College of Nurses of Ontario
101 Davenport Rd. M5R 3P1 Toronto, ON, Canada

We'll be getting started in just a few minutes! Join us at 1 pm as we live stream our quarterly Council meeting on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK9B4BIeYOM&feature=youtu.be

Tune in and join us tomorrow (Wednesday, March 3) at 1 pm as we live stream our quarterly Council meeting on YouTube. We'll also be live tweeting if you want to follow along there (@collegeofnurses) or send along your questions. Find the agenda, link to the live stream, and more about Council here: https://www.cno.org//councils-a/council/council-meetings/

During these challenging times, remember to keep your own health and well-being a priority. Check out our COVID-19 resource page for a list of mental health resources available for nurses in Ontario: https://www.cno.org//survey-reveals-nurses-report-worsen/

This #BlackHistoryMonth, we’re shining a spotlight on Canada’s pioneering Black nurses, like Ruth Bailey and Gwennyth Barton. Barton, originally from Halifax, and Bailey, from Toronto, became the first Black Canadians to earn a diploma from a Canadian school of nursing after they graduated from Grace Maternity School of Nursing in Halifax in 1948. In Canada, the first nursing training facility opened in 1874. Canadian nursing programs would restrict admissions to Black students until the 1940s.

The votes have been tallied and the results of our Council election are in! Thank you to all who participated. These newly elected members of Council will start their terms in June. Congrats!

To protect the public by supporting safe practice, CNO needs nurses from all areas of practice to bring their unique and valuable insights to the table. You can contribute to regulatory processes that protect patients by joining a CNO committee. Wondering what being on a committee is like? We asked Ashley (RPN), Sherry, (RPN) and Cheryl (RN) to share their experiences. https://www.cno.org//Octo/Make-an-impact-join-a-committee/

October is Child Abuse Prevention Month. As a nurse, you have a huge role to play in protecting vulnerable children, youth, and families. For example, did you know that you have a duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect? This applies for any child who is, or appears to be, under the age of 16. You must promptly report your concerns to a children’s aid society. If you fail to do so, you could face a fine of up to $5,000. If you’re concerned that a 16- or 17-year-old is or may be in need of protection, you may make a report to a society, but aren’t required by law to do so. #Ibreakthesilence http://www.children.gov.on.ca//report/abuseandneglect.aspx

It’s Canadian Patient Safety Week, and this year’s theme is Virtual Care is New to Us. While providing patient care virtually might be new, encouraging patients to ask questions shouldn’t be. Do you know how to improve your WEBside manner? Find out how at www.conquersilence.ca #CanadianPatientSafetyWeek #ConquerSilence

At CNO, by continuing to work from home remotely, we’re helping to #StoptheSpread of COVID-19. How are you doing your part to keep our communities safe and #flattenthecurve? Take the pledge: https://www.ontariocovidpledge.ca/

As a nurse, you speak up for your patients every day. You advocate for their safe care and help them meet their specific care goals in many ways. If you’re interested in advocating for safe, quality nursing care at a policy and strategic level, consider running for election to CNO’s Council. Here’s what you need to know. https://www.cno.org///October-2020/council-elections-2021/

Did you know that Ontario's nursing educators engage and collaborate with us on regulatory issues important to nursing education? We're grateful for their input! Discover more: https://www.cno.org//education-r/academic-reference-group/ #NurseEducator #NursingEducation

This October, take the pledge to #StoptheSpread of COVID-19. Renew your commitment to do your part to #flattenthecurve and encourage others to do the same. Share your story about how you are doing your part and who you are doing it for. Our collective success depends on each of us making the right choices. We are in this together. Take the pledge and share: www.ontariocovidpledge.ca

At its September meeting, Council approved proposed regulations that will expand the RPN scope of practice. You can learn more about what’s changing, next steps, and how feedback from nurses, educators, employers, academics, nursing associations and unions informed Council’s decision here: https://www.cno.org//Moving-forward-with-RPN-scope-of-pra/

Did you know: CNO does not regulate students. It’s important to know that when nurses are supporting learners, the learner is not working under the nurse’s certificate of registration. Nursing students are accountable for their own actions to the patient, their educational institutions and placement organization. Learn more about a nurse’s role in supporting learners here: http://www.cno.org//educ/ask-practice/supporting-learners/

All of us at CNO would like to thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding as we work hard to catch up on the emails, applications, calls and requests we received in the days preceding and during the service outage last month. We sincerely appreciate your patience as we work hard to catch up. You can read more about how we’re continuing to respond to the cyber security incident in the October issue of The Standard. https://www.cno.org//CNO-restores-services-and-continues-/

CNO recognizes the exceptional challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the nursing profession. With this in mind, we have streamlined our Quality Assurance program this year to focus on practice reflection. Learn more about our focus for #QA2020: http://www.cno.org//changes-to-Quality-Assurance-2020-pan/

A new issue of The Standard is out! In our October issue, read about how we’re restoring services following a cyber security incident, what’s happening with the RPN scope of practice expansion, how you can make an impact for patients by joining a CNO committee or Council, and how we’ve streamlined Quality Assurance during this unprecedented year. Read the new issue of The Standard today: https://www.cno.org//magazines-/the-standard/October-2020/

On Monday, Oct. 12, CNO will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. CNO will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 8:30 a.m., available online or by telephone.