[Sharon]

Where there any surprises with the results; both yours and the research results, please share one finding that you were surprised about and why?

[Melanie]

I was surprised with a few results but the one that surprised me the most was ” The RPN is regarded as an equally contributing member of the health care team.”

In my experience, during the years I worked in a hospital setting this was debatable. I felt undervalued, underappreciated and was treated more like a PSW than an RPN. The majority of the RN’s took advantage of the RPN’s, with shift assignments/patient load. We were often assigned the “problem” patients (ex: those who constantly ring the call bell, those who were high maintenance- needing full care assist, those that were fall risks etc. We were not regarded as equals. There were however, some RN’s who did value us and were happy to work alongside us.

In my current role the RPN and RN do the exact same job. We have the same responsibilities. Our caseloads are all divided equally. We are viewed equally. However, the RN’s are under the job title of Nurse Educator while the RPN’s are given the job title Nurse Case Manager.
The RN’s get the early shift 8 am- 4 pm whereas the RPN’s have to work a variety of shifts such as 9 am- 5 pm, 11 am-7 pm and 12 pm- 8 pm.
We all do the exact same job but Management differentiates us by not giving us equal opportunity with shifts, and job titles. There is also a very large gap in salary.

It seems even if your job responsibilities are the exact same, there is still wage disparity. RPN’s have been fighting for fairer compensation for years now.

I am hoping that if the public and the health care sector keep on viewing RPN’s as equally contributing members of the health care team, this will open up doors and work opportunities for RPN’s and continue to add value to our role.

[Sadie]

Hi Melanie,

Thank you for sharing your experience. That sounds really frustrating.

Reading your post, along with the course readings, has helped me better understand how differently the RPN/RN dynamic can look depending on the organization or setting. In my own experience as an RN, I have not worked somewhere where RNs and RPNs were doing exactly the same work. The roles and responsibilities were usually quite distinct.

Your post was helpful because it showed me that this is definitely not the case everywhere. It also reinforces how important it is for leaders to understand the RPN role and ensure RPNs are valued and supported.

[Marion Catherine]

No, I did not find any of the findings surprising. During my consolidation through to paid service, I found that the level of co-operation between RPNs and RNs and Management to be fairly balanced. The RPN role is ever-evolving supported not only by the research but also in lived experiences. In some cases, however, the Executive Management prefers to have an RN in positions of authority and official leadership in order to protect the facility and Management team from noncompliance with CNO & legislative authorities. Consequently, learning about the current and potential scope of RPN practice is of great value as it would provide support for leadership roles in both followership and leadership roles.

[Teresa]

Hi Marion Catherine

Awesome! This is great that you’ve had that experience. I agree, the RPN role is ever-evolving, as are the other nursing roles (RN and NP), to meet the needs of the current health care system. I also agree with you that other health care providers and leadership need to learn, in depth, the roles of the other providers you are working with. I am really glad this course exists, and that we can learn about the RPN role.

I hope you continue to have positive experiences, Marion Catherine!!

[Teresa]

I still find it worrisome and surprising that NPs, RNs and RPNs and others do not know about their role and others role in health care, as per the reading articles. I try to make it a point to find out about other disciplines, and what they can and cannot do, what they want to do. I try to work collegially with all members of the health care team, and find it frustrating (and surprising) that others do not do this also. We have one goal – patient care. Let’s work together as a team and find common ground.

[Adella]

I too am surprised by the comment “The RPN is regarded as an equally contributing member of the health care team.” I do not feel that we have been treated as equal, if this were the case then all things would be equal including not only opportunity but also in terms of pay. We often find ourselves working in similar positions as RN’s within my organization doing the same jobs but get paid a substantial about less and whenever they look to role clarity it ends up removing things that are well within our scope of practice. They also keep the RNs and RPNs in separate unions in the even that one strikes the other can take on the role.

[Rebecca]

Hi Adella.
I work with both RNs and RPNs and this is the biggest complaint we hear from our RPNs – they are doing the same work for less pay. All of the daily tasks are within both the RN and RPN scope of practice. It’s interesting your organization has tried to take away roles/responsibility to make the pay inequity make more sense. Being an RPN, how did it make you feel? Did it have the intended effect, or did it just create frustration not being able to do tasks you were capable of doing?

[Rebecca]

I was surprised by the fact that there is little/no opportunity for practicing nurses to be updated & informed regarding changes to roles. I feel this is a contributing factor adding to the continued confusion between RPN and RN roles as well as increasing the missed opportunities for optimization. Organization leaders have a role to play, yes, but nurses are working the front line and are great resources when it comes to understanding how we can enhance patient care. Learning how their roles are changing is a key piece of information in that process.

[Sadie]

I would not say I was necessarily surprised by the findings, but the research articulated many things I have observed in practice and reflected on recently. I have been mentoring and supporting a young person who is in school to become an RPN, and it has really highlighted for me how little education I received as an RN about the RPN role. The finding that stood out most to me was that about half of RPNs, and more than half of RNs, did not feel that RNs are knowledgeable about the RPN role and scope of practice.

One area that was somewhat surprising to me was the discussion around perceptions that RPNs and RNs “do the same work.” In my own experience working in long-term care and public health, the roles often felt quite different, with RNs taking on more administrative or complex care responsibilities while RPNs were more involved in direct hands-on care. However, I can see how this could vary significantly between facilities and departments.

[Author]

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