LPN News

In September 2023, the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA) launched a registrant survey for all of the province’s Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs).
We received over 3,300 responses that shared perspectives on regulation and practice.

A better understanding of how LPNs perceive their current practice environment, and the profession in general, provides the CLPNA with insights into the factors related to fitness to practice and continuing competence, which in turn can impact the care that the public receives.

In this article, we will share some results from the registrant survey.

Who Responded to the Survey?

The LPNs who responded to the survey had similar demographic attributes to the overall LPN registrant population in Alberta. A breakdown of the demographics of respondents is below.

• The majority of those who provided data self-identified as female (93%).
• Most were employed in acute care (28%) and community care ¹
• Most had between 6-16 years of experience (45%) and worked full-time (43%).
• The average age of respondents was 42 years.

What Were the Responses to the Survey?

While analysis of the survey results is ongoing, we are pleased to share some high-level results at this time.

Most LPNs Value Regulation and Their Profession

We asked questions to capture LPN perspectives on the profession. A large portion (87%) of survey respondents indicated that LPNs serve a very/extremely integral role in Alberta’s healthcare system. In addition, 80% of survey respondents value being part of a regulated profession, and 89% feel that regulation is important to the public’s confidence in the care that LPNs provide.

The survey also asked LPNs about the level of optimism that they feel regarding the profession. This question supports better understanding of LPNs’ perceptions of their practice environments, which ultimately impacts the care they provide the public. Nearly half (47%) of LPNs who responded to the survey were highly optimistic about the future of the practical nurse profession, 32% were moderately optimistic, and 21% felt little or no optimism.

Most LPNs Understand the Role of the CLPNA

As a regulator, the CLPNA’s role is to protect the public. This is done through a number of means, including:

• setting education, registration, and renewal requirements;
• overseeing LPN compliance with relevant legislation and regulation;
• addressing professional conduct concerns;
• approving and reviewing practical nurse education programs, including diploma, refresher, and advanced practice programs; and
• administering a continuing competence program.

The majority of LPNs who responded reported that they had a good to strong level of understanding of many aspects of the CLPNA’s regulatory role. A majority (74%) of respondents were aware of the CLPNA’s role in setting education, registration, and renewal requirements, with 75% aware that the CLPNA oversees the continuing competence program.

Of note, 11% of participants reported a minimal to slight understanding of the CLPNA’s complaints process. This may be attributed to the fact that only 1% of LPNs are named in a complaint each year.

Most LPNs See the Positive Impacts of Regulatory Work

The CLPNA is committed to being accountable and understanding how our regulatory work supports safe LPN practice. To this end, we asked LPNs to provide their perspectives on our work. Overall, respondents reported that the CLPNA:

• communicates in a timely manner with registrants (79% agreed/strongly agreed);
• regulates the profession fairly (77% agreed/strongly agreed) and in a manner that protects and serves the public (82% agreed/strongly agreed);
• provides the required expertise and knowledge about the LPN profession (81% agreed/strongly agreed); and
• supports LPN practice through professional development resources, continuing competence program, and other means (nearly 80% agreed).

Continued Analysis of Survey Results

Registrants provided a wealth of data in the 2023 survey, and we received nearly 1,700 comments in addition to question responses. We continue to review these comments and perform an in-depth analysis of all the data provided, and we will share more on these results in the future.

The information that registrants shared in the 2023 survey will inform improvements to our regulatory processes. We thank everyone who shared their feedback.

^{1. Community care refers to health and personal care services provided to people of all ages in their home or in the community. This includes home care, rehabilitation, and clinic.↩}