Glossary

Engaging in an intentional relationship for the purpose of creating something together. It goes beyond collaboration and client-focused care as it requires the dynamics of the relationship to build something. It means that clients and nurses are equal partners and share power in the relationship.

A set of rules that outlines the social norms and behavioural expectations of an individual, group or organization.

Working together with one or more members of the health care team, each of whom makes a unique contribution toward achieving a common goal. Collaboration is an ongoing process that requires effective communication among members of the health care team and a clear understanding of the roles of the individuals involved in the collaboration process. Nurses collaborate with clients, other nurses and other members of the health care team in the interest of client care.

A baccalaureate nursing education program offered in partnership between a College and a University. The students may take all or part of their nursing curriculum at the College or the University. The program degree is granted by the University.

All health-care providers and nurses working in all domains of practice.

A dominant society that “discovers” and claims rights to unsurrended lands already lived upon by its original (i.e. Indigenous) inhabitants. The colonial power (or colonizer) then determines and shapes laws, languages, economies, social relations, and cultural life, and subject all people on the land to these dominant norms (e.g. Christianity, nuclear families, western biomedicine). Colonization denies sovereignty and self-determination of the original inhabitants by asserting that dominant norms are superior, subjecting everyone to live by these norms. This denies Indigenous peoples’ freedom to their language, culture, land, and social values.

The transmission of verbal and/or non-verbal messages between a sender and a receiver for the purpose of exchanging or disseminating meaningful, accurate, clear, concise, complete and timely information (includes the transmission using technology)

Home and community care services help people to receive care at home, rather than in a hospital or long-term care facility, and to live as independently as possible in the community. Home and community care is delivered by regulated health care professionals (e.g., nurses), non-regulated workers, volunteers, friends and family caregivers.

An organized group of people bound together by social, ethnic, cultural or occupational ties, or by geographic location.

The ability to recognize and be aware of the suffering and vulnerability of another, coupled with a commitment to respond with competence, knowledge and skill.

An individual’s capability for consistently integrating the required knowledge, skill and judgment for safe, ethical, and effective nursing practice.

A component of knowledge, skill, and/or judgement, demonstrated by an individual, for safe, ethical, and effective nursing practice.

The terms “complementary medicine” and “alternative medicine” refer to a broad set of health care practices that are not part of that country's own traditional or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant health care system.

Terminology related to care practices and approaches continue to evolve; ‘integrative and functional medicine’ is emerging as a more inclusive term to replace ‘complementary and alternative medicine’. While functional medicine focuses on creating individualized therapies tailored to treat underlying causes of illness, integrative medicine seeks to understand the individual as a whole and applies many forms of therapy to improve wellness. As ‘integrative and functional medicine’ is not yet common nomenclature, the more traditional terminology ‘complementary and alternative medicine’ has been used.

The combining or mixing together of two or more ingredients (of which at least one is a drug or pharmacologically active component) to create a final product to meet the client’s unique needs when a required dosage is not available commercially or remove a non-essential ingredient from a drug to which a client is allergic. It can involve the alteration of the form and strength of commercially available products, or reformulation to allow for a novel drug delivery. Compounding does not include mixing, reconstituting, or any other manipulation that is performed in accordance with the directions for use on an approved drug's labelling material. Compounding is not within the scope of nursing practice.

One component of the program approval framework used to approve entry-level nursing education programs. For the comprehensive review, all program approval indicators are reviewed every seven years, unless annual review results are unsatisfactory, and the program’s approval score is calculated.

The ethical obligation to keep someone’s personal and private information secret or private.

Occur when the nurse either makes or is in a position to make a decision based upon what is good for the nurse’s own best interests, not the best interest of others who might be affected.

A situation in which a nurse informs their employer about a conflict of conscience and the need to refrain from providing care because a practice or procedure conflicts with the nurse’s moral beliefs.

The state of being aware of and attaching importance to a behaviour or action.

The voluntary agreement to some act or purpose made by a capable individual. Clients and their substitute decision makers have the legal right to agree to, refuse or revoke permission of proposed care, service, treatment or research provided by a health care professional, at any time.

To seek information or advice. For example, from a person or a book.

The act or an instance of consulting. Consultations may be formal or informal. A formal consultation is the referral of a client to a specialist or another health provider for advice on care. Informal consultation is when a provider informally seeks advice or answers to specific questions from another provider. Informal consultation may involve coordination of care in addition to advice seeking.

There are three layers of contextual factors

• Micro contextual factors involve the client’s immediate environment – their own health status, family, friends, and their physical environment.
• Meso contextual factors involve the policies and processes embedded in the organization and health system that affect the client.
• Macro contextual factors involve the larger socioeconomic and political context around the client – social and cultural values and beliefs, laws, and public policies.

The ongoing ability to assess one’s own practice, identify learning needs and obtain, integrate and apply the knowledge, skills and judgement required to practice safely and ethically. It is a necessary component of practice and public interest is best served when registered nurses constantly improve their application of knowledge, skill and judgment.

A philosophy of the quality management process that encourages all health care team members to continuously ask the questions, “How are we doing?” and “Can we do it better?”

Expands upon critical thinking to encompass critical reflection on actions. Critical inquiry is a process of purposeful thinking and reflective reasoning where the nurse examines ideas, assumptions, principles, conclusions, beliefs, and actions in the context of nursing practice.

Reasoning in which an individual analyzes the use of language, formulates problems, clarifies and explains assumptions, weighs evidence, evaluates conclusions, distinguishes between pros and cons and seeks to justify those facts and values that result in credible beliefs and actions. Critical thinking is performed by all nurses at a level consistent with their educational preparation and scope of practice.

The imposition of a dominant way of life which intends to cease distinct legal, social, cultural, and religious ways of life. The purpose is to integrate all people into one way of life, which is the dominant social and cultural norm. In a Canadian context, cultural assimilation has been a process, through legislation and policy, to attempt to abolish Indigenous peoples’ distinct governments, cultures, and identities.

The acknowledgment and observance of cultural differences. Cultural awareness focuses on seeing beyond one’s culture and understanding that many forms of culture co-exist.

Cultural safety is an outcome based on respectful engagement that recognizes and strives to address power imbalances inherent in the healthcare system. It results in an environment free of racism and discrimination, where people feel safe when receiving health care.