Q. We likely will be re-deploying nurses if the outbreak intensifies and staff become impacted. In addition, in the past, nurses have ‘come out of retirement’ to help during a crisis. What things should I consider if nurses are redeployed to my area and/or a nurse who recently returned to practice is sent to my area?
A. All nurses have a set of basic competencies that transcend all care areas. Re-deployment is an opportunity to capture these competencies. However, you must recognize that a re-deployed nurse may not have the unique or specific competencies to provide advanced care for some of your clients. Sometimes, it may be necessary to assign a re-deployed nurse to assist your regular staff to care for clients. This may be the case if an acute care nurse is deployed to an ICU setting. You have a few obligations when nurses are deployed to your practice setting for the first time. These include:
- Providing a brief orientation to the unit or care area.
- Identifying a ‘buddy’ or a staff member to be a resource to answer questions and provide support.
- Making their care assignment based on what they can do within their individual scope of practice.
NSCN has a process to help nurses who have retired from the profession to temporarily return to practice during a public health emergency. Only nurses otherwise eligible for licensure, those who have practiced within the last 5 years and who retired with a non-restricted license, qualify for this temporary license.
Given the nurse has been away from practice, engage them in a conversation about their capacity to determine the level of support they require. They may need more support than a re-deployed nurse because they have been away from practice. Assign and arrange for supports as needed and make a plan for frequent check-ins with the nurse and their ‘buddy’. Reach out to the College at practice@nscn.ca if you have questions or there are any concerns about the nurse’s practice.
