Carol Timmings

It’s hard to believe this is my final column as your president. When I reflect back on the past two years, that old adage “...time flies when you’re having fun…” rings so true. It has been an exhilarating experience representing the association on your behalf. It has also been an immense privilege, personally and professionally.

When I assumed this responsibility two years ago, I was asked what excited me most about taking on the role. I talked about the endless possibilities for RNAO to continue shaping the health system with its strong, collective voice. Our reputation for developing sound health policy recommendations to improve nursing, health and health care is widely known, and I looked forward to being an important part of that.

I was inspired by our advocacy on social and environmental determinants of health, and I wanted to be part of that ongoing work. The health disparities we see in communities across this province are unjust. The daily interactions many of you have with your patients provide a window of awareness on the toll poverty has on people’s health and well-being. Increasing the minimum wage and ensuring adequate social assistance rates, as well as concrete measures to address homelessness and the lack of affordable housing, are solutions we know will affect poverty rates and ill-health.

I am also proud of our continued advocacy and influence on health system transformation. Originally detailed in our Enhancing Community Care for Ontarians (ECCO) report (2012), we remain focused and firm in our evidenced-informed position that optimal care co-ordination must be rooted in primary care settings. Not only is it an important way to ensure patients’ care needs are met, it is also the only way we will ease some of the pressures many hospital emergency departments face. Many of you have shared your experiences of hallway nursing with us. That’s why primary care must be the anchor for an integrated health system.

I am proud of the thousands of you who have harnessed the power of the recommendations set out in our Mind the Safety Gap report. Released in May 2016, just as my presidency was beginning, it highlighted the dangerous trend of RN replacement and offered eight recommendations to ensure safer patient care and a more effective
health system. You, in turn, provided support and momentum for these recommendations by signing action alerts and helping to inform politicians on how RN replacement affects patients in your practice.

As I bid farewell, I know I leave a vibrant and engaged organization of committed members, with the momentum to continue advancing the issues that matter.

To keep up the pressure, RNAO hosted a media conference last May to release the largest ever, publically available database of 70 years of research into RN effectiveness. Unequivocally, the results show that using RNs results in improved clinical, organizational and financial outcomes. I am confident we will continue to make our voices heard on this issue and reclaim the role of the RN.

I am pleased that RNAO’s tireless advocacy has resulted in changes to the Nursing Act and RN prescribing will become a reality. This will improve patient access to care and optimize the role of the RN in our system. However, we must ensure RNs can order lab tests so they can initiate the necessary diagnostics to prescribe medications.

We have made tremendous progress in shaping provincial health policy on many fronts. As the provincial election draws near, Ontarians will see additional recommendations outlined in our election platform, Improving health for all.

The role of president has allowed me to meet members, in academic settings, in urban centres, rural areas, and remote parts of this province. Each and every interaction left me enlightened, inspired and with a deep appreciation for this amazing profession we share and the difference we make in the lives we touch. I wish Angela Cooper Brathwaite tremendous success as she takes the lead as RNAO’s 55th president this spring.

I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to my board colleagues and our CEO for their passion, expertise and dedicated work. They consistently demonstrate courage, values-driven and evidence-based leadership, qualities that successful professional associations require if they want to make meaningful change.

As I bid farewell, I know I leave a vibrant and engaged organization of committed members, with the momentum to continue advancing the issues that matter.

Thank you for being an integral part of my personal and professional growth over the past two years. This experience will forever be a highlight of my nursing career and one of cherished memories.