Time to start seeing more of B.C.'s 'top nurse'? New federal chief spurs discussion

For the first time in a decade, Canada has a chief nursing officer – and that has B.C. nursing groups eying a bigger role for the provincial equivalent. 

Most British Columbians are unaware such an office exists, as it’s largely administrative and currently rolled into a large portfolio within the Provincial Health Services Authority, but other provinces have tapped their chief nurses for high-profile roles during the pandemic.

“On par with our colleagues in medicine (who have) the chief medical officer, yes, absolutely we'd like to see the chief nursing officer be part of those conversations,” said Michael Sandler, CEO of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of B.C. “Nursing as a profession is delivered in every community across the country so having visibility for senior leadership is vitally important.”

That sentiment was echoed by the president of the B.C. Nurses’ Union.

“Any time we can highlight and showcase nurses, I'm all for that -- we need to have nurses represented,” said Aman Grewal, who looks forward to meeting with the new CNO to get down to brass tacks.

“Even though we all have staffing shortages, we need to discuss ‘What is it that’s specific to each province?’” she said. “Then we can work on strategies within provinces as well as the federal level.” 

In Manitoba, Lanette Siragusa became just as well-known as the provincial health officer for updating citizens about public health measures and challenges during the pandemic, and other chief nursing officers have also made periodic appearances and statements during COVID-19 briefings.

It’s a sharp contrast to British Columbia, where Natasha Prodan-Bhalla holds the title of provincial chief nursing officer, but is also vice-president of quality, safety , clinical informatics and allied practice along with an adjunct professorship and numerous other commitments, and is far from the public eye.