Will I get an LPN job without Care Aide experience?

OgopogoLPN, LPN, RN · Sep 30, 2010

Hey all. I'm in a bachelor of nursing program, so four years. After we finished the first year we were able to work in LTC (or other places if possible) as care aides. I decided not to and relaxed over the summer, but I do want to work as a LPN next summer (we can get an interim liscence I think). Now, what's worrying me is if I will be able to get an LPN job without CA experience from last summer. I know it depends what's happening in the area as well, but my main question is how much do they want experience when looking for LPNs and what are my chances of being able to find a job (in LTC or hospital) without that CA experience?

What province are you in? You can't just "get an LPN interim license". You have to apply, submit your education so far and see if it's accepted. Then you would have to pay for the interim license and write the CPNRE. And then pay for that license.

Anyways, you don't HAVE to have care aid experience to be hired as an LPN or RN. It would likely help though, esepcially in today's very, very tough job market. Even care aids aren't being hired in my area though (Okanagan, BC). Also, if you were hired as a care aid in a public health authority and then obtained your LPN license, you would be considered an internal employee, which again, is a huge benefit. However, in my area, there is very, very little LPN hiring and even very little RN hiring. Somewhat more than LPN or care aid, but not by a whole lot.

Everyone is hurting for jobs right now.

loriangel14, RN · Sep 30, 2010

You would have to complete an LPN program and pass the exam before you could be licensed as one.

Fiona59 · Sep 30, 2010

Why aren't you looking for work as a UNE or whatever term your province/health region uses for employed nursing students? That's what students in the BScN programmes work as.

OttawaRPN · Oct 1, 2010

I really would like to know in what province a BScN student can settle for a summer LPN job without having to do the necessary education, applying for registration and doing the provincial testing.

A nursing student working as a UCP is doable ONLY because it is unregulated. Did the original poster forget LPN/RPNs are regulated just like RNs??

Fiona59 · Oct 1, 2010

I really would like to know in what province a BScN student can settle for a summer LPN job without having to do the necessary education, applying for registration and doing the provincial testing.
A nursing student working as a UCP is doable ONLY because it is unregulated. Did the original poster forget LPN/RPNs are regulated just like RNs??

"settle" being the red flag word.

Maddi_Rose · Oct 1, 2010

What province are you in? You can't just "get an LPN interim license". You have to apply, submit your education so far and see if it's accepted. Then you would have to pay for the interim license and write the CPNRE. And then pay for that license.
Anyways, you don't HAVE to have care aid experience to be hired as an LPN or RN. It would likely help though, esepcially in today's very, very tough job market. Even care aids aren't being hired in my area though (Okanagan, BC). Also, if you were hired as a care aid in a public health authority and then obtained your LPN license, you would be considered an internal employee, which again, is a huge benefit. However, in my area, there is very, very little LPN hiring and even very little RN hiring. Somewhat more than LPN or care aid, but not by a whole lot.
Everyone is hurting for jobs right now.

I'm in the Okanagan too actually :) I may have the process mixed up, I thought that we could apply for an interim liscence and work over the summer, then write for our official liscence a bit later. Basically what you said. That sucks about the job market, thank you for the answer.

Maddi_Rose · Oct 1, 2010

Why aren't you looking for work as a UNE or whatever term your province/health region uses for employed nursing students? That's what students in the BScN programmes work as.

I have heard of those too, but only from a classmate. It's funny how the faculty hasn't mentioned anything about those opportunities, but I'll look into it.

Maddi_Rose · Oct 1, 2010

"settle" being the red flag word.

Excuse me, when did I ever say "settle"? I would be proud to work as a either a care aide or an LPN. And OttawaRPN, obviously I would have to go through whatever exams and registrations, I was asking about hiring practices. I was under the impression that it was an path we could take, but perhaps I'm wrong. Thanks for the attitude.

OttawaRPN · Oct 2, 2010

Excuse me, when did I ever say "settle"? I would be proud to work as a either a care aide or an LPN. And OttawaRPN, obviously I would have to go through whatever exams and registrations, I was asking about hiring practices. I was under the impression that it was an path we could take, but perhaps I'm wrong. Thanks for the attitude.

Sorry, but I reread your post and it really sounds like you're suggesting a BScN student could easily cinch an "interim" LPN license simply because they were a student in this program. You mentioned nothing about the educational requirement, registration process or provincial exam (although you claimed to be aware of it in a later post) but were more concerned about whether you needed health care aid experience.

Does an RN need heath care aid experience to work as an RN? No. Therefore, neither does an LPN. They simply need to be in good standing with their provincial authority in order to legally use the designation RN or LPN.

It DOES sound like you've got your acronyms mixed up and are referring to working as a UNE, which does require you to be currently enrolled in an accredited nursing program, and have sustained a certain amount of clinical hours. I've heard of these opportunities in Alberta, but there is no such beast in Ontario, from what I am aware.

Wasn't trying to sound harsh but there are so many misconceptions about LPN/RPNs in Canada, that these things do need to be nipped in the bud.

Good luck and I hope you find what you're looking for. :nurse:

Maddi_Rose · Oct 2, 2010

Sorry, but I reread your post and it really sounds like you're suggesting a BScN student could easily cinch an "interim" LPN license simply because they were a student in this program. You mentioned nothing about the educational requirement, registration process or provincial exam (although you claimed to be aware of it in a later post) but were more concerned about whether you needed health care aid experience.

I know there's a process involved, exams, registration and all that, but it wasn't a part of my question. I reread my post and I'm sorry you got that impression, but I'm the least over-entitled person you'll meet. Believe me, I hate over-entitled people. Maybe we were misinformed about working as an LPN over the summer, but I have talked with one of the admins at my school about it and I'm pretty sure we were talking about the same thing. I'm going to look into the employed student nurse thing further anyways, thanks for your answer.

Fiona59 · Oct 2, 2010

Basically, by the end of the year will you have covered maternity, peds, psych, geriatrics, acute medicine, surgery, and community care and completed a pharmacology course? Because knowledge of these areas are part of the requirements to be able to pass CPNRE (our national exam).