RCP e-News September 2025

RSV Educational Webinar – The next webinar in the Webinar Series hosted by RCP relates to preventing RSV in infants.

Join RCP and Cynthia Wong, a Medical Scientist with Sanofi Vaccines for an informative webinar – Infant RSV Prevention: A summary for healthcare providers, October 1, 2025, 12:00-1:00pm (AST), via Teams.

Webinar objectives include:

Understand the burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants.
Review recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations (NACI), Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (SOGC) and other organizations on prevention of infant RSV.
Explore data supporting recommendations, including real-world evidence resultant from RSV prevention programs and their impact.
Compare scientific and mechanistic differences across immunization strategies to best support conversations with parents.

Click here to register for the RCP webinar. The live webinar will also be recorded and posted on the RCP Website for later viewing.

RCP FHS Instructor Workshop – RCP is hosting a virtual Fetal Health Surveillance (FHS) Instructor workshop in October and November 2025. There are 2 spaces remaining for the upcoming workshop. The workshop is offered over 4 x 4.5-hour sessions. Please note that attendance at all four sessions is mandatory.

NewSee details of the FHS Instructor workshop below:

Tuesday, October 28: 0830-1300h
Wednesday, October 29: 0830-1300h
Tuesday, November 4: 0830-1300h
Wednesday. October 5: 0830-1300h

For more information and/or to register for the FHS Instructor Workshop, visit the RCP website.

Upcoming ACoRN Course – RCP will be hosting an Acute Care of the At-Risk Newborn (ACoRN) Course at the IWK on:

November 7^th, 2025, 1800h-2100h
November 8^th, 2025, 0800h-1700h

There are limited spaces remaining for the course. For more information and/or to register go to the RCP website.

Perinatal Care Providers; We need your help! – The Diabetes in Pregnancy Model of Care Working Group is exploring the development of a standardized, evidence-based diabetes in pregnancy model of care for NS. The group has created a short survey to assist the group to better understand the function and current state of diabetes care for perinatal care providers across the province. Your invited to complete the Diabetes in Pregnancy Obstetrical Care Provider survey to assist with gathering a broad range of insights and perspectives and ensure information from a variety of care providers is collected. Your responses to the survey questions are anonymous and it is estimated to take ~5 minutes to complete the survey. The survey is live and will remain open until October 10, 2025.

The survey is designed to support ongoing work within the Integrated Chronic Disease Management and Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease Management Network initiatives. By gathering input from clinicians across the province who provide perinatal care, we aim to:

Understand current practices, resources, and gaps in diabetes care delivery.
Identify opportunities for alignment and integration across centers to support more consistent and coordinated care.
Inform future supports, tools, and processes that will enhance diabetes management within the broader iCDM and PHC frameworks.

Thank you in advance!

Nova Scotia Prenatal Suite Introduction in Accuro – RCP has partnered with QHR Accuro to offer a free webinar to discuss the pre-built suite of Nova Scotia prenatal forms. The suite of forms is a comprehensive package that allows for minimized data entry and population of information into preconfigured note and letter templates. This suite of forms has saved care providers a minimum of 55 minutes of charting per pregnancy!

Date: October 30, 2025, 12:00-1:00 AST.

To register click here. The webinar will be recorded for future viewing.

The webinar will demonstrate how to configure and use the forms as well as their corresponding note and letter templates. In this webinar, you'll learn how to:

Create custom lab tests and results
Download and configure the pre-built suite of Prenatal Forms
Create and configure the corresponding note and letter templates
Use the forms and corresponding note/letter templates

Redesigned Public Health Resources – The Loving Care and Breastfeeding Basics resources have undergone a redesign by NSH Public Health. The updated resources are accessible to care providers and families here. A website devoted to Loving Care is currently under development and is anticipated to launch in the coming months. It will provide an interactive experience for families to engage with the content more closely and serve as a guide as their infant grows and develops.

