Patient Safety

YRNA's core mandate is patient safety and public protection.

Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners put this mandate into practice by providing utmost care to all patients without discrimination, striving at all times to provide care that is culturally safe. They actively engage with health care systems and health care providers throughout the Yukon.

We are very proud of the work that they do, often in trying times and conditions.

YRNA promotes patient safety and public protection by:

  1. Setting standards for nursing education, training and examination for entry to practice

  2. Establishing standards, terms, limits and conditions for practice

  3. Publishing practice guidelines when required

  4. Requiring all Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses to maintain and enhance their professional practice and competence through compliance with YRNA's Continuing Competency quality assurance programs

  5. Reviewing and auditing compliance with YRNA's Continuing Competency programs

  6. Preventing unqualified persons from harming patients through unauthorized/unlicensed practice

  7. Maintaining a complaint resolution process for receiving and resolving questions or complaints against registrants:

    • fairly;

    • transparently,

    • expeditiously;

    • and with a remedial rather than punitive focus.

YRNA recognizes the fact that there has been a history of colonial bias and privilege within Canadian society and in particular in the health care systems that have not made these systems safe or welcoming for too many segments of our society. In particular First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities have been adversely affected. YRNA is committed to reconciliation, humility and safety for all. We recognize that historic and current privilege requires that we seek the wisdom and counsel of First Nations communities, elders, elected and traditional leaders to help guide us on our journey towards cultural safety and to be a more humble organization. One of the steps the Board has taken on this journey is to adopt a Cultural Safety Practice Standard which all Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses are obliged to follow.