Mount Sinai RPNs mark one year of service

The new nursing roles are part of a larger initiative to optimize nursing scope of practice and the mix of professional skills on units across the hospital which includes both registered nurses (RNs) and RPNs.

RNs across Mount Sinai have played a crucial role in welcoming RPNs to their units, stepping up as preceptors to train their new colleagues.

Training new nurses in the Operating Room

Stephannie Tan, an RPN in the Operating Room says her RN preceptors ensured she was well prepared to practice independently. “Making the transition into such a specialized and fast-paced environment came with a steep learning curve,” she says. “It’s also been incredibly rewarding. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn under the guidance of experienced and supportive preceptors who helped me build a strong foundation.”

The new RPNs picked up the needed skills quickly, says Liana Kiersnowski, an RN and OR preceptor, and a year later, the former trainees are fully part of the team. “Everyone’s like a family. That’s part of our culture in the OR,” she says. She adds that having RPNs on the team has been a benefit to OR nursing because there are more team members to share the work in the busy unit.

Commitment to nursing excellence

Kara Ronald, Vice President, Professional Practice, Nursing and Health Disciplines says a full complement of RPN and RN nursing professionals will enable Mount Sinai to provide patients with the best care from the right care provider, when they need it. “Making this change to the categories of nursing professionals will enable us to recruit and retain the right number of nurses, with the right skills to provide excellent care to our patients.”

Sinai Health is known for nursing excellence; Mount Sinai is the only hospital in Canada to have earned the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet designation awarded to hospitals that meet high standards in evidence-based care, patient outcomes and nurse satisfaction. Sinai Health is also home to the Centre for Nursing Excellence, the only nurse-led research centre in a Canadian hospital.

The process of recruiting RPNs is well underway across the hospital and Kara notes having RNs and RPNs embedded in our professional care delivery model enables Mount Sinai to uphold our commitment to providing the highest quality care. “We’ve taken a rigorous evidence-based approach to implement introducing RPNs at Mount Sinai and we’re always striving to improve in order to provide the best care to our patients.” she says.

Throughout the past year, RPNs have been hired on units across the hospital in a gradual roll-out. This work is expected to continue as new RPNs join the hospital in new program areas this fall.