The licensed practical nurse is one of three types of legally defined nursing in Canada. The other two types of treatment are the registered nurse and registered psychiatric nurses (recognized in the four western Canadian provinces alone). Past trends, there are approximately 75,000 licensed practical nurses in Canada. When the trend of labor are examined show that the number of LPN jobs in the Canadian health care system has ups and downs over time.
This was usually in response to the labor market for registered nurse. When nurses are more abundant in the number of jobs decreases when the LPN and RN becomes more scarce this usually causes a call for licensed practical nurses. Contemporary trends in nursing shortage Canada is growing and will worsen over the next ten years, Entrance LPN
, . The demand for care increases with the aging of the population and Canada has never been able to produce enough nurses to meet demand.
Again, the forecasts are that the demand for labor increase LPN. Future trends for the first time in the history of Canada, the requirement for registered nursing practice in Canada is a grade 4 years. This means that it takes more time to produce a registered nurse and who may require more money for the work they do. The way forward vision of the role of licensed practical, Entrance LPN
, nurse will be to deal with more serious for the education and employment of the LPN in the creation of a professional nurse who has a distinct role in the health system in Canada.
Governments and employers are trying to determine the best possible use of well-educated registered nurses and define more clearly the role of the LPN. At government level there has to be careful to ensure that the best deal is used for the needs of the patient, while at the same time, protect the interests of the Canadian public. At a regulatory level, both professions must engage in professional collaboration, to clearly define their roles and responsibilities as well as those that overlap.
It 'obvious that a registered nurse educated to degree level is not the same as a physician licensed practical nurse with 1 – 2 years of vocational training. The determination of what the LPN can and can not do or should and should not do in professional nursing practice is still ongoing and varies from province to province. What is the change in the scope of nursing practice for LPN in Canada? Because health care is a provincial responsibility for the regulation of nursing practice is done through the provincial legislation.
The legislation in each province sets out what the legal definition of nursing is and what the scope of nursing practice is for each type of care. Legislation is not the same in every province and training to LPN work varies greatly so there is considerable variation across the country in the nature and scope of LPN jobs. Licensed practical nurse in British Columbia may practice nursing only under the direction or supervision of an RN or physician, Entrance LPN
, .
In Ontario and Alberta, the LPN works independently within a defined scope of nursing practice and does not need to be under control and direction of a registered nurse. in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, the LPN works under the direction. In addition, New Brunswick, the complexity of the eligible customer for the award of Registered Nursing Assistant (this is the same classification as LPN) is defined and it is expected that RNA can help the RN with more patients in the acute phase, but took no care of these patients independently.
Depending on the province and the defined scope of nursing practice, LPN jobs may be in a variety of settings including long term care, the Community, Entrance LPN
, agencies, hospitals for acute and community health centers. In all settings LPN works in partnership with other health professionals including nurses and is assigned to customers who have a limited number of variables. In all provinces where the number of variables increases and the customer's situation becomes more complex, that the client should be transferred to the care of a registered nurse.
Despite the variations in the defined scope of nursing, Entrance LPN
, practice for licensed practical nurse and the differences between the length of education, all LPN in Canada write the same test input of care – the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration examination.