The NSCN Board met and discussed the following motion raised at the 2020 Annual Meeting.
“That at least one LPN/RPN, one RN and one NP be represented on the Board.”
Background on NSCN Board Composition:
Composition of the NSCN Board was an important consideration for each of the previous legacy Colleges during the creation of the Nova Scotia College of Nursing and it remains an important consideration to the Board today. As a regulator, registrant Board members are required to regulate in the public interest. As such, NSCN Board members do not represent specific registrant groups, a concept that is often rooted in an association model.
The NSCN Board has embraced what is referred to as a competency-based model of governance, which identifies the competencies required and matches them to the skills and attributes of prospective candidates. The following steps, enshrined in the NSCN By-laws, support the process to fill registrant Board vacancies:
- The Board has created a Board Composition Matrix. This matrix allows the Board to identify required competencies, qualities and other criteria and forms the desired composition of the Board.
- The Board Nominating Committee compares the existing composition of the Board with the Board Composition Matrix. This helps the Board to identify the competencies, qualities and other criteria needed to fill the vacancies.
- The election process supports the Board to recruit and evaluate prospective candidates with the changing skills and attributes required of the Board at the time of Board vacancies.
Although not required by the By-laws, the use of the Composition Matrix by the Nominating Committee allows for it to seek out or receive applications from nurse practitioners to sit on the NSCN Board.
Board Decision:
After thoughtful consideration and dialogue by the Board concerning the above noted motion, the NSCN Board voted that no further action be taken and both the mover and seconder of this motion were notified directly by Charmaine McPherson, NSCN Board Chair.
