The future of nursing. Everybody is impacted. Big discussion in SK.

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Dear nurses

I would like to introduce a new and immensely important topic for discussion. There is a big discussion going on in SK, Canada about roles of Registered nurses(RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses(LPNs). Everything started when LPNs decided to update their bylaws. Should LPNs be given new privileges and roles? Should LPNs go back to school to study more? What will be the role of RNs then? What is the benefit of having two types of nurses? Is it fair to give certain privileges to somebody who studied less than somebody who studied more to acquire those privileges?

Some people call it a turf war and hysteria, others job creep and patients safety issue. Some LPNs want their bylaws updated while others don't as it means more responsibility.

Here is an article that describes the issue.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/registered-nurses-say-proposed-changes-could-hurt-patients-1.2769608

Please share what do you think about all this? Perhaps this should be a global nursing topic but as this discussion is currently going on in SK, Canada, I started it in "Nursing in Canada" category.

you can probably find some more information here.

http://vimeo.com/channels/fromthedeskoftheed

or follow Treacy Zambory SUN ED on twitter who advocates in the favor of RNs

or follow Lynsay Nair executive director of SALPN who advocates in the favor of LPNs

Patients first , safety always!!!!

FYI: LPN in SK is an equivalent of RPN in Ontario.

RPN in SK means Registered Psiciatric Nurse

I believe that if lawyers will not have enough clients, they will drop their prices. But they just have too much work. So they did not price themselves out because they have work. Does not matter who pays? Government is still obliged to protect public safety, so they are obliged to pay as much as needed. Any profession with 4 year program, will not be cheap to hire.

I gave you links and people are talking about evidence and research there. Just follow the links. oh well maybe I will give you one link again.

Share these links with your friends. As an LPN you need to protect public safety, so listen what research says.

Some old LPNs have only 6 months of training. So if we compare LPN with 6 month of training vs diploma RN, RN will still have a big advantage.

We are not talking here about the experience. Do you want to say what only LPNs with experience should get extra privileges? NO. Every LPN even not experienced one will get those privileges once the bylaws get approved. So why are you talking about experience? Some experienced RNs give advice to new doctors. Does it mean they can do doctors duties due to their experience?

By the way if somebody has a license for a private car,once he has a lot of experience, should we allow him to drive a semi-trailer ?

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Magnoliya, I think you should give more specific information about the regulatory changes in SK such that we know what is being expanded so we all can give comment.

For those that don't know, here is a pdf of the changes in the bylaws in SK for LPN: http://www.salpn.com/images/SALPN/Ministry_of_Health/Proposed_Amendments_to_SALPN_Regulatory_Bylaws_side-by-side.pdf

In summary, a new class of LPNs with specialization (e.g. dialysis LPN) will be created and that expanded safeguard acts (i.e. controlled/restricted acts) are given with the condition that someone that can initiate the act has to be there to deal with complications.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PCVICU and peds oncology.

The proposed changes to the SALPN bylaws are necessary to ensure that those LPNs with specialized knowledge are properly regulated. I read them and nowhere in there anywhere does it say that LPNs are going to replace RNs at the bedside across the board. In fact they reiterate in several places that LPNs with specialized knowledge will remain under the supervision of another regulated health care provider. There are still a number of nursing functions that do not fall under any of the described specialized care, such as the titration of inotropes, the administration of neuromuscular blockers and general anaesthetics, initiation and discontinuation of continuous renal replacement therapy, care of a patient on extracorporeal life support, care of the patient with an external pacemaker, care of the patient with an external ventricular/lumbar drain, care of the patient on mechanical ventilation via endotracheal tube, removal of central venous catheters... there's a long list.

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Arg.

I am an LPN with specialty designation status. One, I trained side by side with RNs and wrote the same qualifying exam, the only difference? The RNs got an extra lecture, on supervisory diuties. The other? A skill that the RNs cover minimally in their in school course work, for LPNs is a self study course, a skills day with a CLPNA examiner and a written exam. I know who I would rather have do my vaccines.

Our specialty designations aren't easy or inexpensive to acquire. Nor are they something every LPN wants to acquire.

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I come to forums like this to find solutions to problems(mostly my problems). I do not have time for anything else. We collected 3000 signatures in a few days and will have our meeting soon. I think RNs in other provinces should ring the same bell very loudly!

You can tell me all you want about your education, I just now that my education is twice as long.

Now NotReady4PrimeTime. of course, you will not see in "Proposed Amendments to SALPN Regulatory Bylaws document"that LPNs are going to replace RNs. It is not a labor agreement but a regulatory Bylaws document. You are saying that "There are still a number of nursing functions that do not fall under any of the described specialized care" wait and see, this will be in the next Regulatory Bylaws document. Do not you see where it all goes? Now situation is different from the cyclical events you described in one of your posts because they want to change the DNA of nursing.

I would like to quote ED of SALPN Nair.

"Nair said LPNs are not adding new roles for themselves but simply spelling out more clearly what they already do at various locations around the province.“We're not changing practice. We're changing the bylaws,”

Please correct if I'm wrong but this is how I understand the situation.

It looks like some LPNs in different locations(various locations) unofficially do some duties. Why unofficially?- because they do it without the support of their bylaws. Now, because some LPNs performed some duties, all LPNs need to be rewarded with new privileges.

Nothing of what is going on seems to be fair or professional. It is called "privileges". RNs earned their privileges by studying longer. How it is fair that people with different education, will have about the same privileges.

Safety issue : since you fiona59 is not an RN you probably cannot see patients care from RN point of view. I cannot even begin to explain. If you go and complete your education you will understand. 2 extra years in university teach you to think differently. Just about anybody can give IV in push. However we do not give this permission to just anybody. I applaud to LPNs who do not want these additional duties- they understand responsibility.

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I can assure you that the education I have in immunization practice far exceeds that of my RN coworkers.

We are not naïve but prefer to work through our professional organizations and unions to change situations rather than rant on the internet about how unfair we think our working world is.

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did not I just said that we collected 3000 signatures and gonna have our meeting. Both SRNA and RPNAS already sent their objections to ministry of health.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Admin note:

Please keep this discussion civil. Debate the topic, not the poster. Posts have been edited.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

This is nothing more than the government wanting cheap labour. The turf war works in their favour.

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This is nothing more than the government wanting cheap labour. The turf war works in their favour.

It is the ministry of health that approached SALPN.

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That how they always do it. The govt. approaches/consults with CLPNA and low and behold our scope of practice increases. Nobody ever consults the nurses who will be affected by the changes. CLPNA just increases the scope and when we ask to be compensated they bleat "work with your unions, that's not our job".

In all honesty, since I graduated my rate of pay has doubled. My scope of practice increases on a regular basis. But getting my union to keep up with it is hard. Contracts are negotiated every 3-4 years, changes happen yearly.

Even my union has said that wages can only go so high. Healthcare is publicly funded and there is a limit to how much the taxpayer can accept.

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thank you admin for deleting some posts that have nothing to do with the topic.

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