About the Project

This e-resource was developed by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) to provide nursing faculty with information and teaching tools that they can use to teach NP students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they will need to prescribe controlled drugs and substances appropriately.  Furthermore, the e-resource can be used by faculty to teach undergraduate nursing students the competencies they will need to educate, assess, and provide care for clients who have been prescribed a controlled drug.

Based on CASN’s Nurse Practitioner Education Competencies for Prescribing Controlled Drugs and Substances, this e-resource was designed to be an interactive learning tool for nursing students, educators, and nurses in practice.

Background

In 2016, CASN received project funding from Health Canada to develop new educational guidelines and resources with the following overall objectives:

• Improve the prescriber education of entry-level NPs in Canada so that NP graduates enter practice with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to prescribe controlled drugs and substances in the interest of quality patient care and the health of Canadians; and
• Improve the education of RNs in Canada so that RNs enter practice better prepared to monitor and educate patients and their families regarding the appropriate safe use, risks, benefits, and harms associated with prescribed controlled drugs and substances.

CASN worked closely with an Advisory Committee to develop the competency/indicator framework that serves as the foundation for the content developed within this e-resource.

Please note that the views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.