By Michelynn Touesnard, MSW

Waking up from my fourth procedure and second major surgery, I found myself medicated but still conversational. I remember pieces of my conversation with the nurse in my recovery unit, as I answered her questions and explained what I did for a living (well before all of this cancer stuff). She asked about trauma symptoms and the treatment experience, with tears in her eyes. When I said that people don’t have to suffer, they can and do get better, I remember the tears that were hanging on finally fell. Our hospital staff are burnt out. They want to provide care that the system does not currently allow. I will assume that this is causing all sorts of moral-based injuries.  

As a 43-year-old mother of four, middle class, masters educated, white woman, who has worked in healthcare for many years, I have still found it challenging to navigate a stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis in our health care system. Nova Scotia’s Quality and Patient Safety Framework (2021) aims for our province to provide health care that is safe, appropriate, people-centred, integrated, and accessible. With the risk of sounding ungrateful, though I assure you I am not, my hope is to bring attention to the gaps in care. 

In January 2023 I noticed symptoms that were concerning and went to see my doctor. I was referred to the GI clinic eventually as symptoms worsened. I was told by this clinic it would be over a year wait because I was not considered urgent. I had all the symptoms of colorectal cancer, but I was not over 50, had no family history and my bloodwork was “good.” By the time I was able to be diagnosed I was already stage 4, incurable. It took me nine months to be diagnosed, and it was not for the lack of trying. I went to emerge, I called the GI clinic in tears, I begged for someone to help me. The emerge doctor rubbed my back and told me he would send the clinic a note considering how anxious I was. I explained I had four children and two jobs; I wouldn’t have made time to be at the hospital unless I felt it was an emergency. Trusting the processes and the system after was difficult for me, and it still is if I am being honest. 

Amongst the amazing nurses and surgeons and care, I have experienced some very difficult things. 

• When I arrived to what I thought was my last day of chemotherapy I was told by my nurse that I was mistaken; I actually had three more months, they had just forgotten to tell me.
  How do you feel included in your care, when huge decisions like this are made without you? 

• I went through three oncologists within my first year of diagnosis as well as three GI surgeons.
  How do you build rapport and trust when your life is on the line, in these circumstances? 

• I had complications during a liver ablation that landed me in the Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) and at one point asked to speak to the on call doctor because of some significant things that were happening; my PICC line was touching my heart and causing it to irregularly beat, and the nurse gave me a blood thinner just hours after I had been given a coagulant because my liver was bleeding. The doctor was visibly irritated with my questions and offered me anxiety meds. I often wonder:
  How would five minutes and some compassion have felt for me? 

• That same visit I had a man with dementia who had been sexually harassing the nurses all day try to sneak behind my curtain in our ward room around 4 a.m.
  Is there a way to more appropriately consider safety concerns when assigning patients to rooms? 

• In the IMCU where the ratio is two patients per nurse, my care was top tier. But during my bowel resection surgery my roommate’s nurse left used adult diapers in the sink in our shared bathroom on two different occasions.
  Is this a result of nurses with too many patients?  

• I had a male roommate post liver surgery who screamed and yelled and threatened physical harm to me throughout the night. I watched the nurses trying to deal with him and they all would leave the room looking defeated. My husband called the nursing station as soon as he found out and requested a security guard be put outside my door. When my husband confronted my roommate and told him not to threaten me anymore, he attacked. My husband then restrained my roommate until hospital staff arrived because a security guard was not put there. After this incident, I cancelled my lung surgery that was to be at the same time as the second liver surgery, because the thoughts of having complications and needing to stay in the hospital longer seemed worse than just waiting to get the surgery in a few months. When my surgeons heard about what happened to us, one of them said, “I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often to be honest, the way they stack people in together”. When I explained this story, some friends asked:
  Why didn’t you press the button to get help?  

And I suppose it’s the same reason I didn’t write the complaints, or letters of feedback for the other issues. The system is so broken I didn’t believe there was going to be measures in place to keep me safe anyhow. The button is the metaphorical safety net of our entire healthcare system. A facade. Much like the zero tolerance posters hanging on the walls. 

My experiences in our system have, on too many occasions, not been safe, appropriate, people-centred, integrated, or accessible. When I think about myself with all of my resources and supports and how difficult all of this has been to navigate and manage, I have to ask: what is it like for people who are disempowered, who don’t work in healthcare, or who have socioeconomic barriers or language barriers?

I hope that talking about this will help people learn to advocate, question, and ask for better care. I hope healthcare workers recognize the gaps themselves, advocate for change on their end, and demand better for their patients and for themselves. 

I also hope that social workers find a role in advocating in order to promote safe, appropriate, people-centred, integrated, and accessible care, specifically by not getting caught up in the culture of apathy and instead speaking out and insisting on the need for change. The continued erosion of our healthcare system will lead people no choice but to bankrupt themselves seeking private options. We don’t need privatization; we need properly funded care that is available to everyone. We need to do better because everyone is suffering in our current system: the patients, the families, and the healthcare workers. 

Michelynn Touesnard, MSW, practiced clinical social work for families and members of the Canadian Armed Forces out of Greenwood/ Eleke’we’katik and Halifax/Kjipuktuk since 2012. The last five years had a trauma focus while being part of the Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centre team treating operational trauma injuries.  

Currently residing in Berwick with her four daughters and partner of 18 years, Michelynn has been on medical leave while going through cancer treatments; October 16, 2025, was the two-year anniversary of her cancer diagnosis. 

