Licensed Practical Nurses in Alberta

Licensed Practical Nurses in Alberta

• The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA) is the regulatory body for LPNs in Alberta.
• The CLPNA sets entry-to-practice requirements, establishes and enforces standards of practice, sets continuing competency requirements, and ensures public safety transparency.
• To become an LPN in Alberta, individuals must complete educational preparation, pass a registration exam, provide evidence of current practice and continuing education, and demonstrate good character and fitness to practice.
• LPNs are a self-regulated profession guided by legal acts to ensure public and patient safety.

Professional Accountability and Responsibility of LPNs

• LPNs are accountable for their nursing practice and conduct, ensuring it meets the standards of the profession.
• LPNs are responsible for possessing the knowledge to practice competently and safely.
• LPNs collaborate with clients and the healthcare team to ensure the health and public’s interests.
• LPNs conduct themselves in a manner that upholds and promotes the values and beliefs of the nursing profession.

Critical Thinking and Holism

• Critical thinking is a problem-solving process that uses intellectual standards to improve one’s thinking.
• It uses logic and reasoning to make accurate clinical judgments.
• Critical thinking encompasses observation, interpretation, analysis, evaluation, explanation, and self-regulation.
• Critical thinking requires asking questions, being well-informed, considering knowledge gained from previous experiences, thinking differently, and honestly reflecting on personal biases.
• Critical thinking skills include awareness, curiosity, creativity, and empathy.
• There are three levels of critical thinking: basic, complex, and commitment.

Basic Critical Thinking

• Basic critical thinking relies on trusting experts and following steps.

Complex Critical Thinking

• Complex critical thinking involves seeing complex alternatives and alternate solutions, and anticipating and weighing risks and benefits.

Commitment Level Critical Thinking

• Commitment-level critical thinking involves assuming responsibility and accountability, acting on knowledge and experience, and supporting actions.

Internal and External Processes of Critical Thinking

• Internal Processes: Values, Assumptions, Thinking
• External Processes: Engaging in critical questioning, writing to develop and communicate thought, reflective practice

Reflection

• Reflection is intentionally thinking back on a situation to understand its meaning.
• It involves recalling the situation and honestly reviewing everything.
• Reflection is part of the process of making clinical decisions.

Holistic Care

• Holistic care focuses on the physical, mental, and social well-being of the client.
• Holistic nursing treats the client’s mind, body, and spirit.
• Each member of the interdisciplinary team contributes to holistic care.

Psychosocial Development

• Psychosocial development focuses on mental and social well-being.
• Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development outline the developmental tasks individuals face throughout their lives.
• Each stage involves opposing conflicts that require balancing, and mastery of each stage is tested through new situations and conflicts.

Health Perception

• A person's perception of their health can impact health outcomes.
• Factors that influence a person's perception of their health include: belief in their condition’s stability or effectiveness, identification of strengths and weaknesses, and seeing themselves as a whole person or just their disease process.

Sources of Data for Assessment

• Primary Source: The Client
• Secondary Source: Family members, medical record, healthcare team, documents
• Tertiary Source: The nurse’s experience, research literature

Assessment

• Assessment includes interviewing the client, conducting a physical examination, observing the client, reviewing diagnostic and lab results, and interpreting and validating data.

History and Nursing Assessment

• Patient assessment begins similarly across all healthcare settings.
• A comprehensive history of the patient is essential, and includes biographic data, past and current history, all other health variables, and the patient’s understanding, perspective of health, needs, and care priorities.

Focused Assessment

• Assessments focus on client strengths and supports, identifying actual or potential health concerns.
• Focused assessments assess current health status, developmental and psychological variables, spiritual and sociocultural factors, and physiological factors (past history, medications and allergies, health promotion practices).

Key Theories in Development and Nursing

• Piaget's theory of cognitive development explains how assimilation and accommodation lead to adaptation.
• Kohlberg's theory of moral development states that moral and cognitive development are interrelated.
• Freud's theory of personality development suggests that empathy and support from nurses help patients adapt and cope with illness, especially when basic pleasures are altered.
• Erikson's 8 stages of development expand on Freud’s theory, encompassing eight lifespan stages and the influence of socialization.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a theory that outlines the stages of human needs: Physiological Needs > Safety Needs > Belonging Needs > Esteem Needs > Self-Actualization Needs.

Significance of Development Theories in Nursing

• Development theories help to:
  • Predict, prevent, and detect changes from patients’ expected patterns.
  • Develop and implement programs to promote well-being.
  • Provide a framework for planning nursing care.

Health Literacy

• Health literacy is the ability to access, comprehend, evaluate, and communicate information to promote, maintain, and improve health across various settings and throughout the lifespan.