‘LPNs for Change’ advocating to be recognized as nurses

A nursing group is hoping to have their voices heard at the Alberta Legislature. A petition has been started by LPNs for Change and organizers say that Auxiliary Care Nurses haven’t received the name recognition they deserve in their jobs. Currently in Alberta, Licensed Practical Nurses are not formally recognized as nurses in the province. There are over 1500 signatures signed for the online petition so far.

Ginny Wong, an LPN practicing in High River and Calgary says it’s frustrating to know that workers are doing more of the grunt work in their jobs without the acknowledgment of being called a nurse.

“This is all about the recognition and acknowledgement that we are doing the job of nurses. We are nurses. We are licensed. We are regulated by the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta. We should be recognized as nurses. That is what our group is about. We are not about the pay. We’re not about the union. That is something down the road. Right now, all we care about is that recognition. Especially the past three years. We have worked as hard as any nurses in the province and in the country or even in the world. We should be recognized for that.”

Provinces like Ontario, B.C, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia currently recognize LPNs as formal nurses.