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RPN workforce increasing in Ontario


A picture postcard of nurses working in a hospital in 1915

Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) have made a modest come-back in Ontario hospitals, according to new  Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) data. After slipping back 1.8% in 2011, the RPN hospital workforce is up 6.3% in 2012, increasing from 13,126 to 13,954. Since 2008, the RPN hospital workforce has increased by 1,594, or 13%.

The number of RPNs working in long-term care has increased even more. Between 2008 and 2012, the LTC RPN workforce increased 2,794, or 29%.   The total LTC RPN workforce now sits at 12,502, only 1,452 less than the number working in hospitals.

 Community care has seen a slightly smaller increase than LTC, but still quite significant.  The percentage of RPNs has increased 25% to 3,705 since 2008.

 The ratio of RPN  to 100,000 population has also increased from 212 per 100,000 in 2008 to 243 in 2012.  This has moved Ontario slightly closer to the national average - increasing our ratio from 95% of the national average to 96% of the national average (which in 2012 was 253 per 100,000 population Canada-wide).

The number of male RPNs is dramatically increasing in Ontario, growing from 1,691 in 2008 to 2,417 in 2012, a 43% increase.  Male RPNs now make up 7.4% of the RPN workforce in Ontario.

The percentage of full time RPNs has also improved, increasing from 56% in 2008 to 61% in 2012. The data does not reveal how this has varied by health care sub-sector.

RPN
Ontario
Canada
Ontario
Canada
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario

Workforce

Ratio

Male RPN
Full Time
Hospital
LTC
Community
2008
27,435
74,380
212
223
1,691
15,451
12,360
9,708
2,967
2009
28,804
76,944
220
228
1,855
16,873
12,983
10,184
3,145
2010
30,423
81,224
230
238
2,016
17,636
13,373
11,164
3,418
2011
31,446
84,587
235
246
2,186
19,207
13,126
11,660
3,163
2012
32,839
88,211
243
253
2,417
20,018
13,954
12,502
3,705


The Registered Nurses (RNs) workforce has continued to increase in total, but more slowly, with the hospital and long-term care RN workforce staying pretty much the same. The number of RPNs as a percentage of RNs has increased from 29.5% to 34.8%; in hospitals, the percentage has increased from  20.7% to 23.3%.

RNs Ontario
Hospital
LTC
Total
2008
59,774
7,691
92,884
2009
60,938
7,645
94,296
2010
61,449
7,854
95,185
2011
58,699
7,888
94,723
2012
59,915
7,853
94,467



Photo: Healing at the Abbey 1915: Vintage French postcard

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  1. UnknownOctober 15, 2013 at 3:06 PM

    We have included this post in our "Around the Blog" section at looniepolitics.com.

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