NURS 3052 Virtual Library Workshop: Part 2: Nursing Organizations

Provincial, national, and international nursing organizations/associations represent, communicate, and advocate on behalf of nurses in Canada and beyond.

As a part of this, many nursing organizations publish documents known as "position statements" (or standards or guidelines) which review facts and convey the organization's official position, opinion, or recommendation on a particular issue, topic, or debate.

As students and researchers, we can look to official nursing organization position statements as a resource that conveys how nurses might view or respond to a topic. The links listed under "Nursing Organizations to Note" are a good place to get started, but you can also explore the organizations of other health professionals, too.

When researching these documents, visit each professional organization's website and look for terms such as: 

• position statements
• standards
• guidelines 
• best practices
• current issues
• policies

Tip: Not all organizations will present an official opinion on all topics. Some choose to focus on specific issues based on mandate, patient population, or geographic area. Explore the websites of several professional organizations to determine the type and suitability of available information.

Explore the nursing organization websites for a position statement that addresses private vs. public health care in Canada.

Consider:
Do any nursing organizations address this topic, specifically? If so, how? If not, are there any position statements that could support the topic in another way (i.e., equitable access to health care)?