Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Title: Consultation Services for Report Examining the Role and Value of Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) in Healthcare Teams within Ontario.

1. What settings are you interested in regarding the role and value of RPNs?
   The primary interest is in Acute Care, Long-term Care (LTC), and Home and Community Care, where RPNs are predominantly employed.
2. Is there an ideal project start date?
   Ideally, the project would commence in September or October 2024.
3. What are the details regarding the interviews for this research project?
   The project anticipates conducting interviews with RPNs, RNs, and healthcare leaders across Ontario. The format (virtual or in-person) will be determined by the project lead. Ideally, interviews would encompass input from across the province of Ontario but not necessarily required. WeRPN can support recruitment efforts, including access to its membership database and external networks. Proposals can include requests for participant honorariums, and while ethics review for interviews is not mandatory, confidentiality plans must be included in the proposal. The number of interviews is expected to be sufficient to establish repetition of themes, following good qualitative research practices.
4. Are there available healthcare leaders, policymakers, or advocacy groups related to RPNs?
   WeRPN has informal connections that may potentially contribute.
5. Will participants receive honorariums from WeRPN?
   Proposals can include requests for participant honorariums.
6. Is an ethics review part of the research process?
   Ethics review for interviews is not required, but confidentiality plans must be outlined.
7. Will there be collaboration between the consultant and WeRPN in finalizing the recommendations?
   Collaboration for finalizing recommendations is not expected but WeRPN would be happy to join in consultation for the recommendations phase.
8. Will WeRPN provide data beyond publicly available datasets?
   WeRPN does not have access to non-public data; caution is advised regarding US data relevance.
9. Will WeRPN provide relevant literature for review?
   A literature scan is expected. We will provide access to all relevant documents authored by WeRPN or by researchers funded by our organization.
10. What criteria will the proposal be scored on?
    The proposal will be evaluated based on thorough exploration of sectors, inclusion of the experiences and input of a wide variety of health care key people including RPNs, RNs, leadership and others, and quality of deliverables.
11. What is the desired scope of engagement?
    Full geographic coverage of Ontario would be an asset but not completely necessary as we currently see shared experiences across the province. Good qualitative data principles should drive number of participants i.e. enough to note repeating themes.
12. Is there an ideal length for the final research report?
    There are no specific length expectations for the report.
13. Is bilingual deliverability a priority?
    Deliverables are expected in English; bilingual options are not required.
14. Does the budget include taxes?
    The service fee is subject to 13% HST.