Dr. Doris Grinspun

I write this column filled with pride and gratitude following the incredible energy and inspiration of our recent Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) and BPSO Ontario Health Team (OHT) Summits in September (read more in this issue’s feature about the event). 

This massive international gathering of an estimated 15,000+ virtual and in-person participants – at numerous sites and in 24 countries – was born from a conversation I had with Dr. Teresa Moreno-Casbas, BPSO lead at Investén-isciii in Spain. She reminded me that while I, as RNAO’s CEO, have the privilege of knowing what’s happening across our Best Practice Guideline (BPG) and BPSO programs globally, many BPSO partners are unaware of the remarkable work being done in other countries.

This realization sparked a compelling idea: to bring BPSOs together to draw inspiration from one another, share success stories, and strengthen the collective momentum of our movement. And that’s exactly what happened in September. Over four days at the BPSO Global and BPSO OHT Summits, nurses and other health professionals showcased how they are more “powered” than ever before.

I first highlighted the concept of “powering” our profession in this column in 2017. At the time, I explained that RNAO’s approach is not about “empowering” nurses. That term suggests authority being granted by someone else, as though power is something bestowed from above. Our movement – whether in policy or clinical practice – is to “power” nurses by unleashing their drive, expertise, knowledge and skills. This distinction is critical. 

Our movement – whether in policy and/or clinical practice – is to “power” nurses by unleashing their drive, expertise, knowledge and skills.

We recognize that strength, leadership and professional authority already exist within the profession. We seek to remove the systemic, organizational and political barriers that constrain nursing judgment, silence nursing voices, and limit nurses’ ability to practise to the full scope of their education and competence. This approach shifts the focus from permission to possibility, from dependency to agency, and from containment to transformation. Powering nurses is about creating the conditions where nurses can lead change, shape public policy, advance evidence-informed practice, and advocate fearlessly for people, communities and more just health systems.

At RNAO, we reframe how we think about leading change, accountability and system transformation. When nurses are powered, they do not wait for validation – they act. They innovate at the point of care, influence the design of health systems, and drive solutions to the most complex health and social challenges of our time. Powering nursing is not a slogan; it is a strategy for sustainable, high-quality care, professional integrity and health equity. It is also a call to governments, employers and institutions to stop treating nursing as subordinates and start recognizing our profession as a central force in shaping the future of health and health care.

Nurses see inequity daily at the bedside, streetside and in our communities. We connect clinical care with social and environmental conditions. We are trusted by the public. And when we act collectively – through RNAO’s public advocacy and BPSOs – we become a political force for equality as powered caregivers.

I see this strength in BPSO leaders like Mae Tao, Toronto Public Health, who has travelled several times to China to provide training for BPSOs and champions there. Two of our exceptional BPSO Host leaders in Colombia – Olga Lucia Gomez Diaz, director of nursing at Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, and Maribel Esparza Bohorquez, chief nurse at Clínica FOSCAL – also inspire us with their leadership and generosity when sharing knowledge with new BPSOs in Mexico. These and many other nurse leaders at home and abroad show us that being powered is natural for nurses. It is a way of being no matter the country or sector. 
And these efforts for the collective good are being recognized. 

Our President NP Lhamo Dolkar and I were thrilled to accept the Canadian Nurses Association inaugural Legacy Award in October 2025. This award is a testament to 100 years of action and impact as an organization representing RNs, NPs and nursing students. 

Our strong and collegial relationships with politicians from all political stripes are also recognized. Our frontline, boardroom and classroom experiences and evidence-based insights shape legislation and policy. When we call, politicians answer. 

Every time nurses becomes more powered, more will come. 

During this year’s provincial and federal elections in February and April, respectively, we met with our MPPs and MPs to offer solutions to the most difficult issues confronting us. And our evidence-based advocacy – like our evidence-based practice – matters because it addresses what people need most. It helps the person with a substance-use disorder who has lost access to a safe consumption site. Or the person in Brockville who has lost the only shelter in town. It matters because RNAO leaves no one behind.
And the beauty of this movement is that powering is not finite. Every time nurses becomes more powered, more will come. Each interaction, each rally, each action alert, and each BPG and BPSO event is a powering opportunity infused by the collective. 

I am continually learning and continually inspired by the knowledge and passion of our movement – that of members and that of BPSOs – at home and abroad. Your energy is contagious, and together, we are not just changing and powering health systems – we are changing and powering ourselves. Which is transferred directly to the people we serve.