Need your thoughs

globalRN · Feb 24, 2008

i think if you are interested in a bsn...why not try grant macewan rn to bsn program.

i don't know how much credit you will get for lpn courses, my guess would be not that much toward a rn/bsn program.

financiially the grant macewan program sounds good...pay community college fees for a few years before u pay university fees for the remainder. With the election, perhaps tertiary education may be more affordable and perhaps there will be special incentives for nursing students

Fiona59 · Feb 24, 2008

GMCC is graduating their last diploma RN in 2009. The course over, fini, dunzo.

The bridge was much touted and a disappointment to many PNs in Alberta. Get all the academic pre-reqs done, do a bridge for 8 months and then be accepted into year two of the BScN. No great favours for our experience.

You do realize that there is a requirement of 1200+ hours actual employment as a LPN before you can be accepted into Athabasca for their degree?

It's a good course but you need to extremely motivated to do it. But then if you survive Norquest, you can survive anything.

Perhaps you should check into what the UofA and GMCC will be offering in way of admission credits. All the academics will transfer but I doubt that Norquest's A&P will. It's not as in depth as the University level A&P. (I've done both, so I know the difference). Also the microbi and patho are different at the RN level.

Fiona59 · Feb 24, 2008

I couldn't find the edit key!

You do realize that Capital Health employs LPNs in their emergency rooms don't you?

Flipjlo_LPN_to_RNBSN · Feb 25, 2008

thanks for the info..yeah but lpn starting is 17 which is low compared to other provinces which is unbelievable living in the richest province in Canada. And the aupe isn't a great union compared to UNA that the RN's are under. If only LPNs can be under UNA. The Collecting agreement is expired this spring with aupe. One can only hope we can at least bump 17 to 23 dollars especially with the shortage of nurses is unbelievable Im still young and have time to get my degree especially if i want to do travel nursing and start 30+ bucks. I believe in the long run it is worth it. Athabasca Uni is online ..i really dunt think i can do a online . I rather be in a classroom and labs learning.

Flipjlo_LPN_to_RNBSN · Feb 25, 2008

fiona have u done the bridge?

Fiona59 · Feb 25, 2008

Well, you really don't understand much about working as a PN in Alberta. Alberta is a very anti-union province and the Conservative government has done their best to keep it that way.

Many PNs agree that AUPE is not the union for them, but it will take a legal change via the legislature to change unions. Many are in favour of HSAA. UNA appears a logical choice but there is a great level of distrust between working LPNs and UNA. CARNA speaks to us like we are poor relations and unworthy of the title of nurse. CLPNA follows behind like a little dog, protecting the public from nurses and not vice versa. United Nurses of Alberta act like they are the only nurses in the province. Have you seen their ads? The Reg. Psych Nurses Association has even complained about them.

The distrust of UNA stems back to a United Nurses of Saskatchewan union move that many older PNs recall. UNS "took" in the PNs, got them almost wage pariety with RNs and then pushed them out due to their "limited skill set". Yup, higher wages and a high level of unemployment.

I currently work to full scope as permitted within Capital Health. IV meds and starts. We are not permitted to insert ng's but that is a CH specific thing. IV push is limited to ICU, CCU, and Emerg. The only thing pushed on the floor is bolus fluids.

No, I didn't do the bridge, was accepted but decided that my age, I'd rather do stuff I was interested in rather than go back to school for the better part of four years. I've met some people who managed to get the diploma bridge and they said it was a terrible experience. My degree will be in a field other than nursing most likely in labour law.

Last year at the CLPNA convention there was a speaker from CNO. He stated that the organization sees nursing education changing dramatically in the next decade. They are actually forcasting that the PN diploma will be the entry level for nursing with all nurses requiring it before they could advance along an educational/career ladder progressing up to the PhD level. It is an interesting concept and would be one that is infinitely fairer than the current route.

Do you realize that a PN applying for Athabasca requires a letter of reference stating their hours and experience? Grade 12 graduates and second degree students don't need this.

Sorry for the rant, but if the education and work time is there I feel that a PN should be automatically admitted to the RN programme. I guess that is what Canadian Nurses is trying to bring in. All I can foresee is a load of p*ssed of BScNs.

Oh, and when you do your practicuums, don't tell everyone that you plan on doing your degree, they really aren't interested and the common opinion is that people who do this are put out that they didn't make it into the degree programme.

Your goal should be to be the best nurse of any title that you can be.

I've seen enough to know that even with a pay increase that unless working conditions change there will be no way I nurse for more than another two years. I'm tired of working short staffed, patients who think they are in a hotel and we are their slaves. I'm tired of dealing with relatives who don't think visiting hours apply to them.

linzz · Feb 25, 2008

Our bridge in Ontario is the same for the most part. I am very concerned though with all the push for all RN staffing that this will lead to a lot of casual jobs with very few full time permanent positions. As it stands now, many nurses in Ontario are waiting years for full time lines. With the possibility of an economic slowdown here, I worry that all these BScN's will graduate with a load of debt and a casual job that sort of pays the bills.