Glossary

An entry-level nursing education plan intended for admitting students and requiring preliminary approval status from NANB prior to enrolling students.

A not-for-profit organization independent from governmental organizations.

Interventions intended to improve the health or the well-being of individuals that do not involve the use of any drugs or medicine. They aim to prevent, treat, or cure health problems.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who have additional education and nursing experience. NPs are advanced practice nurses with graduate education, which enables them to: autonomously diagnose and treat illnesses; order and interpret tests; prescribe medications; and perform medical procedures. NPs are health-care professionals who treat the whole person, an approach that includes: addressing needs relating to a person’s physical and mental health; gathering medical history; focusing on how an illness affects a person’s life and family; offering ways for a person to lead a healthy life; and teaching persons how to manage chronic illness. NPs are also educators and researchers who can be consulted by other health-care team members.

The terms nurse and registered nurse include registered nurses and/or nurses who are registered or licensed in extended roles, such as nurse practitioners.

Nursing informatics science and practice integrates nursing, its information and knowledge, and their management, with information and communication technologies to promote the health of people, families, and communities worldwide.

Actions that are part of the nursing care plan that are performed to allow clients to reach expected outcomes, such as providing physical treatments, emotional support and client education.

The application of specialized, evidence‑based knowledge drawn from nursing theory and the health and human sciences, including the principles of primary health care. It encompasses roles in clinical practice, research, education, consultation, management, administration, policy development, and regulation.

A scientific method used by nurses to ensure the quality of client care. This approach can be broken down into four separate steps: assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation.

Outline the baseline and expectations for quality care and best practices and establish measures to evaluate the care provided.

An unearned disadvantage when a particular social group is unjustly subordinated, resulting from a complex network of social restrictions, ranging from laws and institutions to implicit (i.e. unconscious) biases and stereotypes.

Member held assumptions and values about their organization that is different form one organization to the next.

An approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment, and treatment of pain and other problems (e.g., physical, psychosocial and spiritual).

Refers to situations in which the nurse works with the client and other members of the health care team to achieve specific health outcomes for the client. Partnership implies consensus building in the determination of these outcomes.

“An event or circumstance which could have resulted, or did result, in unnecessary harm to a patient.” It may be a harmful incident, a no-harm incident or a near miss.

An individual, family, group, community, population or system that accesses the services of the nurse; may also be referred to as a client(s), resident(s) or patient(s).

Point-of-care testing (POCT) refers to diagnostic tests performed at or near the patient’s location by health care professional or other qualified personnel. It can include tests conducted by the patient themselves at home or a community setting.

All people sharing a common health issue, problem or characteristic. These people may or may not come together as a group.

An approach to health that aims to improve the health of the entire population (all people) and to reduce health inequities among population groups. In order to reach these objectives, it looks at and acts upon the broad range of factors and conditions that have a strong influence on our health.

The assumed authority or influence a person holds over others by virtue of the title of his or her position. Power exercised in correlation with the perceived level of a position relative to others in the organization.

The nurse-client relationship is one of unequal power, resulting from clients’ dependence on the services provided by nurses, as well as nurses’ unique knowledge, authority within the healthcare system, access to privileged information about clients, and ability to influence decisions. This power imbalance can place clients in a position of vulnerability and potential abuse if trust in the nurse-client relationship is not respected. It is the nurse’s responsibility to recognize this imbalance of power and to be aware of the potential for clients to feel intimidated and/or dependent.

The understanding that people have multiple identities and make meaning of the world from the various aspects of their background and identities (gender, race, language, ability, etc.). These differences in social position and power shape individual and collective identities, as well as worldviews.

The nurse-client relationship is one of unequal power, stemming from the authority associated with their position in the healthcare system, specialized knowledge, influence with other healthcare providers in the decision-making process, and access to privileged information. In any professional-client relationship, there is an imbalance of power in favour of the professional, which is further reinforced in healthcare services by the vulnerability of a client needing care. A misuse of power can be considered client abuse.

