Thanks, Sony.
I am a registered nurse, and I have been for the last 27 years. To become a registered nurse, you have to complete a nursing program. In the vast majority of the country, it's at the baccalaureate level; you have to have a degree in nursing. In Quebec, the entry to practise is actually a diploma, so you can obtain a nursing diploma from the CEGEP in Quebec. Basically, through nursing school, you obtain the core competencies that are required to function as a registered nurse.
Generally speaking, nurses come out of nursing school and they are generalists. They're able to practise in a wide variety of areas.
In remote and isolated locations, there are additional competencies that are required. As the report indicated, they are often the only provider in the community and they are the first point of contact for the patient. They need to be able to respond to what comes in the door. If it's an emergency, a trauma, they need to have the competencies to deal with it. That is why Health Canada has identified advanced cardiac life support, pediatric life support, trauma, and the other courses you'd see listed as our five courses. Those are the key competencies that RNs will require to meet the needs of the community, in addition to so much more.