National Nursing Week

2018

Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/976356

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 0 of 7

IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL NURSING WEEK, the CLPNM would like to recognize the dedication and contribution LPNs make to the health and wellness of all Manitobans. The CLPNM is the regulatory body that governs the practice of student practical nurses, graduate practical nurses, and licensed practical nurses in Manitoba. A S U P P L E M E N T T O T H E W I N N I P E G F R E E P R E S S | T H U R S D AY , M AY 3 , 2 0 1 8 | V I E W O N L I N E A T w i n n i p e g f r e e p r e s s . c o m / p u b l i c a t i o n s INNOVATORS, CAREGIVERS, EDUCATORS AND MORE CELEBRATING THE MULTITUDE OF PROFESSIONAL ROLES NURSES PLAY IN HEALTH CARE Continued on page 3 >> NATIONAL NURSING WEEK 2018 MAY 7-13, 2018 cna-aiic.ca cna-aiic.ca MANY © All rights reserved. (Sergeant Matthew McGregor, Canadian Forces Combat Camera) reproduced with the permission of DND/CAF (2018) MANY PLACES. REAL IMPACT. #YESThisIsNursing N ational Nursing Week is held each year during the week of May 12, coinciding with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is seen as the founder of the profession. For the second year, the national theme is #YESThisIsNursing, a hashtag that acknowledges the growing role of technology in nursing, as well as the wide range of roles nurses play in every area of health care, as registered nurses and nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses and registered psychiatric nurses. COLLEGE OF REGISTERED NURSES OF MANITOBA Times are changing for registered nurses, who will soon have an expanded scope of practice under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA). "We are now working towards the deadline of May 31 for implementation, so it's a very exciting time for registered nurses in Manitoba," says Katherine Stansfield, executive director of the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba. "It acknowledges the scope of knowledge and skill that registered nurses bring to their practice every day." Soon, registered nurses will become authorized prescribers in the areas of travel health, sexually transmitted diseases and diabetes. "It will take two years for that to be fully implemented. It's already underway, and there's some education that registered nurses need to take. In those three areas, they will be able to prescribe medications that are required by the individuals they care for," Stansfield says. "They will be working within a collaborative environment, but they will be able to prescribe for those patient populations on their own. It increases the accountability of registered nurses and gives them credit for their knowledge and skills." As a result, patients will benefit from improved access to care, especially if the nurse is the first person they encounter in the health-care system. "That nurse can then move forward with a plan of care so the rest of the team can benefit from the information when they come together," she says. "Registered nurses are always ultimately focused on what is best for the patient and what is the right and safe care for the patient. Within the RHPA, the focus is to create balance between access and safe, quality care." Registered nurses pursue four years of baccalaureate education, and nurse practitioners also take a master's degree program. Currently, 13,004 registered nurses and 203 nurse practitioners are registered in our province. Both groups fall under the oversight of the College. "As a regulator, we're the ones that hold nurses accountable on behalf of the public. We work together with registered nurses to achieve that mandate," Stansfield says. "They work to protect the public by providing quality nursing care and through the support and practices that we encourage at the college, the public can be very secure that the registered nurses are providing quality care." COLLEGE OF LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES OF MANITOBA Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) provide safe, competent, ethical care across the spectrum, from birth to end of life. They work in a multitude of settings, including home care, long-term care and clinical areas. LPNs can be facility managers, case co-ordinators, research assistants and much more. "The public puts trust in nurses. They impact people and their families when they are at their most vulnerable," says Jennifer Breton, executive director of the College of Licensed Practical Nurses. "All nursing groups co-ordinate the care being provided to the public, and that trust is given wholeheartedly." The path to becoming an LPN in Manitoba begins with a two-year diploma program at one of three post-secondary institutions: Assiniboine Community College, University College of the North and Université de Saint-Boniface. Internationally educated nurses have the option to take a different route. "They can be assessed by us to compare their educational competencies to the Manitoba LPN," Breton says. "We have a clinical competency assessment and we also have a bridging program called the Practical Nursing Qualification Recognition Program." For both components, the College works in partnership with Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living as well as Assiniboine Community College. "An internationally educated nurse can go through this bridging program and come out with the same competencies as a Manitoba- educated LPN. Both of those groups have to write and pass the national exam to get into the profession," Breton says. "When our internationally educated nurses write the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam, they consistently get the same scores as the Manitoba-educated, which are usually the highest success rates in the country." Manitoba has approximately 3,400 active practising LPNs. The College also regulates graduate practical nurses and student practical nurses, which adds about 200 more registrants. For advertising information, call: 204-697-7389

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of National Nursing Week - 2018