Mental health nursing practice in rural and remote Canada: Insights from a national survey.

Access to and delivery of quality mental health services remains challenging in rural and remote Canada. To improve access, services, and support providers, improved understanding is needed about nurses who identify mental health as an area of practice. The aim of this study is to explore the characteristics and context of practice of registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) in rural and remote Canada, who provide care to those experiencing mental health concerns.

Northeastern Ontario nurses' perceptions of e-learning: An interpretive description.

Background: E-learning is a common method of continuing education for nurses that supports professional competencies and learning needs. However, variations in setting, information technology, and quality of the e-learning may impact these experiences.

Objective: To explore registered nurses' perceptions of e-learning in a hospital setting.

Rural and Remote Registered Nurses' Perceptions of Working Beyond Their Legislated Scope of Practice.

Registered nurses (RNs) enact their scope of practice in everyday practice through the influences of client needs, the practice setting, employer requirements and policies and the nurse's own level of competence (Canadian Nurses Association 2015). A scope of practice is "dynamic and responsive to changing health needs, knowledge development and technological advances" (International Council of Nurses 2013). In Canada, RNs' scope of practice is set out through provincial and territorial legislation and provincial regulatory frameworks, which are broadly consistent, but vary across provinces (Schiller 2015).

Nurses who work in rural and remote communities in Canada: a national survey.

Background: In Canada, as in other parts of the world, there is geographic maldistribution of the nursing workforce, and insufficient attention is paid to the strengths and needs of those providing care in rural and remote settings. In order to inform workforce planning, a national study, Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada II, was conducted with the rural and remote regulated nursing workforce (registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed or registered practical nurses, and registered psychiatric nurses) with the intent of informing policy and planning about improving nursing services and access to care. In this article, the study methods are described along with an examination of the characteristics of the rural and remote nursing workforce with a focus on important variations among nurse types and regions.

An examination of retention factors among registered nurses in Northeastern Ontario, Canada: Nurses intent to stay in their current position.

Background: The purpose of the study was to examine factors related to the retention of registered nurses in northeastern Ontario, Canada.

Objective/method: A cross-sectional survey of registered nurses working in northeastern Ontario, Canada was conducted. Logistic regression analyses were used to consider intent to stay in current employment in relation to the following: 1) demographic factors, and 2) occupation and career satisfaction factors.

Nurse practitioners in Ontario primary healthcare: referral patterns and collaboration with other healthcare professionals.

The purpose of this study is to examine referrals of nurse practitioners providing primary healthcare (PHC NPs) to better understand how PHC NPs collaborate with other healthcare professionals and contribute to interprofessional care. The analysis is based on the data from a survey of 378 PHC NPs registered in Ontario, Canada in 2008. Overall, 69% of PHC NPs made referrals to family physicians (FPs) and 67% of PHC NPs received referrals from FPs.

The novice objective structured clinical evaluation tool: psychometric testing.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study of the psychometric properties of the Novice Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation Tool.

Background: A collaborative undergraduate nursing programme is currently using an objective structured clinical evaluation at the conclusion of the first nursing clinical course to determine student competence as a component of quality and safety education. However, the reliability and validity of the assessment tool has not been established.

Integration of nurse practitioners into Ontario's primary health care system: variations across practice settings.

Annual tracking surveys of nurse practitioners in the Canadian province of Ontario conducted by the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care provide a picture of current employment and practice. The authors present an update on the most recent survey of primary health care nurse practitioners (PHC NPs), conducted in 2008.The study sample consisted of 378 NPs registered in Ontario in 2008 and practising in PHC.

Objective structured clinical evaluation of clinical competence: an integrative review.

Aim: This paper presents an integrative literature review conducted to describe the utility of the objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE) as a strategy of measuring one form of clinical competence in nursing.

Background: The emergence of the OSCE, one form of evaluation of clinical competence used in medicine, is gaining more scrutiny and consideration in nursing education.

Data Sources: The review was conducted through an initial search of computerized databases CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Academic Search Premier and MEDLINE for the period from 1960 to 2008.

An evaluation of the Ontario Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Background: The Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System (RRFSS) is an ongoing population health survey conducted by a collaborating group of Ontario public health units. This formative evaluation examined the process effectiveness, collaboration, utility and cost-effectiveness of RRFSS during its first year of operation.

Methods: An Evaluation Framework was developed with reference to guidelines for evaluation of surveillance systems developed by the World Health Organization and the U.