A power of attorney is a legal document created to allow someone, or perhaps different people, the authority to act for you in relation to your property, financial affairs and/or personal care.

Practising nurse members shall be those persons whose names are entered in the register and who have complied with the requirements* of and have paid the fees set out in the by-laws and the rules

*See BYLAWS, Nurses Association of New Brunswick sections 1.02 (General Requirements for First Registration) and 1.03 D & E (Practising Nurse membership and Registration).

An educational program with admission criteria for graduates from a health-related discipline (for example, LPN). Students adhere to a structured program designed to support them meeting the educational requirements that satisfy NANB’s entry-to-practice competencies for RNs The duration of study for the PHEES depends on the type of program. Upon program completion, the successful student is granted a nursing baccalaureate degree (BN).

A registered nurses who teaches, counsels, and serves as a role model and supports the growth and development of a nurse in a particular discipline for a limited time, with the specific purpose of socializing the novice nurse in a new role. Preceptors fill the same role as mentors but for a more limited time frame.

The extent that a client’s outcome and future care needs can be anticipated

The standing given to a new program that meets preset criteria but requires a comprehensive review in the academic year following the first class of graduates before receiving full approval. Graduate(s) from programs with preliminary approval are considered graduates of an approved nursing program and are eligible for registration in NB.

When medication is obtained by deception. This may be through forged prescriptions, such as stolen, altered, or copied prescriptions. A prescription may also be completely or partially falsified with elements taken from a valid client or prescriber, or through identity theft.

A philosophy and approach that is integral to improving the health of all people living in Canada and the effectiveness of health service delivery in all care settings. PHC focuses on the way services are delivered and puts the people who receive those services at the center of care. Essential principles include accessibility; active public participation; health promotion and chronic disease prevention and management; use of appropriate technology and innovation; and intersectoral cooperation and collaboration.

(1) Physical privacy is the right or interest in controlling or limiting the access of others to oneself; (2) informational privacy is the right of individuals to determine how, when, with whom and for what purposes any of their personal information will be shared. A person has a reasonable expectation of privacy in the health-care system so that health-care providers who need their information will share it only with those who require specific information.

An unearned right, benefit, or advantage given to a person, not from work or merit but because of race, social position, religion, gender, or another social category. Unearned privilege tends to be systematically given to dominant social groups.

Non-invasive and invasive procedures to assess, restore, regain or maintain physiological stability of clients. Procedures are a set of actions that are the official or accepted way of doing something.

A nurse’s legal, professional, and ethical responsibilities to themselves, their clients, regulatory body, and employer. The nurse is answerable to themselves and others for their actions and must satisfy formal obligations to the law, their employer, professional codes of conduct, and their own moral principles.

Having the authority to make decisions and the freedom to act in accordance with one’s professional knowledge base.

Defining lines which separate the therapeutic behaviour of registered nurses from any behaviour which, well-intentioned or not, could reduce the benefit of care to clients. Staying within appropriate boundaries promotes safe and effective care that meets clients’ needs.

Any situation in the workplace that has or could place clients at risk by interfering with the registered nurses’ ability to practise in accordance with the Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses, the Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses, the Nurses Act or other legislation, workplace policies, procedures or other relevant standards and guidelines.

Provincial and territorial bodies whom are responsible for the regulation of it’s registrants.

A relationship that exists with the client, outside of the episode of care, and with colleagues or the public in general.

A set of courses constituting the entire entry-level nursing education process at a college or university.

Refers to the four approval categories conferred by the NANB Board of Directors to an entry-level nursing education program. The categories are based on the program’s results and score following their program approval review. The four categories are preliminary approval, approved, approved with conditions and not approved.

The good of society or the community, often called the common good.

A practice environment that has the organizational and human support allocations necessary for safe, competent and ethical nursing care.

