Skills allowed

[gchelak]

I am almost finished with my ADN in the US and will be moving back to Canada shortly. I am a dual citizen and last I understood, I can take the CRNE once I have passed my NCLEX in the US and the nursing board checks my papers, etc.

In the US, once you are an RN, you can do skills like: foley, NG tube, IV's etc. I talked to someone in Canada who has an RN working for them in a Dr office and said she was there and not in a hospital because she was not allowed to do some skills without certification in them - like IV insertion.

Is this right? It sounds kinda off, but Canadian rules are different just like in football!

[z's playa]

We are told we can do IVs right out of nsg school. That seems to make sense. I will look into it just in case :) So...where abouts are you going to nest? :)

Z

[fergus51]

Was she an RPN or LPN? We can do those skills as RNs fresh out of school, though some hospitals require you to complete extra tests as part of their policy

[gchelak]

my understanding is that she was an RN... I thought this sounded really weird!

I am from Calgary and my husband is already there (we built a house in Airdrie). The transfer happend when I was just about to begin nursing school so I stayed here to finish.

I have an interview with a pediatric position here and might stay a few months to get some experience then move. I have been looking at the Calgary Health Region web site for jobs and there seems to be a few... does anyone know the job prospects for new grads (new RN's) and where they should start out? I would like to eventually go to ER or day surgery or L&D.

[Fiona59]

That's the strangest thing I've ever heard. Every facilty has different skill sets. In one LTC group that I worked nobody (RN or LPN) did g tube reinsertion, the patient went to active treatment.

I do know that back in the '90's Foothills in Calgary had an IV start team, who basically started all the IV's. LPNs can take the training but most facilities don't allow them to use the skill, its an RN skill. Having said that some units have RN's who don't want to start them and usually one or two RNs on a shift do any that need them.

Foley's are required knowledge of LPN and RN as are tube feeds. NG placement and removal is required knowledge but again up to facility policy as to whether or not an LPN can perform the skill.

[gchelak]

thanks for the info- perhaps there is more to this than she told me...

[Kudra]

in the Calgary Health Region, you must be certified within the Region for certain skills (IVs, central lines, epidurals, trach care, chest tubes, etc)... so even if you were taught in school how to do/manage those things, you basically must attend a class and do a return demonstration to become certified...

for example, you start your IV certification in your general nursing orientation to the Region... there's a skills lab where you do a return demo on a dummy arm... then you must be watched by another certified nurse or the nurse educator for your unit for your first 3 pokes... once they've signed off on you, you can start IVs on your own...

things like foleys, NG tubes, etc. do not require certification on the units i've worked...

i'll pm you re: a good place to start for someone who'd like to end up in Emerg...

[gchelak]

(quote) there's a skills lab where you do a return demo on a dummy arm... then you must be watched by another certified nurse or the nurse educator for your unit for your first 3 pokes... once they've signed off on you, you can start IVs on your own...

(quote)

I think that is pretty much what they do here too- less the dummy arm since we have been doing them on real patients in clinicals. The 2 hospital groups have a one on one nurse for you for a while- and don't start you out with 5 pt right away. I am interviewing for a position in Pedi Respiratory this week and may take it (if offered) until I decide when I am going to move back. I am so tired of school- exam today...school is way harder than any job I have ever had (and I used to be a Software Engineer!)

Gail