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In Canada, as elsewhere, it has been agreed that primary health care (PUC) is needed, particularly for the underserved population. But the debate continues over which approach, what measures and who should be involved. To help find the answers, the Canadian Nurses Association presented a working paper already in 1980 to the Canadian Government recommending changes in the health system and proposing various roles that nurses could play in formulating and implementing its national primary health policy and in November this year organized a two-day PHC workshop involving representatives from provincial councils and government as well as nurses. Below, two nurses teaching at the University of Ottawa's School of Nursing give their view on what should and could be done in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To examine the extent to which the type of financial assistance (personal resources, social programmes and earnings) and source country influence the length of time for internationally educated nurses to secure employment as regulated nurses in Canada. Background: Internationally educated nurses must professionally recertify in order to work as regulated nurses in Canada. For many, it can be a lengthy, cumbersome and costly process that delays employment, while others recertify and secure employment quickly. Financial assistance in the form of personal resources, or from social programmes or earnings from working could contribute to the length of time to recertify. When internationally educated nurses cannot readily recertify, they turn to survival jobs where they can remain and never practice their profession in Canada or leave the country to work in jurisdictions where it easier to obtain professional credentials. Methods: Data were collected via cross‐sectional survey of internationally educated nurses (n = 1186) who were immigrants, permanent residents and employed as regulated nurses. Multiple linear regression was employed to examine the influence of the type of financial assistance (personal resources, social programmes and earnings) and source country on time to regulated nurse employment. Results: Regression model explained 9.3% of variance in time to regulated nurse employment. Three predictors were statistically significant: source country, social programmes and earnings. Personal resources was not a significant predictor. Conclusion: Financial assistance helps internationally educated nurses survive the regulated nurse employment gap. The type of financial assistance and source country influences the length of time to regulated nurse employment. Implication for nursing and social policy: Provides initial evidence to support the development of policies, and educational and social programmes to assist internationally educated nurses with financially surviving the gap in regulated nurse employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Richter M.S., Mill J., Muller C.E., Kahwa E., Etowa J., Dawkins P. & Hepburn C. (2013) Nurses' engagement in AIDS policy development. International Nursing Review 60, 52-58 Background: A multidisciplinary team of 20 researchers and research users from six countries - Canada, Jamaica, Barbados, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa - are collaborating on a 5-year (2007-12) program of research and capacity building project. This program of research situates nurses as leaders in building capacity and promotes collaborative action with other health professionals and decision-makers to improve health systems for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) nursing care . One of the projects within this program of research focused on the influence of workplace policies on nursing care for individuals and families living with HIV. Nurses are at the forefront of HIV prevention and AIDS care in these countries but have limited involvement in related policy decisions and development. In this paper, we present findings related to the barriers and facilitators for nurses' engagement in policymaking. Methods: A participatory action research design guided the program of research. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 51 nurses (unit managers, clinic and healthcare managers, and senior nurse officers) for interviews. Findings: Participants expressed the urgent need to develop policies related to AIDS care. The need to raise awareness and to 'protect' not only the workers but also the patients were critical reason to develop policies. Nurses in all of the participating countries commented on their lack of involvement in policy development. Lack of communication from the top down and lack of information sharing were mentioned as barriers to participation in policy development. Resources were often not available to implement the policy requirement. Strong support from the management team is necessary to facilitate nurses involvement in policy development. Conclusions: The findings of this study clearly express the need for nurses and all other stakeholders to mobilize nurses' involvement in policy development. Long-term and sustained actions are needed to address gaps on the education, research and practice level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although rich cumulative evidence exists on nursing's effectiveness, few policymakers and healthcare executives apparently are familiar with it. To make such scientific-based knowledge more available so that it can be considered and integrated in healthcare policy and reform, the WHO Collaborating Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada, compiled and reviewed research evidence about how nursing services con- tribute towards cost effectiveness and quality health outcomes. Below, a summary of its findings. INSET: The Study's Methodology and International Representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explores the role of nurses in health legislation in medical care in Canada. Influence of the Canadian Nurses' Association (CNA) on the Canada Health Act in 1984; Implications of the law for reforms in the health care delivery systems; Political activity of the CNA.