Health Systems, Policy and the Profession

Nursing has had a longstanding influence on health system programs and policy, but there is a need to extend our reach and become more purposeful and strategic in our actions. To accomplish those aims effectively, nurse leaders must be equipped with a broad understanding of the governance of Canada and its health systems (i.e. the rules book), knowledge of the people, economic factors and politics that influence policy, and insights into the ways policy is developed, legislated, and evaluated. Responding to those needs, NUR1016H is intended to strengthen the effectiveness of Canadian advanced-practice nurses in the identification, development, interpretation, implementation, and diffusion of health policy issues in settings across the domains of nursing practice. This course leads learners through a high-level examination of the operation of Canada’s health systems, and the structures and processes that contribute to the formulation and implementation of health-care policy.