Appendix C -National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3233: Licensed Practical Nurses
Licensed practical nurses will usually provide nursing care. They will typically do this under the direction of medical practitioners, registered nurses or other health team members. They will often find employment in:
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Hospitals
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Nursing homes
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Extended care facilities
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Rehabilitation centres
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Doctors’ offices
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Clinics
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Community health centres and,
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Companies or private homes
It is worth highlighting that the authorities include operating room technicians in this unit group as well.
The Example Titles
Some example titles held by these individuals could include:
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Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
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Graduate nursing assistant
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Licenced Practical Nurse (LPN)
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Licensed nursing assistant
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Nursing assistant (registered – Quebec)
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Operating room technician
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Operating room technician – nursing
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Registered Nursing Assistant (RNA)
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Registered Practical Nurse (RPN)
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Surgical assistant – nursing
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Surgical nursing assistant
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Surgical technician – nursing
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Technician, operating room – nursing
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Technician, surgical – nursing
The Main Duties
The authorities require that licensed practical nurses perform all or some of the following duties such as:
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Providing nursing services, within the defined scope of practice, to patients based on patient assessment and care planning procedures
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Performing nursing interventions such as taking vital signs, applying aseptic techniques (including sterile dressing), ensuring infection control, monitoring the nutritional intake of patients and conducting specimen collection
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Administering medication and observing and documenting the therapeutic effects accordingly
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Providing pre-operative and post-operative personal and comfort care
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Monitoring established respiratory therapy and intravenous therapy
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Monitoring the progress of the patients, evaluating the effectiveness of various nursing interventions and consulting with the appropriate members of the healthcare team and,
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Providing safety and health education to individuals and to their families
Similarly, operating room technicians would need to perform some or all of the following duties:
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Preparing patients for surgery by washing, shaving and sterilising the patients’ operative areas
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Assisting in surgery by laying out the appropriate instruments, setting up the equipment, assisting surgical teams with gowns and gloves and passing instruments to surgeons and,
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Cleaning and sterilising the operating room and instruments
The Employment Requirements
The authorities require individuals in this occupation to have:
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Completed a vocational, college or other approved program for licensed practical nurses
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Registered with a regulatory body in all provinces and territories
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Completed the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination in all provinces and territories barring Quebec and,
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Completed additional academic training in operating room techniques or on-the-job training (for operating room technicians only)
Additional Information
The authorities do not require that licensed practical nurses work under the direction of a medical practitioner or registered nurse in all jurisdictions.
Classified Elsewhere
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Home health aides i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 4412 – Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
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Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates i.e. i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3413