On May 8, 2012, Global Edmonton Morning News interviewed Linda Stanger, Executive Director of the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta, for National Nursing Week (May 6-12).
Stanger thanked Licensed Practical Nurses and all nurses for their contribution to the health of Albertans and Canadians; described LPNs collaborative relationship with the health care team; and revealed the wide-open possibilities of the LPN profession for those considering the profession and those within considering specialization.
Hugh Pedersen, CLPNA President, with Linda Stanger, CLPNA Executive Director/Registrar
The “tipping point” is a concept first identified by Malcolm Gladwell in 2000 as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.”
For many years, we have heard about inadequate funding of the health system, serious provider shortages, our aging workforce, heavy reliance upon part-time and casual staffing, low morale and productivity, streamlining the health system, and improving the quality of health services, patient safety and access to the system. Numerous initiatives have been implemented, with some having success in improving the health system’s effectiveness and efficiency.
These initiatives and our work are set against the backdrop of the health system’s increasing lack of affordability and the fear that, at some point, we will “hit the wall.” The health system’s ever increasing costs are rapidly consuming other worthy public expenditures, particularly social programs such as education and training, personal and family supports, and community and recreation. Read on…
A recent College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta blog post (Let’s Get Some Facts Straight!) generated overwhelming response from our members, and for this we thank you. The passion and commitment within the Licensed Practical Nurse profession is boldly evident, but the ongoing frustration is also evident.
Health care is inherently interprofessional. It takes a team of providers for quality health care delivery. No single profession can or should deliver all the services required by a patient. Therefore, it makes sense to have different levels of education within providers. Think of it this way, it wouldn’t make sense to have a person educated at a PhD level providing basic nursing or starting all the intravenous lines. Different levels of education make sense; it is not a bad thing that we are different! The trouble is our differences are not valued. Read on…
posted on Friday, September 23rd, 2011 96 Responses
CLPNA speaks out on behalf of the Licensed Practical Nurse profession
Recent discussion generated by CBC Radio’s Eyeopener (Nursing Shortage; Looking for Nurses) related to nursing shortage and hiring of “lesser trained” nursing personnel showcases some major historical biases and beliefs, which are not relevant to or supportive of healthcare in Alberta.
First, it is unfair and inaccurate to refer to the LPN as a “lesser trained nurse who puts patient safety at risk”. There are three types of professional nurses in Alberta: Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Registered Nurses (RNs), and Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs). Each group has a defined scope of practice and is educated to function safely and effectively within their legislated scope. Read on…
Hugh Pedersen, CLPNA President, and Linda Stanger, CLPNA Executive Director
Collaborative practice is a goal and focus for change throughout health organizations. Today, work is underway provincially and nationally to integrate interprofessional collaboration strategies into health care education and practice. The new National Interprofessional Competency Framework (CIHC, 2010) provides a launch point for such direction by focusing on role clarification, team functioning, interprofessional conflict resolution, and collaborative leadership (see pg. 23 of CARE Fall 2011 for more details about this Framework). Health organizations across Alberta are recognizing the need for collaborative directives to guide and support teams and are committing to such practices. These discussions are not new; in fact, several research projects conducted in our province have clearly noted these components and their connection to collaborative practice (Besner et al., 2005; Cummings et al., 2011; White et al., 2009).
In recent months, CLPNA has expressed concern around a possible new staffing plan within Alberta’s new mega hospital in south Calgary. This potential model involves a move to registered nurse (RN)-health care aide (HCA) staffing, which could exclude the LPN role in this facility. CLPNA is very concerned about any model where LPNs are excluded particularly when current evidence and best practice, much of which comes from within AHS, demonstrates the value of the LPN on interprofessional teams. Read on…
The CLPNA is committed to working within a comprehensive, universal, portable, publicly-administered, and accessible health care system. We are pleased to support the Government of Alberta’s commitment to these guiding principles, which are the core of the Canada Health Act; and its commitment to sustainable public health care.
LPNs & the Alberta Health Act
The stated objective of the Alberta Health Act is to consolidate the 30 pieces of legislation and 100 regulations that currently guide the health system. LPNs are regulated by one of those pieces, the Health Professions Act (HPA), which provides for self-governance for 73% of health professionals in Alberta. Read on…
A recent College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta blog post (
Recent discussion generated by CBC Radio’s Eyeopener (
This spring, College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA) welcomed the Government of Alberta’s invitation to participate in the review of the