Alberta Cuts Nursing Jobs and to "Restructure Health Care"

Fiona59 · Nov 16, 2013

We've had lots of thoughts on this on several threads discussing AHS.

You do realize that LPNs are regulated nursing staff, don't you?

I work as an LPN and my skills are kept current just as my RN coworkers are by annual in-services and certification requirements.

Is this a school assignment?

itsmejuli · Nov 16, 2013

There's been plenty of thoughts expressed in this forum on this very topic. E

lilaclover6984 · Nov 16, 2013

"Internal documents from Alberta Health Services show the province plans to cut about 200 hospital nursing jobs according to the Alberta NDP. "The numbers don't lie. We did the numbers, NDP health critic David Eggen said Thursday. They're down significantly at the (Royal Alexandra Hospital), at the Foothills, and Olds is another place that you see a significant reduction." Eggen believes the province wants to replace registered nurses with less costly licensed practical nurses and nurses aides. "It's to reduce the bottom line, to hire people with lower qualifications and to make a pretty direct attack on registered nurses as a profession," he said. The United Nurses of Alberta union has yet to reach a contract with the province. Premier Alison Redford said the job cut numbers arent accurate. She says more nurses will be needed in future family care clinics "It's very clear that as we restructure health care that we will ask people to take on new responsibilities, Redford said. We know that we want to keep employing nurses on a full-time basis in the healthcare system and that's really important. " Health Minister Fred Horne said that Alberta Health Services is currently looking for 300 nurses." http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/leaked-ahs-documents-reveal-nursing-job-cuts-ndp-claims-1.2427408 What are some of your thoughts on this? I read some of the comments on the article's site and it's interesting.. Would you prefer to work full-time as an RN or part-time? (considering most nurses are women and have family responsibilities, burn out, etc) If NAs and LPNs are suppose to further their scope of practice doesn't this mean they would need additional training/certification? How do they get away with being unregulated? What role do you think RNs will that if this "restructuring" is successful?

Whoa !!! As an LPN, I find this SUPER offensive

loshki · Nov 16, 2013

Sorry, I'd like to apologize. No this is not an assignment I was just curious because I was planning on pursuing nursing school. I want to clarify what I asked. I was quoting Redford on her notion of "taking on new responsibilities" as in doesn't this mean that NA/LPN should be allowed further to their training in her projected change to the scope of practice? So if these changes are made then there should be more opportunities for NA/LPNs to learn and develop right? Unregulated, I meant that can they push responsibilies on NA/LPN that they never learned or were comfortable with.. I was inquiring about what role would RNs have then. Again, I apologize if my questions or statements were offensive, it wasn't my intention to do so.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2013

AB nurses knew this was coming, and that's why we've been warning people in these threads for over a year. The documents clearly indicate that nurses will be laid off. The whole re-structuring process is short sighted, and there are less jobs overall in the system. AHS is not replacing many of the retirees, either. Then, in a few more years, everyone will panic when there aren't enough nurses.

Not to mention, infectious diseases are on the rise, and I don't wonder why. Yesterday, I read an article about C diff infection rates increasing in the health care system. They've learned nothing from SARS or H1N1, either.

It's global, as well. That's the larger issue. Everyone continues to cut health care. AB is just catching up. And all health care workers are affected: RNs, LPNs, aides. If nursing would figure out a way to work together, we'd all be better off.

lilaclover6984 · Nov 16, 2013

Sorry I'd like to apologize. No this is not an assignment I was just curious because I was planning on pursuing nursing school. I want to clarify what I asked. I was quoting Redford on her notion of "taking on new responsibilities" as in doesn't this mean that NA/LPN should be allowed further to their training in her projected change to the scope of practice? So if these changes are made then there should be more opportunities for NA/LPNs to learn and develop right? Unregulated, I meant that can they push responsibilies on NA/LPN that they never learned or were comfortable with.. I was inquiring about what role would RNs have then. Again, I apologize if my questions or statements were offensive, it wasn't my intention to do so.[/quote']
Sounds like you need a little education on the role of the LPN.
LPNs most certainly are a regulated profession, while NAs are not. On my unit we ( and most in Alberta) there is very little distinction between the duties of LPN vs RN.
Anyway I'm busy and that's all that I feel the need to say right now, but maybe go job shadow an LPN at your local hospital.
I

itsmejuli · Nov 16, 2013

If your interests do lie in the medical field, take a look at the many other health professions.

If I knew then what I know now I'd have picked something besides nursing

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Nov 16, 2013

I think Redford's comment about change and new responsibilities was intended as damage control. It looks really bad for the province to be eliminating RN positions at the same time they're supposedly negotiating a new contract with the union representing those same RNs. So in essence she patted us on the heads by explaining that the plan is to have the RNs who no longer will be employed by AHS for direct patient care in facilities or home care would be offered work in those nebulous family care clinics she keeps going on about but have yet to appear on the horizon. I'm not sure what math she uses to calculate that 400 RNs will find employment in that area, nor how she figures that the laid-off RNs, all with the least amount of seniority and very likely experience, will in any way be prepared for the depth and scope of practice a family care clinic RN would by necessity provide. This simply underscores that they really have no plan beyond massaging the budget.

SurroDoula · Nov 16, 2013

If you are planning on gaining into nursing, go in with your eyes WIDE open - it's a mess now. Also consider if you want to work at the bedside or not - it's looking more and more like if that's what you want to do, go for LPN.

I am in my final year of the BScN program, and I went this route because I want to work in an area that currently only employs RNs. Now we are hearing that they are trying to phase out RNs from some of these areas. Had I known before starting school that this was going to happen, I would have done the LPN program.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2013

That's it exactly. By the time they are finished, there will probably be 1000 RNs and LPNs laid off within the private and public sectors, maybe more. If you have 3-400 total job postings, as well as all the new grads and everyone migrating between Provinces, it just doesn't add up. Many people will be facing under and unemployment.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2013

If your interests do lie in the medical field, take a look at the many other health professions.
If I knew then what I know now I'd have picked something besides nursing

I am seriously looking at physio, OT, medicine and other areas now. Nursing is not going to provide any job security or stability anywhere in the world.