For the first time in a decade, Canada has a chief nursing officer – and that has B.C. nursing groups eying a bigger role for the provincial equivalent.
Most British Columbians are unaware such an office exists, as it’s largely administrative and currently rolled into a large portfolio within the Provincial Health Services Authority, but other provinces have tapped their chief nurses for high-profile roles during the pandemic.
“On par with our colleagues in medicine (who have) the chief medical officer, yes, absolutely we’d like to see the chief nursing officer be part of those conversations,” said Michael Sandler, CEO of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. “Nursing as a profession is delivered in every community across the country so having visibility for senior leadership is vitally important.”
That sentiment was echoed by the president of the B.C. Nurses’ Union.
