How to complete your QA Every Day self-assessment
QA Every Day involves self-assessment in two parts:
- reflecting on your practice
- developing a learning plan
As regulated health professionals, nurses are responsible for reflecting on their practice and identifying their learning needs. This process of reflection helps nurses to update their knowledge and skills and maintain their continuing competence.
Nurses can use a learning plan to guide them in planning and documenting their annual learning activities in a thoughtful and purposeful way.
Part 1: Reflect on your practice and experiences
Practice reflection is the intentional process of critically thinking about your practice daily. It helps you identify your strengths and learning needs so you can focus your continuous learning where it is most needed.
Take time during your reflection to explore a situation or change in your practice. Think about what you did well and whether there are opportunities for learning and growth. Considering these opportunities helps you determine what you can do to improve or enhance your practice.
This series of practice reflection questions may help you reflect on your experiences and identify areas in your practice you could learn more about.
- What experiences stand out to you (for example, changes in practice, new models of care, introduction of additional regulated/unregulated care providers to the team)?
- Did you take on additional responsibilities?
- Did you experience any challenges? If so, what were they? How did you manage them?
- Provide examples of changes for yourself, others (for example, clients, colleagues, students, the public), your practice setting and the overall health care system.
- Why were these changes important?
- How did you adapt to these changes?
Part 2: Develop a Learning Plan
Nurses can use a learning plan to guide them in planning and documenting their annual learning activities in a thoughtful and purposeful way.
A learning plan allows you to write down your goals, describe the specific activities you plan to complete, document timelines and track your learning activities. We suggest you develop at least two unique learning goals to focus on each year.
Your learning plan provides evidence of your activities to help maintain your competence as a nurse. You are expected to update your learning plan regularly and keep it for two years.
- What learning opportunities did you identify through your experiences that you can apply moving forward?
- What did you learn that you will continue to use throughout your practice?
- Do colleagues provide feedback that informs your learning needs or areas for improvement in your practice?
- Based on your reflection, what areas of your nursing knowledge, skill and judgment may need professional development?
- How will addressing these areas help you maintain or improve your nursing knowledge, skill or judgment?
- Which areas in your knowledge, skill and judgment are most important to address and apply in your QA this year?
- Have you identified any learning activities to help you address your learning needs?
- Does your employer or another organization offer support to help you achieve your learning goals?
- What timeline is realistic for completing each learning activity?
- Which CNO practice standard or guideline connects most closely to your learning goal?
- What expectations or principles from the standard or guideline can help guide your learning and practice?
- How will applying this standard or guideline help you strengthen your nursing practice and support safe care?
- Have you implemented your learning into your practice? Have your goals changed?
- What have I accomplished and how will this new knowledge and/or skill improve the safe nursing care I provide?
- What will I do differently in my practice because of this learning?
After completing your learning plan, take the time to evaluate whether your learning activities have changed your practice. Learning is a continuous process that will happen throughout your career.
RN prescribing and QA Every Day
RNs who are authorized to prescribe medication are accountable for making safe, evidence-informed prescribing decisions.
RNs who are authorized to prescribe can incorporate QA Every Day into their daily practice by:
- Reflecting on their practice: regularly assessing their prescribing decisions, identifying areas for improvement and staying informed about best practices in prescribing. This includes reviewing and understanding the RN Prescribing Medication List and their accountabilities under the Registered Nurse (RN) Prescribing practice standard, and staying up to date on employer policies.
- Developing and maintaining a learning plan: setting clear learning goals with specific activities that can help them achieve these goals.
- Consulting with other RNs with prescribing authority or NP mentors: getting feedback and insights or discussing challenges to enhance their clinical practice.
An example of a learning plan of an RN with prescribing authority can be found in the QA Every Day resources section of this page.
QA Every Day resources
The following resources are available to support you in reflecting on your practice and developing a learning plan.
Sample learning plans
Here are a few examples of what a learning plan may look like: