New PRC reporting form is now available online and on UNA’s App

A new Professional Responsibility Concern reporting form has been designed and introduced for use by United Nurses of Alberta members, says UNA PRC Advisor Chris Axtell.

Axtell said the new form – available in paper and electronic versions, as well as through UNA’s smartphone app – is not intended to replace the employer’s incident reporting forms or systems, but to enhance it, give the union tracking information about concerns that have been identified and nurses the confidence their concerns will be heard.

The new form includes places for the nurse to note the staffing mix and to include recommendations on how to solve the problem identified, Axtell said.

Concerns documented in the new form will be presented to the local’s PRC Committee for advancement as outlined in UNA’s collective agreements.

The electronic version of the form in particular – which can be accessed on the union’s Data Management System (DMS) – will assist UNA with tracking concerns and following up with emails and other communications.

UNA members should fill out the form as soon as possible after observing a Professional Responsibility Concern, Axtell noted. He said permission from a manager is not required to complete and submit the form, although nurses should advise managers of the concern they are reporting. Space is available on the form to report the time the concern was reported to a manager.

Nurses filing PRC forms should not include the names of patients, residents, staff members, physicians, or others involved in the situation being reported.

Nurses with questions about the new form or who wish to request paper copies are encouraged to contact Axtell or PRC Advisor Josh Bergman at UNA's provincial office.

Nurses are required by the standards of their professional licensing bodies to advocate for practice environments that have organizational and human support systems, and the resources necessary for safe, competent and ethical nursing care.