In February 2011, the Ontario Public Health Organizational Standards were released requiring each board of health to “designate a Chief Nursing Officer to be responsible for nursing quality assurance and nursing practice leadership” and to "support a culture of excellent in professional practice for all regulated and unregulated health professions that ensures inter-professional collaboration and learning, and that staff are able to comply with professional regulatory body requirements where applicable. A range of models could be used, including the designation of professional practice leads.”
In October, 2011, the Public Health Branch of the MOHLTC released the Public health Chief Nursing Officer Working Group Report, thereby clarifying the role and responsibility of the public health Chief Nursing Officer. This working group was co-sponsored by the MOHLTC, the Association of Nursing Directors and Supervisory of Official Health Agencies and RNAO.
In order for public health Chief Nursing Officers to fully enact their newly mandated role and responsibility as well as implement this “culture of excellence” and authentic interprofessional collaboration, it is essential that public health program and staffing decisions be based on best practices. As such, RNAO proposes the following evidenced based Model of Public Health Nurse Executive Leadership as an initial point of dialogue to clarify the potential impact public health nurse executives can have on nurse / client, organizational and societal outcomes.
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