LPNs are NURSES as defined by the HPA

From the Health Professions Act:

The term ‘nurse’ is a protected title that only an individual who is a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, or a licensed practical nurse is entitled to use. Under the HPA, anyone not legally permitted to use the term ‘nurse’ will be in violation of the law in Alberta. 

One of my clients' family members was telling me at work today that her aunt, an LPN, wasn't a "real" nurse. I told her that I was an LPN, and LPNs are real nurses; she apologized, and restated that she wasn't a "nurse nurse" [insert eye roll and forehead smack here]. Wow - talk about biting the hand that feeds. The fact is friends, when LPNs say that we are "nurses" we aren't just saying it - it is a title protected by the HPA which we are legally entitled to. It's not just marketing; it's the truth.

Also, Licensed Practical Nursing is a profession, not a trade. Not that there's anything wrong with a trade. In fact if it were a trade, we'd probably get paid more.

I know a lot of people don't know these things, and that's okay - I don't know a heck of a lot about other health professions outside of my own little nursing world. But it can be very hard not to take statements like the ones I heard today personally, even though I know that in my ignorance I may have offended other people as well without any intention of doing so. Whatever. I want to do my part and inform as many people as I can.

Please refer to the original document: Protected Titles and the HPA.

On another note - yes, I am enrolled in AU's Post-LPN Bachelor of Nursing program so am well on my way toward achieving my original goal of being an RN. My long-term goal is to be an NP :) I'm currently enrolled in NURS 250: Professional Nursing Practice, which examines the transition from LPN to RN. I started the course in October, and I plan on taking the whole 6 months to finish it - mainly because I want to ease myself back into university studies. So far my biggest challenge is being consistent with my study time. I have to find a way to "force" myself to study the way I "force" myself to exercise - haha.

I suppose one motivating factor could be that the sooner I finish my degree the sooner I won't have to worry about hearing any ignorant statements like what I heard today, at least not aimed towards me. Although I promise to always advocate for LPNs as the nurses that they are, even when I am an RN. I hope I remember that.

Upcoming Fitness Charity Events!

Hi friends! 'Tis that time of year when we think about giving to others :) I want to share 2 upcoming charity events that I will be volunteering in and highly encourage you (and your friends) to attend. These events are OPEN TO PUBLIC, and membership is NOT required.

Aerobathon for Santas Anonymous

Location:
Spa Lady - Century Park
10950 23 Ave
Edmonton, AB T6J 5E5

Time: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM. Child minding (2 hours) available.

Admission/Donation: 1 unwrapped toy. No pre-registration required. Open to public - women only, minimum age 13

This event is hosted by Spa Lady and is our annual fundraising event. It's going to be 3 hours of non-stop fitness fun! I encourage you to challenge yourself to stay for the whole 3 hours, but you don't have to. You can leave early, arrive late, or participate for a portion, take a break, and then do another portion. It doesn't matter. This event is open to all women ages 13+ (sorry guys). The Aerobathon will include Zumba (I will teach a segment), step, weights, yoga, etc. Lots of different instructors with lots of different styles :)

Fitness Classes for United Way

Location:
NAIT Activities Centre (Section "S")
Princess Elizabeth Ave & 109 Street
Edmonton, AB

Donation: $5 minimum donation. Pre-registration required, please register at E-134 or call 780 471 7713.

From December 12 - 16, various instructors at NAIT will be volunteering their classes for the United Way campaign (I will be volunteering my Zumba Express on Tuesday, December 13). These classes "extra", i.e. they are not part of the Fall II 2011 session. The schedule is as follows:

Monday & Wednesday
6:30-7:30am
Morning Jolt Bootcamp
Rosie

Monday
12:30-1:15pm
Spin Combo
Gail

Monday
4:45-5:45pm
Hula Hoop
Nicole

Tuesday
6:30-7:30am
Sunrise Yoga
Debbie

Tuesday
12:15-12:45pm
Express Cycle
Terry

Tuesday
12:15-12:45pm
Zumba Express
Timmie

Wednesday
12:15-1:00pm
Yin Yoga
Rene

Thursday
12:15-12:45pm
TRX Circuit
Gail

Thursday
12:15-1:00pm
Spin & Core
Terry

I love fitness charity events - they're win-win for everyone! If you have any questions, please contact me/leave a comment. Hope to see you there!

Awesome Abs Video

I've always been "against" training my abs with weights, but lately I'm thinking, "Why not?". They're definitely great for adding functionality (moreso with your standing side bend, etc.) and for activating more muscle groups. Or just to spice things up ;)

Zumba Love

As a Zumba instructor, I rarely have time to take a Zumba class because - as you can imagine - the bulk of my "Zumba" time is spent teaching class. So this weekend's Master Class with Ricardo and Tamara was beyond refreshing and mind-bottling fun :D I definitely came out of it with lots of choreography ideas but most importantly, I came out of it remembering why I fell in love with Zumba in the first place. I just love it, love it, love it! You're dancing hard, you're working out, you're doing choreography that is both simple yet stunning, you're whooping and cheering . . . and there is no amount of "suffering" involved.

The icing on the cake was when Tamara asked me to come up on stage with her to dance the Bollywood number! I kind of just gave her a deer in the headlights look and said, "Okay". She must have sensed my apprehension because she said, "It's Bollywood. It's easy". It was easy to follow, as promised, and fabulous, of course. I just wish I had remembered more of it - I was concentrating so hard on making sure that I was following her that I had no more "brain power" to store the choreo in my memory :P

I am very much floored by how fresh Tamara's choreography was - songs included Chicago's All That Jazz and Beauty & The Beast's Be Our Guest. Unbelievable. Ricardo of course was amazing as well - I was pretty starstruck seeing as I've been watching him on my DVD for quite a few weeks now. When Zoomer came on I just about fainted - I was like, "OMGIlearnedthisdancefromhimonDVDandnowwe'redancingittogetherinpersonOMGOMGOMG". Haha, what a dweeb. My Mom is very lucky to have trained to be an instructor under his tutelage - oh, and did I mention my Mom is now a Zumba instructor? YES!!!

There's another Master Class coming up in a couple of weeks - maybe I'll see you there? There is a ZIN Jam Session beforehand which is SOLD OUT UNFORTUNATELY... I didn't even know about it until I signed up for the Master Class... Which I didn't know about until one of my Spa Lady students told me about it at the Master Class that I just attended, WHICH I didn't know about until one of my fellow instructors at the Y emailed me. I seriously need to keep tabs on the local Zumba scene. I know I missed the Party in Pink event (didn't even know it was going on!). It's one thing to miss something because I'm legitimately unavailable, but to find out that I missed an awesome dancing/networking/fundraising event simply because I had gotten lazy... Not a nice feeling. Anyway, lesson learned. No regrets.

Zumba = FUN! Beyond fun. Zumba = Love. And that's it for today's rave ;) Time to go spend time with hubby, then go to sleep and wake up to a day of teaching Yoga and Zumba :) I love Mondays. What a great way to start the week. So 'til next time, stay healthy xoxo.