PRESS RELEASE-ENGLISH

Nursing sector recommends strategies for addressing nursing HR issues  
September 21, 2006 – The three regulated nursing professions in Canada – Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses – along with governments, employers, unions, students and educators, have released the Phase II Final Report of the first national nursing sector study known as Building the Future: an integrated strategy for nursing human resources in Canada. The Phase II Final Report is attached and is available at www.buildingthefuture.ca. 
 
In its Phase II Final Report, Canada’s nursing sector highlights the opportunities for pan-Canadian collaboration in addressing key human resources (HR) issues. The report is the culmination of the four year project, which started with unprecedented national and international research into nursing HR issues, and ended with an extensive consultation process with nursing stakeholders across Canada.  
 
The research phase, which ended in May 2005 with the release of 13 technical reports and a Research Synthesis Report, led to recommendations around the issues of supply, education, data collection, HR planning, retention and recruitment, work environment, workload, and health and safety of nurses.
 
The research findings and recommendations formed the basis for the winter 2006 consultation process with key nursing stakeholders in almost every province and territory. Those stakeholders identified a number of strategies and opportunities that could be addressed cross-jurisdictionally or at a pan-Canadian level.
 
The strategies and opportunities were then brought forward to 150 key nursing and policy decision-makers at the national Building the Future conference, which was held in Ottawa last spring. Conference participants agreed on the top three pan-Canadian strategies to address Canada’s nursing HR issues:  
Optimize use of nurses’ knowledge and skills - Allow nurses to practice to their level of competence in all settings. 
Link planning with other health professions - Develop a pan-Canadian interprofessional health human resource strategy. 
Ensure a future supply of nurses - Provide funding to increase the capacity of nursing education programs in Canada.
The Nursing Sector Study’s Phase II Final Report outlines all of the pan-Canadian opportunities for collaboration identified by stakeholders. It also provides linkages to other health human resources projects underway in Canada. 
 
The Phase II Final Report, along with the Phase I Final Report, the Research Synthesis Report and the 13 technical research reports can be found on www.buildingthefuture.ca.