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As a result of HEU’s strong, independent advocacy for LPNs, there are more of us practicing in more areas of health care than ever before in British Columbia.
By contrast, BCNU has consistently opposed greater LPN utilization and the new roles we are taking on in hospitals and long-term care homes.
Read on to learn why BCNU can’t be trusted to represent our professional interests.
BCNU blocks LPNs' ability to move into new areas of health care
Over the years, BCNU has consistently worked to limit LPN utilization as well as LPNs’ ability to take on new practice roles.
More recently, in 2009, BCNU successfully fought Fraser Health’s decision to utilize trained LPNs to help carry out immunizations in the community, leading to the layoffs of LPNs.
Then in 2010, many LPNs will recall how they publicly blasted Fraser Health’s plan to increase direct hours of care to long-term care residents by utilizing more LPNs. (Surrey North Delta Leader, September 29, 2010/The Province, September 30, 2010/Abbotsford Times, October 1, 2010 and HEU's response as published in Surrey Now)
BCNU says overlapping scopes of practice represent a dumbing down of the workforce
“In most industries, what is happening in health care today would be seen as a dumbing down of the workforce. However, somehow for health care, having overlapping scopes of practice, quote unquote, is seen to be acceptable.”
“As one person put it, when we were out of surgeons, they didn’t call for butchers. But right now in our health care system where we need registered nurses to provide complex care in our long-term cares and in the community setting that work is being tasked out and given to people with much less education.”
-BCNU president Debra McPherson’s comments to a public meeting on health care reform, November 2006 (watch the video)
Overlapping scopes of practice between RNs and LPNs are a reality. It is not a “dumbing down” of the workforce as BCNU states. It simply reflects the fact that there are many activities that are within the competencies of LPNs as well as RNs.
And most LPNs believe their profession must continue to evolve so we are able to independently carry out activities that are within our competencies.
BCNU lobbies Health Professions Council to stop LPNs from using the title “nurse”
It seems that the only time BCNU is prepared to acknowledge LPNs as nurses is when they are conducting a raid on our profession.
In fact, during the last review of LPNs’ scope of practice in 2000, they lobbied the Health Professions Council to prevent LPNs from even using the title “nurse.”
“The BCNU disagrees with the HPC’s recommendation that the title ‘nurse’ be granted to licensed practical nurses and thus shared with registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses.”
So according to the BCNU, we’re all nurses when they’re trying to raid us – but otherwise we shouldn’t even have the right to call ourselves nurses.
Don’t let BCNU put the brakes on our profession
The above examples speak volumes to what most LPNs already know – BCNU doesn’t recognize LPNs as competent, licensed professionals with our own legitimate practice aspirations.
Many recently-graduated LPNs may not know about BCNU’s long-standing opposition to the ongoing evolution of our professional practice. So please take some time to share this information with your colleagues.
Any LPN who would like to revoke a BCNU card can contact us at nothanksBCNU@heu.org and we will assist you. You can also encourage your colleagues to complete and return the revocation card we recently mailed to all LPNs.