CARNA Regional Coordinators are available to provide education sessions on the topics listed below. Open (public) sessions are advertised on the CARNA website in the Events section. If you would like more information on a session or wish to request a session in your region or at your facility, please contact your regional coordinator.

A Career as a Registered Nurse
This presentation provides a description of the different opportunities available in nursing and the duties and responsibilities associated with this career. It can be used as a resource by registered nurses at school or community career fairs. Contact the regional coordinator in your region for further information.

Best Practices Resources for RNs
Keeping up to date with best practice information can be a challenge. This presentation explores the use of the CNA nursing portal and the resources available in the CARNA library to search for information to support evidenced-based practice. Participants will gain an increased awareness of resources for best practice information.  The Canadian Nursing Portal is highlighted.

Documenting Your Continuing Competence Activities
The CARNA Continuing Competence Program is a requirement for all members. This session provides an overview of what to submit as part of an audit and what the Continuing Competence committee is looking for when an audit is done. Participants will have lots of opportunity to ask questions.

Establishing a Nursing Practice Group
The purpose of a Nursing Practice Group is to create a supportive environment where registered nurses can identify practice issues that affect work-life and quality of care. A Nursing Practice Group can be composed of a group of RNs from an agency or facility or an informal/casual group of RNs gathered from many agencies and facilities in a region.  Whatever the setting, a Nursing Practice Group can provide a structure for RNs to work together to advance professional nursing practice; foster the development of nursing leadership and role modeling; discuss practice questions and access information in a timely manner and become more fully informed. This presentation provides ideas and guidance for those wishing to form a Nursing Practice Group.

Ethical Practice
This presentation discusses the values and responsibility statements inherent in the CNA Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses and ethical principles related to registered nursing practice. The CNA Code of Ethics illustrates for nurses the need to engage in ethical reflection and discussion, as ethical values are at the root of self-regulation and nursing practice.

Health Professions Act
The Health Professions Act is legislation that brings all self-regulating health professions in Alberta, including registered nurses, under one legislative act. This legislative framework has implications for RNs and their nursing practice, and this presentation explores what the Health Professions Act means for nurses.

Nursing: A Regulated Profession
This presentation provides detailed information on the legislation and regulation that provides the college and association of Registered Nurses of Alberta with the authority to regulate the registered nurse profession. The role and responsibilities of CARNA as a regulatory college and professional association are outlined. Information on the organizational structure of CARNA is also provided
 
Nursing Leadership
This presentation focuses on leadership responsibilities and introduces the RNAO best practice guideline titled: Developing and Sustaining Nursing Leadership as a framework to discuss leadership. The RNAO five leadership practices and conceptual model are introduced. Personal characteristics of good leaders are explored, as well as personal resources that support effective leadership practices. This presentation also discusses the role of the nurse leader in balancing competing priorities and values and the impact they have on the practice environment.

Nursing Leadership: Leadership Practices and Core Competencies
This presentation focuses in detail on leadership practices and core competencies using the Nursing Practice Standards (2003) as a framework along with the RNAO best practice guideline titled: Developing and Sustaining Nursing Leadership.  These documents provide a useful way to understand and examine relationships between and among the key factors involved in nursing leadership. Examples of behaviours in practice that demonstrate these core competencies will be shared.

Nursing Practice Standards
It is the responsibility of all regulated members to understand the CARNA Nursing Practice Standards  and apply them to their nursing practice, specific to their areas of practice and their roles. The Nursing Practice Standards represent criteria against which the practice of all regulated members will be measured by CARNA, the public, clients, employers, colleagues and themselves. Taken in their entirety, the CARNA Nursing Practice Standards reflect the values of the profession and clarify what CARNA expects of its members.

Paperwork or Patient Care: What Matters?
This session focuses on best practices in documentation that support RNs in the provision of safe, competent and ethical care. The CARNA resources for this session are Nursing Practice Standards (March 2003) and Documentation Guidelines for Registered Nurses (September 2006).

Preparing for the Canadian Registered Nurses Exam
This presentation explains the distinction between a student nurse, a graduate nurse and a registered nurse. It covers the purpose and design of the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE) and explains the processes for application to write the CRNE and for a Temporary Practice Permit, and outlines the process for obtaining results of CRNE examination writing. The presentation concludes with information on finalizing registration as Registered Nurse (RN) and reviews the eligibility criteria for annual renewal of a permit to practice.
 
Professional Boundaries for Registered Nurses
Professional boundaries separate therapeutic behaviour of the registered nurse from any behaviour which, well intentioned or not, could lessen the benefit of care to clients, families and communities. Professional boundaries are an essential part of good nursing care. Through this presentation, participates will learn how to differentiate professional and non-professional therapeutic relationships, the characteristics of a therapeutic relationship, and how to maintain healthy professional boundaries.

Registered Nurse Competency Profile in Practice
The purpose of this session is to provide information to registered nurses about their competence profile and how to apply and use this competency profile in their practice. The International Classification of Nursing Practice (ICNP) and the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) readily identify a very comprehensive list of RN competencies at the level of specific nursing interventions. These classification systems, in combination with the CARNA Entry-to-Practice Competencies for the Registered Nurses Profession, describe the competency profile for registered nurses in Alberta.  NIC includes all interventions that registered nurses provide to their clients. The interventions in NIC include direct care interventions that are visible and indirect care interventions that are often invisible to the client. An intervention is any treatment, based upon clinical judgment and knowledge that a registered nurse performs to enhance client outcomes.

Understanding Your Regulatory College and Professional Association
This presentation outlines CARNA’s role as a regulatory college and association. Information is also provided on the resources available to members.