every area of practice.

Under legislation all of the different types of nursing in Canada are required to set and enforce nursing standards of practice. Individual practitioners are held accountable to meeting these standards and are required to monitor their own nursing practice against the standards that are in place.

When professional standards are written they take into account the various types of clients as well as the different domains

and diverse environments where nursing practice occurs. For this reason they tend to be broad statements.

In Canada all nurses write the same nursing entrance test so there has to be consistency in the standards of professional nursing practice across the country.

There is some variation across the nation in how these professional standards are presented, but in general you can expect to see nursing standards of practice address the following:

• responsibility and accountability


• public accountability


• nursing knowledge and application


• ethics


• nurse patient relationships


• collaborative practice

Professional Responsibility and Accountability

This standard requires the nurse to work within the professional and legislative framework of the nursing profession and to take the responsibility for doing this independently without being supervised or told to do it.

Public Accountability

Nurses are expected to act in the interest of the public at all times. Even if a nurse is employed in the private sector the nurse must advocate in the interests of the client and not in the interest of the employer.

Here are three examples of nursing standards of practice for accountability, responsibility and public accountability from three provinces in Canada. Despite the variation in wording the underlying meaning is the same.

College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia	Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association	College of Nurses of Ontario
Maintains standards of nursing practice and professional conduct determined by CRNBC and the practice setting.	The registered nurse consistently demonstrates professional conduct and competence while practising in accordance with the SRNA standards for registered nursing practice and the code of ethics for registered nurses. Further, the registered nurse demonstrates that the primary duty is to the client to ensure safe, competent, ethical nursing care.	Each nurse is accountable to the public and responsible for ensuring that her/his practice and conduct meets legislative requirements and the standards of the profession.

Knowledge

A description of the responsibility of the nurse to have the requisite knowledge for the provision of nursing care as well as the responsibility to continually update that knowledge base. Nursing theory and other university courses form the foundation for this knowledge base.

Knowledge Application

This statement usually describes the nurse's responsibility to apply a knowledge base to a dynamic client situation. This would include recognizing when that situation is changing and applying new knowledge that is evidence based.

Ethics

Nursing standards of practice require nurses to engage in ethical practice. Most often this standard is referenced to an ethical code that is set by the regulatory nursing organization. With the exception of Ontario and Quebec, all Canadian nurses are required to follow the Canadian Nurses' Association Code of Ethics. The College of Nurses of Ontario have their own Code of Ethics document based on very similar values, but all nurses in Canada are required to apply knowledge of nursing ethics in their practice.

Collaboration

In Canada it is not possible to provide nursing care and focus on the best interests of the client without collaborating with other health care professionals in the Canadian health care system.

This professional nursing standard means that a nurse must not only know how and when to collaborate, but also with whom to collaborate in order to meet the client's needs.

Patient Relationships

All nursing standards of practice in Canada recognize the relational aspect of nursing and require nurses to initiate, maintain, and terminate a therapeutic relationship with the client. This standard may also require that the nurse use therapeutic communication skills for the benefit of the client.

The therapeutic relationship is at the core of all nursing interactions with clients.

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Go back to A Nursing License in Canada is Required for All Types of Nursing

Go back to the Nursing Profession is Regulated by Nursing Laws in Canada

Go back to A Nursing Standard Defines How Professional Nursing Practice Must Occur

Go back to Collaborative Nursing Practice - All Types of Nursing Professionals Working Together

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What is a Nursing Standard? - The purpose and foundational assumptions of nursing standards of practice in Canada.

Nursing Standards of Practice- Established under a regulatory mandate, standards of professional nursing practice are established and enforced by the regulatory nursing organizations in each province. Common nursing standard categories are explained.

Standards of Professional Nursing Practice- Links to each of the provincial nursing organizations official document for standards of professional nursing practice.