Defend Public Healthcare

A report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows that the Licensed Practical Nurse (or Registered Practical Nurse) workforce has grown rapidly since 2006 -- and much faster than the population. The trend has been especially marked in Ontario. Between 2006 and 2010, 5,061 new RPN positions were created in Ontario, increasing RPN numbers from 25,084 to 30,423.  That is a 21.3% increase. The number of RPNs  per capita also increased from 198 (per 100,000 population) to 230 (per 100,000), a 16.2% increase.  Canada-wide the increase was 15%. There is a wide discrepancy in the number of LPNs (RPNs) per capita from province to province. Ontario is close to the country-wide average (230 RPNs per 1000,000 population in 2010, compared to 238 country-wide). But in Newfoundland, the ratio is 489 per 100,000, while in BC it is 182 per 100,000 (the number declines pretty much as you move from east to west). In Ontario, full time RPN employment increased most rapidly (28.1%

The Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) sent out a letter  April 27 indicating that, although it has made considerable progress through mediation for its central hospital agreement, it would be proceeding to an interest arbitration hearing with Jane Devlin.  A hearing date was scheduled for April 30.  No word yet on when an award for the central hospital RN agreement can be expected.   OPSEU negotiations for its central paramedical hospital bargaining group broke off earlier.  It has interest arbitration dates scheduled for June 11-12.  The SEIU central hospital group will see its contract expire in October.  

The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario reports that the number of working Registered Practical Nurses across Ontario has increased from 24,428 in 2004, to 27,432 in 2008, and then to 30,442 in 2010.  That is an increase of 6,014  (or 24.6%) since 2004, and 3,010 (or 11.0%) since 2008. The RN Association also notes a significant increase in the number of RNs (6,327 since 2004 and 1,951 since 2008). But, given the greater number of RNs (93,916 in 2010), the rate of increase was less (7.4% since 2004 and 2.1% since 2008). A higher percentage of RNs were reported to work full time, however, increasing from 59% in 2004 to 65% in 2010.  RPNs also saw an increase, but it was more modest, from 53% to 57%. The total increase in nursing staff was reported as 15,248 since 2004.  By far the largest increase came, however in the period 2004-2008 --9,669 --  with only 5,579 new positions in the 2008-2010 period. There was no word in the RNAO report on the changes in nursing staff i

The regulated nursing workforce in Canada has grown by 8.5% cent in the last five years, but the number of licensed (or, in Ontario, registered) practical nurses has increased at three times the rate of registered nurses. There were 348,499 regulated nurses working in nursing in Canada in 2009, 76.4% of whom were RNs (that's 266,341), 22.1% of whom were LPNs and 1.5% of whom were Registered Psychiatric Nurses. The Canadian LPN (or, in Ontario, RPN) workforce grew to 76,944 in 2009, an increase of  18.5% since 2005.  Between 2005 and 2010, the number of RPNs employed full time in Ontario increased from 13,448 to 16, 873, a 25.5% increase.  The number of RPNs employed part-time increased from 8,748 to 9,577, an increase of 9.5%.  Another 2,357 were employed on a casual basis in 2009, but this was only a 4% increase from 2005.  The average age of a Canadian LPN was 43.4 in 2009, a decrease of nearly one year, from 44.3, in 2005. This is the only nursing profession that showed

Prince Edward Island’s new model of care will see licensed practical nurses (or 'registered practical nurses' as they are called in Ontario) and other patient care workers taking on some duties formerly performed by registered nurses.  This, of course, is also an emerging issue in Ontario. In a May letter, Linda Silas, the president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, claimed “The driving force behind these changes is budgets, not improvements to health care.” She said nurses have been shut out of the process of developing the new model which she said “represents a dramatic de-skilling of the health workforce that is both dangerous and wrong-headed.” I think it is is fair to say that RPNs, who for years have demanded that they be allowed to work to their full scope of practice, will see things differently. dallan@cupe.ca