The Alberta Nursing Regulators: The College and Association of Registered Nurses, the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta and the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Alberta recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency and mass immunization clinics are being put in place to protect Albertans from COVID-19. As a result, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has put forward protocols for use in AHS COVID-19 High Volume Vaccination Clinics. These protocols apply to specific locations, for a specified time frame and will be reviewed periodically. The Nursing Regulators wish to provide the following information to their registrants.
All nurses are expected and required to abide by their Practice Standards. It is important to acknowledge that the Practice Standards of each regulatory college recognize the need for health care professionals to exercise their evidence-informed professional judgment given the circumstances.
The Colleges recognize that the first duty of health professionals is to their patients, and that in certain circumstances appropriate patient care involves exercising professional judgment as to the best means of protecting patients from risk of serious harm.
In addition, nurses should follow their employer requirements for administering medications within their competence and scope of practice, while at the same time adhering to their professional accountability and responsibility. COVID-19 has impacted how we work together as a greater community in addressing public health interests, directives, and mandates.