June 10, 2020

Re: SALPN REGULATORY & FEE BYLAW CONSULTATION

Dear LPN.

The Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (SALPN)  is conducting a consultation related to proposed amendments to its regulatory and fee bylaws.  You or your organization is identified as a relevant stakeholder and therefore invited to provide feedback and suggestions related to the proposed amendments.

A package with the draft amendments, a side by side comparison, and other supporting documents are linked below for your review.

The bylaw consultation process had started earlier this year but was temporarily postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since that time, two amendments have been approved for review. Please refer to the information below and the link to access all amendments.

The nature and the intent or rationale of the proposed draft amendments are as follows:

Regulatory Bylaw Amendments:

1. Reporting of Registered Practice Hours in Specialized Areas of Practice and Independent Practice:  Currently, LPNs are required to report 1250 registered practice hours per five-year period. There are no requirements to report hours worked in specialized areas of practice (advanced orthopedics, hemodialysis care, peri-operative care, or independent practice). Upon meeting the educational requirements to practice in the above-referenced areas, LPNs are eligible to practice as long as they are licensed with the SALPN. This creates a potential risk to the public as LPNs may practice in those areas with little to no practice currency. The risk increases with LPNs engaged in independent practice (self-employed) where there is little to no oversight of their practice. The bylaw amendment will require the LPN to report hours worked in specialized areas of practice and within an independent practice on an annual basis. This will support the SALPN to gain insight about the hours worked, identify risks associated with the hours worked, and inform future discussions related to currency requirements.
2. Annual Reporting Requirements of Independent Practice: This amendment is of a general housekeeping nature and builds upon bylaws put into place in 2019 related to the regulation of LPNs engaged in independent practice (self-employed). The amendment clarifies LPNs are required to report the status of their independent practice on an annual basis with the addition of the word “annually” into the bylaw.
3. Physician delegation to LPNs of aesthetics and laser radiation:  The amendments outline the requirements of an LPN accepting a delegation from a physician to administer aesthetic agents or laser radiation.  The requirements are intended to mitigate associated risks to the public by imposing limitations on the circumstances to which an LPN can accept the delegation from a physician.  Additionally, the amendments will support the degree of enforceability desired by the SALPN at this time.
4. Confirmation of Regulatory Bylaws related to emergency licensure approved by the Minister of Health on April 3^rd, 2020:  The regulators of professionals who may be required to provide care throughout the Covid-19 pandemic drafted bylaws to allow for the emergency registration and licensure of inactive professionals. The SALPN Council approved draft bylaw amendments that enable the SALPN Registrar to issue licensure on an emergency basis during a state of emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic.  The bylaws were approved by the Minister and published in the Saskatchewan Gazette on April 3^rd, 2020.  As per the LPN Act, the amendments will be presented at the AGM for confirmation.
5. Removal of the reference to the Peri-Operative standards in the Regulatory Bylaws:  The SALPN Regulatory Bylaws related to the peri-operative specialized area of practice currently reference a document titled “Standards of Practice and Competencies for Perioperative Licensed Practical Nurses” dated 2010. The Canadian Council of Practical Nurse Regulators, the author of the document, recently removed its endorsement due to its age. As a result, the reference must also be removed from the SALPN Regulatory Bylaws to avoid creating a risk to the public with the use of dated standards.  LPNs practicing in the peri-operative area are responsible for practicing to the Standards of Practice for Licensed Practical Nurses in Canada. Therefore the absence of the document does not create a risk to the public.

 View Regulatory Bylaw Amendments Here

Fee Bylaw Amendments:

1. The amendment to the Fee bylaw is a 12.5% licensure fee increase, the first since 2010.

View Fee Bylaw Amendments Here

Please submit any questions you may have or feedback via e-mail to Lynsay Nair at lnair@salpn.com before to June 24, 2020.  Your assistance in fulfilling the SALPN’s mandate to protect the public through the regulation of the LPN profession in Saskatchewan is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Lynsay Nair
Executive Director
SALPN