Alberta LPN

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Hi Everybody! I am not new to AllNurses, although this is my first post. I will be attending Norquest College this Sept for the full time practical nursing program. I am set to graduate on the spring of 2009. I was wondering if anyone has gone to Norquest and would like to share their experiences. I am especially interested in the clinical part of it. Also, does anyone here work as an LPN in Edmonton? What do you think of it? Where do you work and how much do you get paid? I hope someone can answer all of my questions. Thanks!

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

The wages are available through any employment ad. Try looking at Capital Health's website for the latest union rate. Your total hours of nursing employment determine where you are on the pay scale.

There are good places and bad and you'll figure out which are yours during your clinicals.

Norquest is notorious for being disorganized. Just count to ten and breathe. Nearly every LPN in Edmonton was trained there and it's not as bad as people tell you.

Good Luck.

Lee Anne

5 Posts

I took my LPN thru Norquest in Edmonton about 5 years ago. I did all the course work via distance and travelled and stayed in Edmonton for clinicals. I found the clinicals were excellent and I couldnt have received better exposure. I received a job before I was finsihed the course.

Great experience, great instructors!

Good luck

Pug Lover

9 Posts

Thank you Lee Anne that is very encouraging to hear. If anyone else has any more info on this topic it would be greatly appreciated. Im so excited to start school and just want to know everything about what its going to be like!

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

So, how is school going? How is the LTC clinicals going?

Hey puglover,

I went to Norquest College. I graduated in April, 2008. I had a job before I was done school, and then got another job within a month after that job as that one was only casual. I currently work at an inner-city clinic downtown. We mainly serve the homeless and drug users. Its a fabulous place to work, and it is so much more refreshing than the hospital scene was. I get around 20 an hour I believe. As far as Norquest went, I actually didn't find I got alot out of that school.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist

NotReady4PrimeTime, RN

5 Articles; 7,358 Posts

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

I posted LPN wage and differential information from the recently negotiated AUPE collective agreement (pending ratification in August) here:https://allnurses.com/forums/f224/lpn-wage-lpn-agency-315868.html#post2952977 earlier today. That should clear up the pay question.

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

The proposed settlement is causing a huge amount of dissention within the nurses of Capital Health. Many feel that the proposed wages are tied too closely to those of a NA. That the LPNs are not being recognized as professional nurses (they among the few licensed professionals within the bargaining unit).

While the rates may look good on paper, remember UNE's start at over $23/hour currently. This is a direct slap in the face to the LPNs working along side them on the floor. A UNE has been 2-4 patients (depending on their year of education) and works pretty much to the LPN scope of practice. A fresh new grad LPN deserves to make as much a UNE and remember she has a full patient load, her own meds, etc.

We also don't regain the double time for single slash days that was taken away under the last contract (we were told that the RNs and RPNs were going to lose it as well and that NEVER happened). We don't get a nice bonus like the RNs did when they signed their contract, we get 10% as do other members within the bargaining unit.

People remember what happened in Manitoba when the LPNs bargained with UNM. They got the wages up there for the LPNs and then laid them off. So people are being "advised" to settle for what has been offered. Then we are reminded that the LPNs are very small voice in a bargaining unit made up of 80,000 members across the province. There are under 6,000 currently licensed LPNs ACROSS the province.

So, it looks like we are going to get railroaded into accepting this contract whether we agree with it or not.

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

Hey puglover,

I went to Norquest College. I graduated in April, 2008. . As far as Norquest went, I actually didn't find I got alot out of that school.

While I'm not the biggest fan of Norquest and it's structure and instructors, I really have to question your last sentence.

Do you really feel that you would be able to do your job without the education you received there? Would you have been able to walk in off the street and write CPNRE???

Nursing school wasn't a great experience for many of us but it got us where we are today.

agraiven

4 Posts

Capital Health is recruiting 600 nurses to work as LPN from the Philippines. What can you say about this?

Fiona59

8,343 Posts

I'd say get your numbers right. Capital Health does not have 600 PN vacancies.

This has been discussed before, so do a search.

What I can say is that we have seen several of the nurses from the Phillipines over the last few months and for the most part they are friendly, nice people. Having said that their skills are different. So far we've heard that skills we take for granted as nurses here in Canada belong to physicians in the Phillipines. I mean we've heard staple and suture removal-doctor, ostomy care-doctor. Our guys would laugh themselves silly if we asked them to do those jobs. One RN from the Phillippines is feared and loathed by the nurses. She's been on several orientation and reorientation courses to make her safe. Staff actually dread finding out she's working with them. I'm say that she is an unsafe nurse because of her skills NOT her nationality. It is very difficult to remove unsafe staff as CARNA will back them up to the max.

The nurses that are coming must join either the RN or LPN union to work and as union members become subject to seniority just like any other union member, so don't go trying to say they are being brought in to work in event of a strike. We are what is called "essential services" and as such are forbidden to strike. We can take job action for 72 hours and as such are legislated back to work. Capital Health found out this the hard way when they tried to tell part time LPNs they didn't get OT for their weekend off when called in. After two months of no staff and huge OT bills from the RNs, guess what, the LPN OT was back.

Capital Health is served by several unions and you can believe that these nurses are not being brought in as potential strike breakers.

edmontonain

15 Posts

Capital is not looking at hiring international nurses as strikebreakers. They went to the Philippines looking to hire nurses - RNs or LPNs. CARNA was not willing to go and assist with testing or licensing. The CLPNA was. As a result, nurses who might otherwise have been licensed as RNs were tested and if passed, were licensed as LPNs.

Also - and I am not trying to pick a fight, but I believe that it is an urban myth that LPNs in Manitoba joined the Nurses union, and as a result suffered massive layoffs. My understanding is that in Manitoba (like Nova Scotia, but unlike most Provinces) LPNs and RNs have always been, and continue to be in the same union. The start rate for LPNs in Manitoba by fall will be $2.00 higher than in Alberta - and there re no dangers of layoffs. Certainly in the 90s there were lots of layoffs - but they affected RNs and LPNs.

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