Licensed practical nurses
High opportunity occupation
Career Overview
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) provide nursing care. They may work as part of a team, taking direction from doctors or registered nurses. They can also make certain nursing decisions on their own. This group includes operating room technicians, who are LPNs with additional training.
Job Titles
Duties
Licensed practical nurses:
- Provide nursing care to stable patients
- Take vital signs
- Collect specimens
- Take steps to control infection
- Manage patient diets
- Give medication and record its effects
- Apply sterile dressings
- Provide care before and after an operation
- Check on respiratory and intravenous therapy
- Monitor patient progress
- Consult with doctors and registered nurses
Operating room technicians:
- Wash and sterilize patients’ skin to prepare them for surgery
- Prepare operating rooms by laying out instruments, setting up equipment and sterilizing instruments and equipment
- Help surgical teams with gowns and gloves
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
7,800% Employed Full Time
56%Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) may work in hospitals, long-term care homes, doctors’ offices, clinics, extended care facilities, acute care centres, community hospices or private homes. They usually work eight- to 12-hour shifts on rotation, including weekends, evenings and holidays.
LPNs can be exposed to infectious diseases, radiation and chemicals, so they must follow strict rules to prevent infection and injury. They can become fatigued from long shifts and lengthy periods of standing and walking. They may get back injuries from lifting or moving patients, although electric beds and lifts have greatly reduced this risk. They may also have to deal with violent patients.
In addition, LPNs must cope with the emotional aspects of working with the sick, injured and terminally ill, as well as with patients’ families.
Career Pathways
Some people work as health-care aides before becoming licensed practical nurses (LPNs).
Once licensed, LPNs can broaden their options through additional training and experience. Some LPNs become operating room technicians. Others specialize in areas such as emergency care, intensive care, maternity, pediatrics or community health. LPNs with experience in specialty areas may choose self-employment, offering services such as foot care, health consultation, or skin and wound care.
LPNs with the Provincial Instructor Diploma can work in colleges that teach home support, resident care attendants and practical nurses. With leadership training, LPNs may move into management roles such as director of care, site leader, shift co-ordinator or supervisor of unregulated care providers. LPNs can also study to become registered nurses.
Educational bridging programs make it easier for workers to advance to higher-level positions. Bridging allows resident care aides to take a shorter practical nursing program. Bridging also offers LPNs a one-year advanced credit for bachelor of nursing programs.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) must:
- Complete a recognized college program
- Pass the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination
- Register with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM)
Operating room technicians must also train in operating room techniques. In addition, they may need immunization certification and leadership training.
All LPNs must keep up to date with advances in medicine. This includes computer-based chart management systems and other new technologies used to diagnose and monitor patients.
LPNs who are certified for that occupation by a regulator elsewhere in Canada can apply for the same certification from the regulator in B.C. Under the terms of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), most applicants who are transferring their credentials from elsewhere in Canada will not be required to complete additional training or testing. However, the B.C. regulator may ask applicants to provide further information such as a letter of good standing, references, or criminal record check.
For those who trained outside of Canada and never received certification from any Canadian jurisdiction, a full assessment is likely needed. Most occupational regulators have a process for assessment and recognize internationally trained applicants.
Contact the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) for details on how to apply for certification in B.C. This applies whether you were trained in Canada or internationally. Internationally educated nurses must first apply to the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS) before applying for registration with the BCCNM.
For information about labour mobility in Canada, visit www.workersmobility.ca.
View a list of Professional Regulatory Authorities in B.C.
Education programs in B.C.
Top Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
7,800Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 335 | 4.3% |
| Kootenay | 310 | 4.0% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 3,940 | 50.5% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 120 | 1.5% |
| Northeast | 120 | 1.5% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 1,320 | 16.9% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 1,645 | 21.1% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
4,780Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 220 | 1.7% |
| Kootenay | 120 | 1.1% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 2,480 | 2.3% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 20 | -0.5% |
| Northeast | 40 | 0.5% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 700 | 2.3% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 1,190 | 2.4% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 4,710 |
| Retail Trade | 30 |
| Public Administration | 20 |
| Educational Services | 10 |
| Repair, Personal and Non-Profit Services | 10 |
Insights from Industry
B.C. faces a shortage of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and too few new graduates to fill the demand. As the province’s population grows and ages, this demand is increasing.
Demand is greatest in areas with many extended care and long-term care facilities and larger acute care hospitals. Specialty areas, such as emergency and pediatric wards and operating rooms, will also have high demand. LPNs with more education, like an immunization certification course or a leadership post-certificate course, tend to have especially good job prospects.
In recent years, the scope of LPNs’ duties has expanded. Their work now includes areas such as mental health, community and pharmacology studies.
Resources
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B.C. Ministry of Healthwww.gov.bc.ca/health
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BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU)www.bcnu.org
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British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM)www.bccnm.ca/Pages/Default.aspx
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Fraser Healthwww.fraserhealth.ca/
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Health Match BCwww.healthmatchbc.org/
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Interior Health – Jobsjobs.interiorhealth.ca/
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Island Healthwww.islandhealth.ca/
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Northern Health – Careerscareers.northernhealth.ca/
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Nursing Careers Canada – B.C. Jobswww.nursingcareerscanada.ca/jobs/british-columbia
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Providence Health Carewww.providencehealthcare.org
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Provincial Health Services Authoritywww.phsa.ca/
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Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)www.vch.ca/
Career Videos
Watch the video below to see what a day in the life of a licensed practical nurse is like.
Watch the video below to see what a day in the life of a licensed practical nurse is like.
