Mikyla Lennard, RN
Pronouns she/her
Clinical Manager
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Resources
Throughout my career as a nurse I have had the honour of mentoring nurses. One of my favourite things to say to these individuals when they are feeling the pressure of studying, working, etc. is:
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"A good nurse doesn't know all the answers, a good nurse knows where to find them"
Below are some of my favourite resources as a nurse and clinical manager.
I would love to hear your favourite Canadian health care resources. Feel free to contact me to let me know yours!
I invite you to click on the coloured circles to view the website and the underlined words to see that topic.
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Looking for more resources? Check out my Pearltree site to see more!
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The College of Nurses of Ontario
The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is the governing body for all nurses in Ontario.
This set of resources will not only come in handy if you are a nurse, but it will also come in handy if you work in or are a client of healthcare.
Practice Support: The CNO offers a service by where nurses may call or email to ask practice related questions. The CNO will not answer in a direct fashion, but rather point you towards resources that will help you to better understand where you may find the answer yourself.
Quality Assurance: The CNO expects every nurse to complete a self-assessment, peer assessment, and practice assessment each year at the time of license renewal.
This is an important step in maintaining public safety and must not be forgotten.
Practice Standards and Guidelines: The CNO has created a number of standards and guidelines that outline how a nurse in Ontario is to practice. Each nurse is responsible for upholding these standards.
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Health Authorities
Local, provincial, and national health units help guide infection control practice within the hospital and beyond. The below resources are suited for healthcare workers and the public.
Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU): The EOHU is the health unit that services an area formally known as the Champlain LHIN. The EOHU offers illness prevention and health promotion programs, services, and education on such topics as immunization, COVID-19 information and updates, sexual and reproductive health, healthy eating, infection disease prevention strategies, and more.
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Public Health Agency of Canada: This resource offers public health information that will pertain to all Canadians. Information pertaining to the COVID-19 vaccine is found here.
Public Health Ontario (PHO): PHO, similarly to the EOHU, offers illness prevention and health promotion programs. This site also provides a plethora of Ontario specific health information, data, and analysis on topics such as chronic diseases, environmental health, infectious diseases, and more.
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care: This site provides resources on how to find a doctor, Ontario health insurance plan (OHIP), Ontario wait times, and more.
You may also use this site to review government health programs such as Naloxone.
COVID-19 Resources
The below resources are designed for those working in healthcare and the public; they share up to date COVID related health information that can be used to create policy, update practice, and educate the public.
Ontario Health: Ontario Health is a site that was created by the Ontario Government to assist with connecting Ontario residents with health information in a coordinated fashion.
Incredibly valuable information regarding how facilities and organizations should be adjusting their services based on the COVID-19 pandemic can be gathered in the Health System Response Materials section of their website.
Information regarding COVID-19 testing and analysis is also found on this site.
Government of Ontario: This website houses the link to where you are able to view and review COVID-19 swab results.
College of Nurses of Ontario: The CNO has issued several documents that outline a nurse's responsibility and accountability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here you will also find the COVID-19 response frame work.
Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC): This site offers up to date information and programs on the latest infection control practices. This information is used by infection control and employee health departments to create policy and procedure.
Labour Relations
Managing unionized staff means that managers must be familiar with collective agreements and staff relation topics. The below resources are valuable for managers with unionized staff, for staff who belong to CUPE or ONA (two unions prevalent in Ontario hospitals), and for those considering becoming unionized.
Ontario Hospital Association: offers information and data on labour relations and more within Ontario hospitals. Topics include central bargaining, consulting, and more.
CUPE: If you are a CUPE member or manage those who are a member, this site offers collective agreements, campaigns, research, and more.
Ontario Nurses Association (ONA): If you are a member of ONA or manage those who are members, this site offers collective agreements, bargaining updates, campaigns, and more.
Quality and Patient Safety
Quality and safety are always at the forefront of healthcare. The below resources are designed to bring focus to health quality initiatives backed by our provincial and national government.
Health Quality Ontario (HQO): This site provides best practice health information and guidelines that are to be implemented in a variety of healthcare settings. HQO provides mandated quality targets that may be seen in your facility's patient care improvement plans.
Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI): CPSI offers phenomenal tools and resources along with easy to read frameworks that can be implemented to improve patient safety.
Topics included are medication safety, infection prevention and control, and more.
Health Legislation
Health legislation is the foundation of our healthcare system. The below resource holds all legislation that would pertain to healthcare in Ontario.
Ontario e-Laws: This site allows you to search for any Ontario law.
This site comes in handy when needing to review legislation such as the Public Hospitals Act, 1990 along with the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care Act, 1990.
MHST601 Topics and Resources
What is Health?
To understand healthcare it is important to know how health is defined. Throughout my research I have found that the definition of health tends to be determined by the individual defining it. Below is a link to my Pearltrees site that holds resources on the definition of health.
Definitions of health
Determinants of Health
The determinants of health are factors that influence one's health. There is some variation between lists of these factors but there is also similarities. It is important to know and understand how these determinants can affect one's health when providing health care as it will influence how the care is provided/taught. Below is a link to my Pearltrees site that holds resources on the determinants of health.
Determinants of Health
Levels of Influence on Health
Health can be influenced by many factors (ie: the determinants of health) and these factors can and are influenced by social structures (ie: neighbourhood, political climate, colonization, etc.). Although my main focus is on influencing factors of health related to Indigenous communities, below is a link to my Pearltrees site that holds resources on the levels of influence on health.
Levels of Influence on Health
Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
Chronic disease prevention and management knowledge is vital in health care. For this curated resource page, I have compared Ontario and Nunavut to see the similarities and differences. This activity was very enlightening as I was not familiar with what was available to Nunavummiut (those who inhabit Nunavut). Below is a link to my Pearltrees site that holds resources on chronic disease prevention and management in Ontario, Canada, and Nunavut. Please take a moment to view the other chronic disease resources on my Pearltrees site.
Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
Indigenous Health in Canada
Indigenous people in Canada have disproportionately low health outcomes compared to non-Indigenous people in Canada. As a health care provider, it is important to understand the history behind low health outcomes in Indigenous people as well as why they still occur today. Below is a link to my Pearltrees site that holds resources on Indigenous health in Canada
Indigenous Health in Canada
Vulnerable Groups and Health in Canada
Vulnerable groups in Canada experience barriers and biases in health; understanding these barriers and biases as a health care provider will improve the care provided to these groups. As a health care provider, it is encouraged to reflect on your own feelings and experiences with vulnerable groups as this will allow you to better appreciate their struggles in obtaining health care. Below is a link to my Pearltrees site that holds resources on vulnerable groups in Canada.
Vulnerable Groups and Health in Canada
The Future of Healthcare in Canada
Healthcare around the world is rapidly changing and healthcare in Canada is no different. As a healthcare professional it is important to stay on top of these changes in order to stay current. Factors such as technology and the development of new illnesses play a major role in how healthcare develops. Below is a link to my Pearltrees site that holds resources on the future of healthcare in Canada.
The Future of Healthcare in Canada