Welcome to Nursing
We invite you to explore this section to see first-hand how nursing is a valued and integral part of the NHS. Learn more about nursing at the NHS in our 2008 Nursing Report.
Nurses across the seven hospital sites of the NHS care for a staggering 500,000 patients/clients each year, for overnight hospital stays, day or inpatient surgery and numerous clinics. The 1,800 Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses and Registered Practical Nurses working at the NHS are the health care providers patients see most often during their hospital stay. And when it comes to the most trusted and respected professionals in Canada, nurses consistently rank as number one.
The NHS Nursing Strategy
Since the fall of 2006 the Nursing Office has been working with front line staff and nursing leaders across the organization to create a vision and philosophy for nursing within the NHS. The new philosophy is about how nurses practice their profession – Nurses within the NHS continually strive to provide safe, competent, high-quality patient/client centered care in a healthy work environment where excellence in nursing practice is valued & respected.
To successfully plan and implement strategies to ensure the NHS nurses continue to meet the needs of our patients now and in the future, the Nursing division has created a five-year "Nursing Strategic Work plan". This strategic work plan provides direction to enhance professional nursing practice as we implement our model of care delivery – Patient/Client Centred Care; provides direction on improving the quality of work life for our frontline nursing staff and managers alike; and provides strategies to support nursing practice throughout the organization.
For more details on the Nursing Strategy and Vision, click HERE.
RNAO Best Practice Spotlight Organization
In April 2006 the Niagara Health System was proud to announce its designation by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) as a Best Practice Spotlight Organization - one of only nine hospitals (seven in Ontario, two in Quebec) in Canada to have received this prestigious designation. This award is a result of the great work our nurses have carried out over the last three years in a range of patient care initiatives.
This formal recognition further demonstrates the RNAO's confidence that the NHS will continue developing Best Practice Guidelines in the future.
The NHS with the support of Ontario Nursing Secretariat has increased support nurses at all stages of their careers. This year the NHS received $1.2 million to support our RN and RPN New Graduate and the Late Career Initiatives.
Both of these initiatives continue to be very successful with New Graduates benefiting from extended mentorship periods across several programs and sites and Late Career nurses participating in unit-based projects which are directly benefiting patient care.
Recruitment and retention of Nurses is enhanced through our provincially-recognized Mentorship Program, to ensure new and returning Nurses are integrated and familiarized with their colleagues and unit practices. The NHS was a successful pilot site for the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) RN Mentorship Pilot Program.
The Nursing Professional Practice Advisory Council truly embraces RNs and RPNs working together to advance their professional practice. The Nursing Professional Development Council develops and supports Mentorship, Educational initiatives, our annual awards for Nursing Excellence and lastly, 8-800-NHS-NURSE, a monthly nursing newsletter helps keep our RNs and RPNs in touch with the numerous activities and achievements throughout our 7 hospital sites.
Through the RNAO and Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario (RPNAO), Nurses within the NHS are currently undertaking Leadership and Clinical fellowships to expand their scope-of-practice and accelerate patient safety.
Each and every day, the care provided by the 1,800 Nurses within the Niagara Health System demonstrates our core values of compassion, professionalism and respect, as we live up to our vision Together in Excellence – Leaders in Healthcare.
