CONTINUING COMPETENCY PROGRAM
To remain on the active practicing licensed practical nurse register, participation in the CLPNM Continuing Competence Program (CCP) is mandatory.
The Licensed Practical Nurses Act Section15 states:
The board shall establish a continuing competence program, which shall provide for supervision of the practice of licensed practical nursing by members. The program may provide for, but is not limited to,
- reviewing the professional competence of members;
- conducting audits in accordance with the Act; and
- requiring members to participate in programs for continuing competence.
Regulation 26 (1) states:
Subject to subsection (2), to satisfy the requirement of continuing competence for renewal of registration on the register of practicing licensed practical nurses, a member must have
practiced for a minimum of 1,000 hours in the four years immediately preceding the year for which renewal is sought.
Did you know that the half-life of our knowledge base in health care is estimated to be about 5 years? According to another estimate, 7% of our information becomes outdated each year. At that rate, an astounding 70% of what we know today will be out of date in just ten years. How can we remain on top of our professional practice in the face of such rapid change?
One answer is participation in the Continuing Competency Program. As professionals, we all have the responsibility to stay current. But don’t forget that the key to maintaining competence is to use your new knowledge in daily practice. Knowledge without application does nothing to advance nursing practice or optimize patient outcomes.
The expectation for ongoing competency is reflected in the CLPNM Standards of Practice and Code of Ethic which reinforces the obligation of the LPN to engage in ongoing learning to continually improve knowledge and professional skills, use an evidence based practice approach and refrain from practicing outside their level of competence.
The Continuing Competency Program is based on the philosophy that LPNs are competent and committed to lifelong learning. The Continuing Competency Program includes four main components:
- practice hours
- self-assessment tool
- learning plan/evaluation of impact of learning
- maintaining a portfolio.
The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba wants to assure members that at no time will the College be able to access your digital CCP documents. These documents are intended for your personal use.
If you have been selected for an audit, please do not put any identifying information other than your CLPNM registration number and corresponding year when submitting your CCP audit questionnaire and learning plans to the College.