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The Yukon's licensed practical nurses (LPNs) are now able to carry out more duties and help ease the heavy workloads of registered nurses, thanks to new government regulations.
The Yukon government has updated its regulations to increase the number of medical tasks LPNs can do, such as start intravenous lines, draw blood, and conduct kidney dialysis procedures. The new regulations came into effect on Monday.
Giving LPNs the ability to perform more duties will take some of the load off registered nurses (RNs) and other medical professionals, said Karen Gilbert, chair of the territory's LPN advisory committee.
"One patient can tie up an RN for quite a while, so they're saying, 'We can't wait for you to be able to help us out and be able to do things for the other patients.' So I think they're all looking forward to it," Gilbert told CBC News on Monday.
There are about 80 licensed practical nurses working in the Yukon, with most of them currently working in home care or extended care facilities in Whitehorse.
Gilbert said more LPNs could eventually be based in rural Yukon communities, working in fields such as palliative care.
"That's something we are certainly looking at, is to go out into the communities and to be a team, work with the RNs that are out there," she said.
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