Ontario is giving more responsibility to registered nurses to prescribe and administer more medications in a bid to expand their scope of practice. This should also connect more Ontario residents with faster and easier medical care.
The Ontario government announced Monday that the role of registered nurses is being expanded to allow nurses to prescribe medications, after meeting specific requirements, for certain conditions such as contraception, immunizations, smoking cessation and topical wound care in a variety of settings close to home, including long-term care homes and retirement homes.
“Our government continues to take action to ensure Ontarians have faster and easier access to the care they need, when they need it,” said Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones in a news release.
“By making changes to allow qualified registered nurses to provide more care and administer the medications they prescribe, people will have more convenient access to safe care close to home, while helping to further reduce wait times at our community clinics and hospitals."
Starting in 2024, registration is expected to open for registered nurses interested in completing the additional education requirements to work more independently in their community settings.
As more registered nurses complete the training, more people will have faster access to birth control, drugs for smoking cessation, and travel medications to treat and prevent malaria and traveler’s diarrhea, said the release.
People will also be able to receive topical wound care and conveniently get their vaccinations such as the flu shot and COVID-19 vaccines prescribed from a registered nurse. Supporting Ontario’s highly trained registered nurses to connect people to the care they need will also give doctors and nurse practitioners more time to treat those with more complex needs, said the province.
The move was welcomed in the news release by Silvie Crawford, executive director and CEO of the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).
“We are collaborating with health system partners and creating the standards that promote safe nursing practice,” said Crawford. “This includes ensuring changes in nurses’ scope of practice, including RN prescribing, are implemented safely for all Ontarians.”
The educational training programs that will be offered at certain colleges and universities are being developed and require approval from the Council of the College of Nurses of Ontario. This will ensure registered nurses can acquire the knowledge, skill and judgment needed to conveniently prescribe and administer more medications, said the release.
The move is part of the Ontario government’s Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, which the province said is aimed at making a more connected, convenient health-care experience.
