HEALTH CARE IS CHANGING.
Across North America, LPNs are taking on new roles and responsibilities as part of a modern nursing care team where every member is utilized to their full scope of practice.
May 13 is LPN Day (see our ads)
In B.C., our strong independent advocacy has secured greater respect and recognition for LPNs and their role in improving the quality of patient and resident care.
But if B.C.'s LPNs are to achieve the professional independence afforded their counterparts in other provinces, provincial regulations governing their practice must change. In addition, they must be provided with the education and support needed to take on new roles and responsibilities with confidence.
In June 2011, HEU brought together 60 LPN leaders for a consultation on the evolution of LPN practice in B.C.
It's all part of the union's dialogue with LPNs about how to move the profession forward, and to help LPN members achieve their professional goals.
Coming out of that conference, the union issued a report entitled Making OUR profession stronger which is being distributed in many worksites in August.
During National Nursing Week in May, HEU distributed a discussion paper to LPNs entitled Taking our place in modern nursing care which takes on many of these issues. You can download a copies of these reports by clicking on their images to the right.
We want to hear what you think about the issues raised in this paper. Please let us know by contacting Maire Kirwan at mkirwan@heu.org
And Join the Conversation about changes to your profession by visiting this page.
Here are some other links related to National Nursing Week 2011:
- HEU's National Nursing Week 2011 poster (large file)
- HEU's National Nursing Week 2011 flyer
- Nursing Week greetings from B.C.'s Deputy Minister of Health to HEU members (May 5)
- Government statement on Nursing Week
- Nursing Week message from CUPE National President Paul Moist and Secretary-Treasurer Claude Généreux
- National Nursing Week May 9-15 on the HEU website
Here are some other links that may be of interest to LPNs:
- March 16 email on April 1 LPN wage increases in the facility subsector
- January 28 email on new training money secured from the B.C. Health Education Foundation
- Information on dealing with CLPNBC complaints process (.pdf)
Other resources and links for LPNs
- Other LPN resources including materials from last year's Nursing Week
On May 13, the Hospital Employees' Union placed a series of print and web ads to let the public know how LPNs contribute to their health care. Visit this page to see what we're telling the public about your role in delivering modern, professional nursing care.