I'm not trying to stir up any issues between RNs or LPNs (I LOVE YOU ALL NURSES) and I hope no one gets offended. The hospital that I am currently working in changed their roles and responsibilities for LPNs, such as IV initiations, working with and changing PICC lines, and a whole bunch of other things. Other than higher acuity patients (in our facility there are actually LPNs in ICU) and being charge nurse, I really do not see the major difference between the two roles?
I asked an LPN on the unit if there would be pay increase for that but she said she has not heard of any. It is a huge pay difference and I think it is unfair if LPN roles are increasing. I certainly would be upset if I had added on skills but was not adequately being compensated for it.
Does this mean RNs won't be needed in the long run? Is one or the other being slowly phased out?
Are any of your facilities starting this new system as well?
Specializes in acute care med/surg, LTC, orthopedics.
Marleyna, you are asking a question which pertains more to Canadian nursing which might explain some confusion among the American posters.
You are right that the lines are becoming more and more blurred b/t the RN and RPN scope of practice in Ontario which is a bit of a catch 22. While it's beneficial that the RPNs scope is expanding to include more skills previously only performed by RNs, the wage disparity continues and has not adjusted accordingly YET. What particularly needs to happen is either the development of one provincial nursing union for all nurses or an RPN specific union (much like ONA.) Until this happens, there's not going to be much improvement in that area.
Remember that the CNO does not outline particular skill sets for nurses; practice is based on knowledge, skill and judgment, not what designation the nurse is. The question is: does the nurse have the knowledge, skill and judgment to be the appropriate care provider for this patient? The question is not: does the nurse need to be an RN or RPN to provide care to this patient? There is a marked difference.
I think the push for more equality will happen, eventually. The CNO and RPNAO have the right idea, but the strength in numbers is going to have to come from a lot more lobbying and advocating than we've seen to date, starting at the provincial government level, through OHA and all the way down to the public level.
ONA's narcissism also needs to be pegged down several notches, but how well that is achieved remains to be seen.
OttawaRPN
451 Posts
Marleyna, you are asking a question which pertains more to Canadian nursing which might explain some confusion among the American posters.
You are right that the lines are becoming more and more blurred b/t the RN and RPN scope of practice in Ontario which is a bit of a catch 22. While it's beneficial that the RPNs scope is expanding to include more skills previously only performed by RNs, the wage disparity continues and has not adjusted accordingly YET. What particularly needs to happen is either the development of one provincial nursing union for all nurses or an RPN specific union (much like ONA.) Until this happens, there's not going to be much improvement in that area.
Remember that the CNO does not outline particular skill sets for nurses; practice is based on knowledge, skill and judgment, not what designation the nurse is. The question is: does the nurse have the knowledge, skill and judgment to be the appropriate care provider for this patient? The question is not: does the nurse need to be an RN or RPN to provide care to this patient? There is a marked difference.
I think the push for more equality will happen, eventually. The CNO and RPNAO have the right idea, but the strength in numbers is going to have to come from a lot more lobbying and advocating than we've seen to date, starting at the provincial government level, through OHA and all the way down to the public level.
ONA's narcissism also needs to be pegged down several notches, but how well that is achieved remains to be seen.