NURSING
OFFICERS
GENERAL
1. The role of Nursing Officers is to provide direction and assistance on health
care matters to officers and members of the St. John Ambulance Brigade. The Nursing
Officer is part of a management team, and is expected to work in a mutually supportive and
beneficial role.
QUALIFICATIONS
2. Registered Nurses (RNs) must have the following qualifications to act in their
professional capacity or attend a Brigade duty as a caregiver:
a. be currently practising Nursing or have practised Nursing within the past five
years;
b. hold a current valid license in the province or territory of membership (a license
from any province/territory is acceptable if performing administrative duties only);
c. hold a valid Standard First Aid (triennial) and CPR (Level C - annual) certificate
(BTS is optional); and
d. have knowledge of the Brigade Training System, the Cadet Proficiency Program, the
Nursing Bursary Program, and St. John Ambulance health care training programs.
3. To provide independent patient care, RNs must be certified to a minimum of BTS Level
1. This may be achieved through one of the following ways:
a. challenge the BAP through the Comprehensive Challenge Assessment Process (see StJCI
2-4-5, paragraphs 5 and 6);
b. complete the BTS training and BAP evaluation; or
c. submit a request for equivalency to the Provincial/Territorial Medical Officer
(equivalency will be considered for an RN in active clinical practice combined with a
thorough and proficient knowledge of BTS, with no testing).
FUNCTIONS
4. All Nursing Officers are subject to the same rules and regulations as all other
members of the Brigade, as set out in StJCI: Part 2.
5. Nursing Officers are directly responsible to the Commissioner/Superintendent at
their appointed level for the development, organization, administration and execution of
the policies and programs required by them. Nursing Officers are
responsible to and entitled to communicate directly with their next senior Nursing
Officer on professional and first aid policies and programs that influence their roles and
responsibilities.
6. The primary role of the Nursing Officer is the promotion of health of Brigade
members, and is achieved independently or in collaboration with others by:
a. providing an environment that supports health;
b. encouraging behaviours that support health; and
c. providing professional services that support health.
7. The secondary role of the Nursing Officer is to ensure that the delivery of patient
care services by Brigade members is of the highest possible standard. This is achieved
independently or in collaboration with others by:
a. acting as a professional resource for instructional sessions of the Brigade Training
System;
b. reviewing Patient Care Records to provide remedial support and enhanced learning
opportunities for Brigade members;
c. acting as a professional resource for Brigade Patient Care Competitions; and
d. monitoring the quality of patient care services provided by attending public duties.
8. The Nursing Officer, either independently or in collaboration with others, will
develop policies and programs that are aimed at improving the quality of health of Brigade
members by dealing with management, social, behavioural and environmental issues. As a
minimum, the Nursing Officer will develop policies and programs that:
a. ensure a safe working environment for Brigade members by providing education on
workplace hazardous materials and by setting policies with respect to safety clothing,
barrier devices, etc.;
b. foster a strong and supportive sense of family and belonging;
c. provide education on the health risks of tobacco, alcohol and other substances;
d. provide education on general wellness topics including nutrition, physical activity,
and communicable diseases including sexually transmitted diseases and immunization;
e. provide support systems and networks to deal with critical incident stress; and
f. encourage Brigade members to use the professional expertise of a Nursing Officer as
a resource for dealing with Brigade, personal, or family concerns.
