Registration update

The technical difficulties with the online registration process also affected the AARN online registration verification services for employers, our e-mail system, and Web site. The problem arose on September 13th when our Internet service provider advised us that they were discontinuing Internet access to all its ADSL (asymmetrical digital subscriber line) clients. This type of service is common in commercial use for business and residential customers around the world and is up to 120 times faster than dial-up (phone line) service.

When our line was shut down, the AARN was among several clients who lost all online communications due to unexpected configuration problems reported by TELUS, the alternate service provider. At about the same time, TELUS reported that some of its residential Internet subscribers were experiencing intermittent disruptions of service.

Staff in information technology acted quickly and set up a temporary laptop on a dial-up connection to accommodate urgent e-mails. Members who called the AARN to report difficulties renewing on-line were provided with an alternate link to access the web and renew their licence. Our reception added a message on the phone system acknowledging that our Web site and E-mail were currently unavailable and providing the alternate Web site and e-mail addresses. Members were also encouraged to use alternate delivery methods like courier and express post to ensure their licence was renewed before it expired on September 30th.

The online renewal service was extended 24 hours and all renewal applications received online, by mail, or in person by midnight October 1st were considered to have met the deadline due to the extenuating circumstances.

Over 40 per cent of online renewals were submitted by September 1st to meet the AARN commitment to send a 2002 membership card before the expiry date of September 30 to all members who renewed their licence before September 1st. The graph shows that nearly half of those early renewals were made between August 28-31st. For more information, please call the AARN provincial office in Edmonton at 451-0043 or toll free in Alberta 1-800-252-9292 and request to speak with a registration assistant. RN

Copyright Alberta Association of Registered Nurses Nov 2001
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