CARNA Pleased with Supreme Court Decision to Dismiss
EDMONTON, March 28, 2013 /CNW/ - The College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta welcomes today's decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to dismiss an appeal by two RNs with addictions who were disciplined for falsifying medical records to conceal thefts of narcotics.
"Today's ruling means that the College can continue to focus on what we are expected to do: protect the public through the pursuit of excellence in nursing regulation including disciplinary processes. An appeal would have diverted substantial resources to defending our position in court once again," said CARNA CEO Mary-Anne Robinson.
The College works to encourage addicted nurses to seek help and eventually return to work. If addiction leads to serious misdeeds, however, the College will base its charges on the RN's underlying misconduct, not on the fact that they were suffering from addictions.
"Ultimately, it's our patients we are most concerned about," she said. "To not take this line of action, it would be difficult to argue to the public that we are fulfilling our regulatory mandate."
CARNA is the professional and regulatory body for Alberta's 33,000 registered nurses, including nurses in direct care, education, research and administration as well as nurse practitioners. Its mandate is to protect the public by ensuring that Albertans receive effective, safe and ethical care by registered nurses.
SOURCE: College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta
Rachel Champagne
tel: 780.453.0516
cell: 780.953.3923
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@AlbertaRNs
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