Standing up for RPNs and diverse nursing teams

 

Every nurse deserves to work as a valued part of a team and arrive each day to a workplace of dignity.

 

This is the ideal state we’re working toward on behalf of Ontario’s 30,000 RPNs. And while our profession continues to make progress toward this goal, we hear all too often about situations in which RPNs are the targets of unfair assumptions and negative statements.

 

Such was the case recently in Belleville, where a newspaper article questioned the abilities of RPNs and bemoaned their addition to a nursing team at a local dialysis clinic. The article focused on a protest at the clinic, where concerns were raised that RPNs wouldn’t be able to provide quality care.

 

The article’s misleading headline (“RPNs to take over”) set a negative tone for a series of articles, letters to the editor and columns on the topic. In reality, RPNs are simply becoming part of a collaborative team of healthcare providers at the clinic. And based on my discussions with nurse leadership, I can tell you that their intention is the creation of a diverse team that can provide sustainable, high quality patient care.

 

The inaccuracies in stories such as these are disappointing. Even more troubling, however, was the fact that in this case, RPNs were not given an equal voice. As a result, we submitted a letter to the editor strongly defending RPNs. The paper’s response was to publish an opinion piece that ignored the actual issues (diverse nursing teams and quality of patient care) and instead attacked RPNAO (and me personally) for pointing out their failure to present the RPNs’ side of the story.

 

A media outlet that publishes a story missing a viewpoint from one of the key players is doing a disservice to its profession and the community. Without the RPN perspective, the article was missing important context and balance.

 

What we want you to know is this: On the day the original article appeared, I travelled to Kingston and Belleville, where I spent time with the hospital, helping to support their nursing teams in any way possible. Then, at the request of their leadership, I visited at the home of the devastated RPN who had been hired to work at the clinic. For the record, my staff and I make hundreds of such visits around the province every year, building bridges and advocating for RPNs.

 

In his follow up column, the editor observed that ‘RPNs have an image problem’. If that’s true, it’s because we have been underappreciated, bullied and marginalized for so many years – behaviour that is shamefully reinforced by articles like this. However, I would suggest to you that our image has never been better. People are noticing RPNs. Organizations are recognizing their knowledge levels and utilizing them in more exciting roles every day. More RPNs are seen in leadership roles than ever before. And their ability to contribute in a meaningful way to give high quality care to a wider range of patients, like some dialysis patients, is widely acknowledged throughout Ontario. Unfortunately, changes like these are often accompanied by a level of conflict.

 

Those of you following this story might have been waiting for RPNAO’s response to this column. Well, you’re reading it. The newspaper’s behaviour made it clear that another letter from us would only expose the RPNs, RNs and patients to more painful conflict when they really need time to heal and find a new level of understanding. Instead, we chose to respond directly to RPNs with this message of respect for all nurses. Our goal has been to elevate this discussion to a place of integrity. And if you find value or comfort in these words, we encourage you to pass them along.

 

It’s worth noting that the changes faced by nursing teams these days are challenging for RNs and RPNs alike. All of us need to ensure that we’re sensitive to the experiences, worries and concerns of all if we are going to succeed in building high-functioning and respectful teams.

 

As for the media, for the most part, they have been willing and objective partners in helping us raise the profile of RPNs and the important work they do. As we’ve seen, however, it only takes one misinformed article to cause real damage in a community.

 

Given what’s at stake, we would hope that everyone writing about nursing in this difficult time would invest the time and effort required to understand and present all aspects of the story. Ultimately, this is the approach that will serve patients and nursing teams best in the months and years ahead.