Glossary

Recognizing the need to respect cultural differences. Cultural sensitivity involves exhibiting “behaviours that are considered polite and respectful by the [person who has cultural differences from your own]”.

Culturally safe care is a refinement of the “cultural safety” concept. Nurses do everything they can to provide culturally safe care, but they remain aware that they are in a position of power in nurse-client relationships, and some clients may never feel entirely safe. Nurses allow those who receive care to determine what they consider to be safe. Nurses support them in drawing strength from their personal identity, culture, background, and community.

An environment, which is safe for people, where there is no assault, challenge or denial of their identity of who they are and what they need. It is about shared respect, shared meaning, shared knowledge and experience, of learning together with dignity.

An individual’s beliefs, norms, and values that influence their opinions, thoughts, and behaviours in everyday decision-making. Culture is a complex relational process influenced by history, personal experiences, and perceptions of society. Culture evolves and is not limited to ethnicity or race; it also comprises age, language, gender expression, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.

The planned process for achieving a nursing education program’s intended outcomes. For purposes of program approval, nursing curricula includes theoretical foundations, learning activities to foster theory application by students and evaluation of student learning.

A process for collecting and documenting curriculum related information against specific criteria or standards. This process ensures an alignment between the standards of nursing practice, entry-to-practice competencies and the educational content being taught. It also identifies and addresses academic gaps, redundancies and misalignments between courses and entry-to-practice competencies.

Each entry-level nursing program is required to map its curriculum to ETP competencies, for both preliminary approval (new programs) and the comprehensive review process (established programs), using the curriculum mapping tool. Programs use the tool to provide evidence that the entry-to-practice competencies, required to prepare graduates to be competent and safe practicing nurses are embedded in the teaching and learning experiences.

Individual who accepts the delegation of an act by a regulated healthcare professional.

Regulated healthcare professional legally authorized and competent to perform an act who delegates their authority to perform that act to another individual.

A professional title attributed to a category of nursing professional that is granted by the individual’s professional regulatory authority.

Ability to integrate multiple data sources and thinking strategies during a patient encounter to accurately identify diagnoses and implement appropriate management plans.

The field of knowledge and practice associated with the development and use of digital technologies to improve health. Digital health expands the concept of eHealth to include digital consumers, with a wider range of smart devices and connected equipment. It also encompasses other uses of digital technologies for health such as the Internet of things, artificial intelligence, big data, and robotics.

An educational program with established admission criteria granting direct entry to graduates from a secondary school, or to mature students. Students adhere to a structured curriculum designed to support them in meeting the educational requirements for NANB’s entry-to-practice competencies for RNs. The curriculum is set by the educational provider. The duration of study is typically four years for a baccalaureate degree. Upon completion of the program, the successful student is granted Bachelor of Nursing degree (BN).

A written order from an authorized prescriber for a procedure, treatment or drug for a number of clients when specific conditions are met. The specifics of the Directive will depend on the client population; the nature of the orders involved and the expertise of the health care professionals implementing the Directive. For more information, click on the following link: Fact Sheet: Directive.

An action or decision that results in the unfair or negative treatment of a person or group due to conscious or unconscious prejudice, bias, or stereotypes. Discrimination can occur intentionally or unintentionally and often reflects unexamined privilege that favours one group over others based on differences such as race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, language, physical or mental ability, or other identity factors.

The interpretation, clarification, assembly, and preparation of an authorized prescriber’s order for the delivery to the client. Dispensing does not include the administration of medication. CNNB acknowledges that dispensing is a role of the pharmacist and dispensing by the pharmacist should always be the first option. However, when supported by employer policy, nurses can dispense prescribed medications when pharmacy services are not available. Examples of situations where nurses may be supported to dispense prescribed medication include, but are not limited to:

• when there is no access to pharmacy services (e.g., for geographical reasons or hours of services);
• when there is an urgency to dispense a small portion of the prescribed medications to a client (e.g., initiating a course of antibiotic therapy, and controlling the spread of a communicable disease); and
•  to cover a client’s unexpected short leave from a health care facility.

Any collective mixture characterized by differences including (but not limited to) socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability status, or veteran status. Diversity focuses on representation.

Five domains or areas of practice are identified within the profession of nursing: practice, education, administration, policy and research. The practice domain is fundamental to nursing, and all other domains ultimately exist to maintain and support practice. Registered nurses may practise in more than one domain within the context of their role.

The transfer of a medication from a lawful channel of distribution or use, including by medication tampering. Controlled substances can be diverted anywhere along the supply and distribution chain. Methods of drug diversion include prescription forgery; telephone fraud; drug seeking from physicians, NPs, dentists or veterinarians; Indiscriminate prescribing; theft: external or internal (e.g., by employees); fraudulent orders made for a drug abuser by a pharmacy employee.

Nurses have a professional duty and a legal obligation to provide persons receiving care with safe, competent, compassionate and ethical care. There may be some circumstances in which it is acceptable for a nurse to withdraw from care provisions or to refuse to provide care.

Registered nurses’ question, intervene, report, and address unsafe, non-compassionate, unethical or incompetent practice or conditions that interfere with their ability to provide safe, compassionate, competent and ethical care. RNs must be attentive to indications that a colleague is unable to provide such care regardless of the reason. In this situation, the RN is obligated to take the steps necessary to ensure client safety. Reporting a situation that may compromise client safety is a RN’s professional obligation.

Situations where verbal prescriptions could be acceptable include (but may not be limited to):

• emergent or urgent situations where delay in treatment would place the client at risk of harm;

• when the prescriber is not present, and urgent or emergent direction is required to provide appropriate client care;

• when the prescriber is away from the client care area where access to the health record is not possible; or,

• when the prescriber is consulting via telehealth without the ability to enter their prescription into the health record.

Nursing education programs that prepare individuals entering the nursing profession with the competencies expected upon initial registration with the NANB.

The entry-to-practice competencies outline the proficiencies required for entry-level (newly registered) nurses to provide safe, competent, compassionate and ethical nursing care in a variety of practice settings, upon initial and ongoing registration with NANB. The competencies also serve as a guide for curriculum development for schools, and for public and employer awareness of practice expectations for entry-level nurses. RNs and NPs have their own entry-to-practice competencies supported by NANB documents.

Practice which supports environmental preservation and restoration while advocating for initiatives that reduce environmentally harmful practices in order to promote health and well-being.

Determining fairness on the basis of people’s needs. This means that those who are less fortunate would receive more resources than those who are well off.

A nursing education program that has graduated students and has received an approved or conditional approval status from NANB.

An environment with the potential to promote moral integrity and moral agency.

A branch of philosophy that deals with questions of right and wrong and of ought and ought not in our interactions with others.

A scheme showing areas for reflection on an individual’s practice and providing steps in ethical decision-making. Normally, this model includes critical questions to consider in reflecting on or in dealing with an ethical situation.