The changing landscape of nurse-client relationships
Author: Communications
Posted on May 28, 2015
Category: UNB Saint John
Dr. Karen Furlong is a one of two nursing faculty from the Atlantic Provinces who are doing what they can to help universities in preparing nursing students to care for clients using informatics tools.
As members of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) Digital Health Nursing Faculty Peer Network, Furlong and her counterpart - Dr. Diane Duff, St. Francis Xavier University – are mentoring member faculty to increase teaching and curriculum integration related to the CASN Nursing Informatics Entry-to-Practice Competencies for Registered Nurses.
It is time to consider the changing landscapes whereby therapeutic nurse-client relationships are formed – in doing so, peer leaders aim to assist faculty to increase teaching and curriculum integration related to these essential competencies that are now a part of CASN’s accreditation standards.
“Student learning extends far beyond accessing available technology,” said Furlong, Senior Teaching Associate in the Department of Nursing & Health Sciences at UNB’s Saint John campus.
“Rather, it is about using digital information to support evidence-informed practice.”
The goal of the Peer Network is to build faculty capacity in addressing digital health in undergraduate nursing curricula across Canada. This includes the evaluation of online resources; the use of standardized nursing data; the integration of electronic health records; and, the implications of consumer health solutions, such as smartphone apps and social media.
“It is important to foreground nursing knowledge when using digital information–students must develop strong critical thinking skills as it is the nurses’ professional judgement that must always prevail; health-care technologies are intended to support, not control, care delivery.”
These peer leaders will be reaching out to faculty in their regions, offering mentorship and support for faculty looking to increase their digital health knowledge and subsequent ability to integrate content into undergraduate nursing curricula.
Furlong, Duff and Nagle, CASN Peer Network Chair, will be doing exactly that as they offer an informative presentation at the upcoming the Atlantic Region Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (ARCASN) Conference taking place from June 11 – 13 at UNB Saint John.
“We are excited to explore potential opportunities with our colleagues at this conference.”