Heres what I came up with for union: To AUPE Executive Committee Members (2013-15) Guy Smith, President Jason Heistad, Executive Secretary-Treasurer Mike Dempsey, Vice-President Erez Raz, Vice-President Carrie-Lynn Rusznak, Vice-President Glen Scott, Vice-President Susan Slade, Vice-President Karen Weiers, Vice-President LPN Request for reclassification to a separate bargaining group: Licensed Practical Nurses are health professionals regulated by the Health Professions Act (HPA). Members are accountable for practicing within professional standards and maintaining and enhancing their professional competence. CLPNA communicates standards of practice, care, and conduct directly with Licensed Practical Nurses. Professional standards and guidelines are also available as public documents. Every healthcare practitioner (LPN) is professionally responsible to ensure he/she meets or exceeds their regulatory college’s stated requirements. In 2003, CLPNA was proclaimed as a regulated health profession under the Health Professions Act (HPA). In 2006, Alberta Health and Wellness approved LPN Diploma program at post-secondary institutions around the province. In 2009, the LPN scope of Practice was updated allowing LPNs in appropriate environments to administer medications via peripheral intravenous (IV) push. Effective 2010, all graduates of Practical Nurse program achieved competence in IV initiation. These have been huge changes in scope of practice since the days of NAs and RNAs and the Canadian Health Care Guild. Classifications that may have fit at the time that AUPE assumed representation for LPNs no longer apply, and now in 2015 LPNs must be represented fairly in negotiations to ensure compensation is provided at their current level of responsibility. LPNs are required to work to their full scope of practice and their job descriptions state: The Licensed Practical Nurse works under the direction of the Registered Nurse and/or Physicians in providing nursing care up to their full scope of practice. Licensed Practical Nurses are accountable for their own actions and for ensuring they provide safe and competent care. LPNs are constantly being required to work independently, make critical nursing decisions, providing full scope care to patients while RNs are busy in charge roles and providing specialized care to individual patients. This level of responsibility is far above what auxiliary nursing LPNs were required to do in the past. More and more demands are being placed on LPNs in medication administration, including IV direct (push) and central venous device care and maintenance, as well as assessment and monitoring of patient condition, in addition to the expected personal care of patients. More and more LPNs are facing team leading responsibilities as workload increases demand. How can employers and unions justify continuing to group LPNs with unregulated, unlicensed support workers in light of these crucial changes in day to day practice of LPNs? LPNs are the only professionally licensed and government regulated workers in the AUPE GSS collective agreement group. LPNs are currently working to a scope of practice that is equivalent to the old RN two year diploma scope, yet wages and benefits are not in line with their professional designation. Compensation and benefits have not been adjusted to include this level of practice and responsibility, and LPNs are feeling unsupported by AUPE in this regard. These valuable members of the healthcare team are carrying a huge burden of responsibility and workload, and must be recognized for their professionalism and dedication to quality patient care. It is time that AUPE represented LPNs fairly, categorized LPNs separately from other support workers, and negotiated separately from other non-regulated, non-licensed support workers. I urge you to follow up with LPNs across the province to ensure that their voices are being heard, to properly advocate for and represent LPNs in all negotiations that will bring salaries and benefits to a standard that is reflective of the valuable role that LPNs play in the delivery of quality, professional care for those we serve. Local 40/7 St. Marys Hospital (Camrose) We can all put our names to it and sign here
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 20:01:24 +0000
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