Members of NSCSW can now complete your 2026 registration renewal online.

Please note that we have a new Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice that will take effect on February 1, 2026. Your registration renewal process will include confirmation that you have read the new Code and Standards and agree to practice in compliance with them.

Shortcuts:

• Member login
• Professional development
• Renewal form
• Payment
• Completing renewal
• Leaving the College
• Why we renew
• Late renewals
• Early bird draw

This post explains the steps to completing the renewal process. Each step is followed by a short list of troubleshooting tips, answers to questions frequently asked by our members, and links to helpful resources.

• If you encounter a problem that cannot be fixed with the troubleshooting tips on this page, please contact the College for assistance. Our staff can assist you by phone, email, or video chat.
• If you need to visit our office in person, please email us to make an appointment so we can confirm availability; some staff members are on telework rotation, and our office will be closed for several days at the end of December.
• We aim to respond within two business days to all renewal inquiries. Please avoid leaving messages for multiple team members as it can further slow down our response. If the person you contacted can’t help you themselves, they will forward your question to the correct person on your behalf.
• RSW (Telepractice) members will need to provide proof of continued registration in good standing within your home jurisdiction, instead of providing professional development details. Please contact Wilhemina Welbeck at [email protected] if you need staff support with a telepractice renewal.

As we do every year, we strongly encourage you to consider early renewal as a gift to your future self.

1. Member login

Access your member account online.

Use one of the link buttons in this post, or visit NSCSW.org and click the registry portal link in the menu at the very top of this page, then select the option for current NSCSW members.

Enter your member registration number and password to sign into your member account.

Login tips & troubleshooting

Click or tap a question to open it and see related answers and tips.

2. Professional development inventory

Click on Professional Development in the menu, and select Activities.

Scroll down and find Add Activity. 

Use this option to enter each of your professional development activities from 2025.

Each activity should be entered separately, and should have both a category (e.g. Required Trainings) and selected subcategory/description (e.g. Ethics Training).

As you add each activity, please remember to write a brief reflection on how it will influence your future practice. 

When you’re done, choose Submit to College from the menu.

Once your minimum hours are met, the Submit button on this page should change its colour to blue – click this to continue. Click Finish when you are done. A renewal form link will then appear on the front page of your member profile.

Professional development tips & troubleshooting

Click or tap an item below to open it and see related answers and tips.

3. Complete renewal form

Complete the entire renewal form. Review all your information and confirm it’s correct.

• Have you recently changed your name?
• Do you have a new mailing address, primary email, or phone number?
• Is all your employment information up to date, and complete?
• Are you interested in volunteering for a position on Council, or a College committee?
• Are you subscribed to our mailing list to receive updates from the College, the biweekly email newsletter, and Connection magazine?
• Have you read the new Code & Standards yet?

Please make all your updates and changes before you submit the form.

Renewal form tips & troubleshooting

Click or tap an item below to open it and see related answers and tips.

4. Select payment & submit renewal form

There are three payment options:

1. To pay online, click the Pay Now box next to your registration fee(s), enter your credit card information, and click Process Payment.
2. To pay by mail, select Cheque. Your cheque payment must be received before January 15.
3. If your employer plans to submit payment directly on your behalf, select To Be Submitted By Employer. You will be able to view and print an invoice for them if it’s required for their internal procedures.
   • Employer payments to NSCSW are made by cheque, so please complete your renewal form by January 15 to prevent processing delays.

If your employer is reimbursing you for registration fees, you may choose whether you prefer online or cheque payment. After your renewal is complete you can print copies of your receipt directly from your member profile, and submit them to your employer according to their internal process.

Payment is due no later than January 31 (see Late Renewal section below).

Payment tips & troubleshooting

Click or tap an item below to open it and see related answers and tips.

5. Completing renewal

Your registration is renewed for 2026 once the College receives both your complete online renewal form and your payment of registration fees. You need to renew your registration to continue practicing social work in the new year. 

Once your registration is renewed, you can print your receipt and proof of 2026 registration (i.e. certificate or wallet card) directly from your online member account.

Leaving the College

If you will not be renewing this year, please contact Wilhemina Welbeck at [email protected] as soon possible.

If you have retired or left the province, we will only need your statement to process your resignation. However, if you have changed positions and believe you are no longer practicing within the Scope of Practice as defined by the Social Workers Act, you must apply for resignation by submitting a request and current job description to the College for review, in accordance with Social Worker Regulation 26 (a).

Why is registration renewed annually?

The annual renewal process is a core NSCSW regulatory function. It confirms to the public that our members have the ethical foundation, skills and good character to practice social work in Nova Scotia. 

Renewal is also an opportunity to reflect on your professional growth and development, and to bring to life the core social work value of integrity in professional practice. You’re recommitting to the values and standards of our profession and reflecting on your goals and commitment to lifelong learning. 

Professional social work registration is a privilege our members can take pride in.

Late renewals

If a member’s registration is not renewed by January 31, it will be suspended on February 1. The member will need to pay an additional fee to reinstate their registration.

The Social Workers Act requires that individuals who practice social work in this province must be registered with our College. If a member’s registration is suspended, this may affect their employment. 

It is each individual member’s responsibility to ensure their own registration is renewed on time. We encourage all members to consider completing their renewal as early as possible.

Early bird renewal draws

If you complete all steps for your annual registration renewal (including payment) on or before November 30, we will enter your name into a draw for a prize package. The  name of the winner will be published in our member-only biweekly newsletter in December.

(College staff and Council are not eligible for these draws.)