A new generation of frontline healthcare workers crossed the floor at the University of Windsor on Wednesday. As part of the convocation season, the university graduated Canada’s first cohort of registered nurses with prescribing authority. Sydney Czop, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, was part of the program’s first cohort, which completed their studies in the fall. “I take a lot of pride in saying that I’m one of the first nursing students to have RN Prescribing behind my name, and I feel very rewarded and excited to be able to help patients in this aspect,” Czop said ahead of convocation. In 2023, the Ontario government announced Registered Nurses who received additional training would be able to prescribe some medications. Last spring, the University of Windsor received a provincial grant to support the inclusion of RN Prescribing education into the undergraduate nursing curriculum. “So, throughout this program, we learned how to assess patients depending on symptoms that they have, learning to somewhat diagnose,” Czop said. “As nurses, we can’t fully diagnose, but what do we think it is in order to provide them the medication that they need to get better for optimal recovery.” When asked about why the additional abilities matter, Czop pointed to the increased access to care for patients. “It also allows greater access to care and treatment, and timely access as well to medications, especially with the shortage of doctors and physicians right now as well,” Czop noted. Prescribing authority allows RNs to prescribe certain medications such as birth control, travel medications, topical wound care, and drugs used for smoking cessation. Those with the additional training are also able to administer certain vaccines. “So it’ll slowly be rolled out with time, and it’s very important that the patients can now access care all in the same place,” said Melanie Caixeiro, another graduate from the first cohort. “So instead of having multiple referrals when they receive a diagnosis, they can now potentially get all their care from the nurse, and it increases the continuity of care for patients.” When first introduced, the model was seen as a potential major shift in how healthcare is provided. Ontario, like other provinces, has seen a shortage of physicians, leading to backlogs in some forms of care, such as patients waiting for referrals or prescriptions. Caixeiro believes her graduating class can help in reducing some of those delays. “The nurse is already there assessing their patients and providing care to them throughout their entire shift. So, they know the patient very well and can use their clinical judgment to make a good decision on what medication they might be needing,” she said. At the time the University of Windsor received provincial funding, Georgian College in Barrie and Humber Polytechnic in Toronto were the only other schools selected provincially to provide the same curriculum.
