LPN News

The College of LPNs and HCAs of Alberta (CLHA) frequently receives questions about professional scope of practice. Through our monthly series, we will address many of these questions.

In last month’s article, we mentioned that Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) scope of practice is set by legislation and regulation and is supported by other documents. We will be going through some of these documents in this article.

Health Professions Act

The Health Professions Act (HPA), developed by the Government of Alberta, establishes a regulatory basis for LPN practice in Alberta. In Schedule 10, the HPA states that, in their practice, LPNs do one or more of the following:

• apply nursing knowledge, skills, and judgment to assess patient needs;
• provide nursing care for patients and families;
• teach, manage, and conduct research in the science, techniques, and practice of nursing; and
• provide restricted activities authorized by the regulations.

All LPN activities are required to align with one or more of these categories.

Restricted Activity Regulation and Standards

The Health Professions Restricted Activity Regulation, developed by the Government of Alberta, authorizes LPNs and other professionals to perform certain high-risk health services known as restricted activities. The restricted activities that LPNs are authorized to perform are stated in section 20.

LPNs should only perform these activities if they meet certain requirements. To perform a restricted activity, LPNs are expected to have the appropriate knowledge, skills, and competence. They also need to follow any employer requirements around performing these activities.

There may be additional education and practice requirements for performing restricted activities. These requirements are described in the Standards of Practice for LPNs on Restricted Activities, Advanced Practice, and Supervision.

More Documents

More information about skills, knowledge, and expected LPN behaviours can be found in the following key documents.

The Standards of Practice for LPNs in Canada define the legal and professional expectations of LPN practice. They are also a key component in the CLHA’s Continuing Competence Program.

The Code of Ethics for LPNs in Canada provides details about the responsibilities that LPNs uphold and the behaviours that they are expected to demonstrate.

Entry Level Competencies for LPNs describes the knowledge, skills, judgment, and attitudes that LPNs at the beginning of their careers are required to demonstrate.