Professional Responsibility Concerns (PRC)

Your professional Standards and Code of Ethics dictate that you must advocate for the resources and supports required to provide safe, competent, and ethical nursing care. The PRC process provides you an avenue to safely raise concerns relative to patient/resident/client care.

Common examples of PRCs include concerns about: staffing or skill mix, workload/assignments, communication, equipment or technology, space or environment where care is to be delivered, policies and procedures, orientation and training.

Reporting a Professional Responsibility Concern

• Discuss the issue with your immediate supervisor/Manager. If you are uncomfortable or unable to have this discussion, your Local may assist you or have the discussion on your behalf.
• Fill out a Professional Responsibility Concern Form (PRCF) via UNA's website as soon as possible. Provide as much detail as possible about the incident or issue including recommendations to resolve the issue, and do not use the names of patients/residents/clients on the form
• Complete the PRCF online at dms.una.ca/forms/prc
  • Enter your Manager’s email address to ensure they get a copy. A copy will automatically be emailed to your Local.
• If the PRC remains unresolved after discussing it with your Manager, the PRCF will be discussed at the joint UNA/Employer Professional Responsibility Concern Committee (PRCC) for your site/workplace.
• After submitting the PRCF to your Local, be prepared to stay involved. Your Local PRCC representatives may call or email you to gather more information, invite you to a PRCC meeting to speak to the issue you identified, share the Employer response to your PRCF, and discuss potential resolutions.
• UNA has the right to advance unresolved PRCs to the Employer CEO, an external Independent Assessment Committee, and the Employer Governing Board, if necessary.

Education Website Online Resources

Visit UNA's education website at education.una.ca to view resources and online courses related to PRC, such as PRC management in DMS.

Joint UNA-AHS Information Session

United Nurses of Alberta and Alberta Health Services have worked together to develop new resources to help UNA members, managers, and Professional Responsibility Concern Committees identify best practices for each step of the PRC process.

The new resources were launched at a series of joint information sessions across Alberta in October, November and December 2018. The sessions were presented by Heather Smith, President of United Nurses of Alberta, and Sean Chilton, Vice President, Health Professions & Practice of Alberta Health Services. This session was recorded in Edmonton on November 30, 2018.

A series of information sessions for members employed by Covenant Health were hosted by UNA and that employer in May 2018. 

PRC Best Practice: UNA and Covenant Health Presentation from Learning and Development on Vimeo.

Note: If you require word versions of any of the templates below, please contact UNA Provincial Office and ask to speak to a PRC Advisor.