A social construct that artificially divides people into distinct groups according to specific characteristics such as physical appearance (i.e. skin color), ancestral heritage, cultural affiliation, cultural history, ethnic classification, and the social, economic, and political needs of a society at a given time. Most sociologists believe that race is not “real” in the sense that no distinctive genetic or biophysiological characteristics exist that genuinely distinguish one group of people from another. Instead, different groups share overlapping characteristics.

Racism involves racial prejudice or discrimination and is rooted in the belief that one racial or ethnic group is superior to others. It can be expressed overtly or covertly and may occur intentionally or unintentionally. Racism includes the use of unearned power and privilege to suppress, exclude, devalue, or marginalize individuals or groups based on race. It operates at individual, institutional, and systemic levels, and is often embedded in social structures, policies, and practices— even when not consciously recognized.

The ongoing process of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships between Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, including health care providers and institutions. It involves acknowledging past and present harms caused by colonialism, working to repair trust, and committing to systemic changes that promote equity, justice, and cultural safety in health care.

A perspective that recognizes recovery as a personal process that people with mental health conditions or addictions experience to gain control, meaning and purpose in their lives. Recovery involves different things for different people and is not the same as being cured. For some, recovery means the complete absence of the symptoms of mental health conditions or addiction. For many affected people, recovery constitutes living a satisfying, hopeful, and productive life with continued limitations caused by mental health conditions or addiction.

A consultation with another health care professional when client care needs are beyond the scope of practice for nurse practitioners or beyond their individual competence, and/or when client care would benefit from the expertise of another health care professional. Referral decisions are made in collaboration with the client.

An evaluative process of one’s knowledge, skills, experiences or events to identify areas for improvements. A commitment to engage in a process of continuous learning.

RNs are self-regulated health-care professionals who work autonomously and in collaboration with others to enable individuals, families, groups, communities and populations to achieve their optimal levels of health. At all stages of life, in situations of health, illness, injury and disability, RNs deliver direct health-care services, coordinate care and support clients in managing their own health. RNs contribute to the health-care system through their leadership across a wide range of settings in practice, education, administration, research and policy.

RPNs are self-regulated, autonomous professionals. They work collaboratively with clients and other health care team members to coordinate health care and provide client-centered services to individuals, families, groups and communities. RPNs focus on mental developmental health, mental illness and addictions while integrating physical health care and utilizing bio-psycho-social and spiritual models for a holistic approach to care. The practice of psychiatric nursing occurs within the domains of direct practice, education, administration and research.

The term regulated nurses is used to describe the 3 groups of regulated nursing professionals as a whole: RNs (including NPs), LPNs and RPNs.

An inquiry that is guided by conscious participation with clients using a number of relational skills including listening, questioning, empathy, mutuality, reciprocity, self-observation, reflection, and a sensitivity to emotional contexts. Relational practice encompasses therapeutic nurse-client relationships and relationships among health care providers.

A systematic inquiry using scientific methods to answer questions or solve problems. Conducting research involves formation of a question, design of the research project, implementation of the project and analysis and presentation of results. A nurse who assists in a research project by collecting information and data may be “participating” in research, but is not “conducting” research.

The level of “research skills” expected of entry-level RNs from BScN degrees are such things as literature searches related to practice and critical appraisal of search results (not necessarily actual research projects). All BScN programs expect students to have this skill.

This is an approach used by regulatory bodies in the disciplinary process. The concept of Right-touch regulation emerges from the application of the principles of good regulation identified by the Better Regulation Executive. The principles state that regulation should aim to be:

• Proportionate: regulators should only intervene when necessary. Remedies should be appropriate to the risk posed, and costs identified and minimised

• Consistent: rules and standards must be implemented fairly

• Targeted: regulation should be focused on the problem, and minimise side effects

• Transparent: regulators should be open, and keep regulations simple and user friendly

• Accountable: regulators must be able to justify decisions, and be subject to public scrutiny

• Agile: regulation must look forward and be able to adapt to anticipate change.