New NS Publicly Funded RSV Immunization Programs for Infants and Older Adults – NS has expanded access to RSV protection for infants and older adults (over age 75 years of age). The program for infants under eight months of age will be offered every year during the RSV season, which typically begins in late Fall and lasts until Spring. It is anticipated that newborns will be offered their dose before being discharged from hospital, and other eligible infants will receive their dose from their primary care provider or public health. This year, the program runs from October 15 to April 30, 2025. Resources to support care provider practice have been provided below:

National Breastfeeding Week

National Breastfeeding Week is October 1-7, 2025. The 2025 theme is "Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create sustainable support systems" and emphasizes environmental sustainability and reducing inequalities in breastfeeding support. Check out the events below:

October 1, 3, & 7, 2025 - National Breastfeeding Week Virtual Speaker Series: *Join the Breastfeeding Committee for Canada for 3 days of presentations and collaborative learning. Click here for more information and to register.
October 2^nd, 2025, from 1:00 – 2:00pm (AST) - Your invited to join the World Breastfeeding Trends initiative (WBTi) launch webinar featuring Canada’s First-Ever National Assessment. To join the webinar click here.

Early Pregnancy Loss QI Survey - Midwifery researchers at McMaster University are looking to gather QI data related to early pregnancy loss across Canada. The group is interested in collaborative care and Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinics given the new SOGC guidelines recommending this model. The survey will take 2-3 minutes to complete. To participate in the survey click here.

Sign-Up for Smart Parent - The IWK Health and Nova Scotia Health Public Health have launched the SmartParent pilot program. SmartParent is a free evidence-based text messaging program that sends information to achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth, timed and tailored to the specific stage of pregnancy. We are requesting your support as our healthcare and community partners in the pilot program in sharing the details of this valuable prenatal resource with colleagues, patients, and families. Additional information is available for parents on the IWK website and for care providers on the SmartParent website. SmartParent also provides posters which can be downloaded and posted in public spaces and online. Please encourage your perinatal patients and clients to sign up for SmartParent so they can benefit from the information shared throughout this transformational time in their lives. Enrollment can be completed by texting the keyword ‘Baby’ to 12323 or by going to www.smartparent.ca and clicking

Professional/Health-related Upcoming Awareness Events/Days:

September:

World Sepsis Day — Sept. 13
World Patient Safety Day — Sept. 17
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day — Sept. 17
Rosh Hashanah begins — Sept. 22
World Heart Day — Sept. 29
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — Sept. 30
Orange Shirt Day — Sept. 30
Nephrology Nurses Week — Sept. 8–14
Environmental Services Week / International Housekeepers Week — Sept. 8–14
Child Passenger Safety Week — Sept. 14–20
Gender Equality Week — Sept. 21–27
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Month
Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month
Leukodystrophy Awareness Month
Pain Awareness Month

October:

Treaty Day — Oct. 1
Yom Kippur — Oct. 1
International Day of Older Persons/National Seniors Day — Oct. 1
World Cerebral Palsy Day — Oct. 6
Emergency Nurses Day — Oct. 8
World Mental Health Day — Oct. 10
International Day of the Girl Child — Oct. 11
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day — Oct. 15
Healthcare Security and Safety Officer Appreciation Day — Oct. 16
National Mammography Day — Oct. 17
Person's Day — Oct. 18
Diwali — Oct. 20
Pharmacy Technician Day — Oct. 21
Brain Cancer Awareness Day — Oct. 24
World Occupational Therapy Day — Oct. 27
International Orthopedic Nurses' Day — Oct. 30
National Breastfeeding Week — Oct. 1–7
Seniors Week in Nova Scotia — Oct. 1–7
Sonography Week — Oct. 3–5
Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Week — Oct. 5–11
Mental Illness Awareness Week — Oct. 5–11
Emergency Nurses Week — Oct. 5–11
Canadian Malnutrition Awareness Week — Oct. 6–10
Perinatal Nurses Week — Oct. 9–15
Medical Device Reprocessing Week — Oct. 12–18
Healthcare Security and Safety Week — Oct. 12–18
Respiratory Therapy Week — Oct. 19–25
National Infection Control Week — Oct. 20–25
Canadian Intensive Care Week — Oct. 20–26
Canadian Patient Safety Week — Oct. 27–31
Orthopedic Nurses Week — Oct. 27–31
International Brain Tumor Awareness Week — Oct. 25–Nov. 1
ADHD Awareness Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Canadian Islamic History Month
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
German Heritage Month
Healthy Workplace Month
International AAC Awareness Month
Latin American Heritage Month
Mi'kmaq History Month
Occupational Therapy Month
Women's History Month

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