ontario rpn's

laurasc · Dec 5, 2003

I'm not an RPN but the nurse that works in the family practice office next to mine is an RPN. A lot of RPNs work in doctor's offices.

Laura

Worthy · Dec 6, 2003

Hi there! I will be graduating as an RPN in a year and a half.

I think there is a lot of confusion about what an RPN can/can't do. My father runs a hospital - yikes he's a pencil pusher - and before I went back to school, I made good and sure that I would be bettering myself (moving from an office job).

Ontario hospitals hope to increase their hiring of RPN's by over 60%, according to him. They certainly are NOT limited to LTC. However, there ARE facilities - St. Mike's in Toronto I think is one of them - that do not utilize them at all. So you will get varied opinions, depending on what part of the province you are talking about.

LTC is still the major domain of RPNs - but certainly not the only one.

I've been chastised for generalizing about this before, but my impression is that Canadian RPNs can do a lot more than US LPNs. But, that depends on where in the US you are talking about as well.

fergus51 · Dec 6, 2003

The hospital I am at now doesn't employ RPNs either. When I have worked at hospitals that employed them, it was only in geriatrics or med-surg.

JMP · Dec 7, 2003

Hospital I work at does not use RPN's. However I think there are 4 or 5 on the "waiting for placement" floor in our hospital.

Certainly if job prospects are what you want, the role of the RPN in Ontario is still limited to long term care, home care and some hospitals.

THe biggest hurdle RPN's have to face is that the standards of practice still say " stable patients with perdictable outcomes", which does not mean acute care hospitals, unless they change their approach- meaning team nursing instead of the approach they now have, which is primary care.

renunurse · Feb 23, 2004

Hi Everyone! I'm really confused about the career opportunities for rpn's in ontario. I have read that Rpn's are pretty much restricted to long term care facilities (not that there is anything wrong with them) I would appreciate feedback from working rpn's in Ontario. Thanks!!!!

The niagara region in On does use rpn's we do all forms of care hospital, long term care, clinics,we give meds,dressings,dressings the area is openning up for positions very quickly - as long as you are competitent in the field,there are lots of jobs and there will be more since the RN program has been discontinued..BSCN now , we cant have all chiefs .....

belle_izzy · Feb 24, 2004

"LTC is still the major domain of RPNs - but certainly not the only one."

Hi guys I'm new to this board and was wondering what does LTC mean? thanks :imbar

fergus51 · Feb 24, 2004

LTC=Long term care. The lovely ol' folks:)

trishapat · Apr 19, 2004

I have been an RPN in Ontario for years and have been able to work in many mnay differnet poistion. Things really are changing for the better. I have worked in Doctors offices, with Public health, nursing homes, hospitals, community nursing, insurance assesments, and in administration......currently I have been given the oppourtinity to do work in the pharmacuitical reimbursment area. So believe me we really can do it all........however keep in mind .... I have to train RN's to do reimbusment submissions and guess what they make 10 more dollars and hour than I do......and I am training THEM.....go figure!

renunurse · Apr 19, 2004

I have been an RPN in Ontario for years and have been able to work in many mnay differnet poistion. Things really are changing for the better. I have worked in Doctors offices, with Public health, nursing homes, hospitals, community nursing, insurance assesments, and in administration......currently I have been given the oppourtinity to do work in the pharmacuitical reimbursment area. So believe me we really can do it all........however keep in mind .... I have to train RN's to do reimbusment submissions and guess what they make 10 more dollars and hour than I do......and I am training THEM.....go figure!

I know I was hired to work in a clinic and the RN's were only making 16.25 per hour I said that the wage was not enough for a RPN they said the RPN's were paid 15.00/hr and I was really surprised cause the RN and RPN did exactly the same job only I am also trained in venopuncture. They would also need me to cover the Lab also....I stayed at the hospital$$$$

martysgurl · May 11, 2004

I live around the Pembroke area and RPN's can work in any hospital that i'm aware of. Arnprior , Renfrew , Pembroke, Deep River etc.

When I worked in Arnprior we had alot of the same duties as the RN. We would have the same patient number but they weren't acute care. We gave there 12pm meds and helped with doctors orders.

Make sure you look around...there are alot of openings for RPN's still.

silvermaple2rpn · May 19, 2004

Just reading quickly through the postings. I am an RPN and currently working in Long Term Care. I did work for the Ontario Mental Health Center and the only difference there was the RN's did the medication administration and the RPN's didn't do any of it, that was at the time I left. I do believe now that the RPN's take a course through the employer that will qualify them to administer as well. Personally, I find that the RPN's aren't utilized to their full potential in the LTC field, basically we do the same job as the RN only we make about $6-$10/hr less. Also wages from different employers vary greatly. In one facility I make $19+/hr and in another I make $15.36/hr. I believe the hospitals are in the $19+/hr range.