LPNs only provide care within BCCNM's
scope of practice. However, there are two exceptions:
-
in life-threatening emergencies
-
where a formal
delegation process is in place
In life-threatening emergencies, LPNs are ethically obligated to provide the best care they can, given the circumstances and their individual competence. Employers and nurses should not rely on the
emergency exemption when an activity is considered an expectation of practice in a particular setting. The
emergency exemption is meant to deal with situations involving imminent risk of death or serious harm that arise unexpectedly and require urgent action.
The following activities are considered to be outside the LPN
scope of practice and LPNs
do not carry them out.
LPNs
do not:
-
Apply electricity to destroy tissue or affect the heart or nervous system (exception: automated external defibrillators)
-
Apply laser that cuts or destroys tissue
-
Administer in allergy challenge testing or desensitization treatments
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