McMaster nursing professor leads nurse practitioner integration task team

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/DiCenso_03.jpg” caption=”Alba DiCenso”]There's been a lot of talk about the increasing role of nurse practitioners in Ontario's health care system. A McMaster professor has been asked to head a task team to ensure it happens.

Alba DiCenso, a professor for both the School of Nursing and the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, will be co-chair of the team overseeing the implementation of the integration of primary health care nurse practitioners in Ontario for the provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

In 1993, DiCenso was a lead author of the original discussion paper and final report that prompted the government's announcement to fully integrate nurse practitioners into health care delivery in Ontario.

“It is a privilege to be appointed co-chair of the Nurse Practitioner Integration Task Team,” said DiCenso. “It is a wonderful opportunity to provide leadership in the implementation of recommendations that will help nurse practitioners realize their full potential in this province.

“At the national level, our task team will collaborate closely with the Canadian Nurses Association, which is charged by Health Canada with developing a national framework for the integration and sustainability of nurse practitioners in primary health care renewal across Canada.

“It is an extremely exciting time for primary health care nurse practitioners in this province.”

DiCenso expects it will take one to two years to implement the recommendations.

A key recommendation in the report is to stabilize the funding environment for nurse practitioners, in addition to other recommendations on funding and nurse practitioner workforce planning.

Raising awareness of the nurse practitioner role is a key element of the report: Educating both the public about the role of nurse practitioners, and the physicians who may still think they are liable for nurse practitioner actions, a big barrier to their working with them.

The complete report can be found on the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Web site.

DiCenso's co-chair of the task team is Sue Matthews, provincial chief nursing officer for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Since 1995, when the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care funded the nurse practitioner program in Ontario, 570 nurse practitioners have graduated from the program. McMaster's nurse practitioner program currently has 36 students at both the McMaster and Conestoga College campuses.

Task Team members will include:

• Theresa Agnew, chair of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Ontario.
• Ken Hook, family doctor, Tavistock Family Health Network; past-president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians.
• Anne Coghlan, executive director, College of Nurses of Ontario.
• Chris Edwards, community member, Tilbury Community Advisory Committee for Nurse Practitioners; and chairman, Tilbury and District Medical Recruitment and Retention Committee.
• Robert Watson, retired schoolteacher; deputy reeve, Township of Havelock, Belmont, Methuen.