registered nurse canada

Your Nursing License in Canada
Getting It and Keeping It!

A nursing license in Canada means you have permission to call yourself and nurse and work as a registered nurse or one of the other types of nursing.

It also means you have permission to use the title "nurse" and to represent yourself as a professional nurse; and it means that your education and training have been examined and that you have passed minimum benchmarks set to make sure that when you practice as a registered nurse, a psychiatric nurse or a licensed practical nurse the Canadian public will be safe in your care.


A regulatory nursing organization grants the nursing license when all the conditions for licensure are met.

The title "nurse" can only be used in the practice of nursing. A nurse cannot use the title "nurse" or "registered nurse" when engaged in non-nursing jobs.

The title "nurse" is protected through provincial nursing laws and defines who can use the title.

A nurse wants a break from direct patient care and gets a job as a pharmaceutical sales agent. She likes the work and is able to earn a good income. There is no shift work and she gets all her holidays off with her family.

Q - Can she call herself a nurse?

A - No, she cannot.

This person has found another job that she likes and is good at it, but she cannot represent herself to others as a nurse or use her nursing title designation after her name on her business cards because she is not engaged in the practice of nursing when she is selling pharmaceuticals.

Sales and marketing are not part of the legal definition of nursing and do not require nursing expertise, judgement, or skill. This job requires skills that are used in the sales and marketing field not nursing.

It is quite possible that her previous nursing experience and knowledge of pharmacology informs this person in her new job as a sales agent, but since she is not engaged in the practice of nursing she cannot call herself a nurse when she is doing this job.


What is "a license?"

...a right or permission granted by a competent authority (as of a government or a business) to engage in some business or occupation, do some act, or engage in some transaction which would be unlawful without such right or permission.
Resources for what you need to get a nursing license in the United States.

How to get a nursing license in Canada

You apply to the regulatory nursing organization in the province that you will be living in. There will be a fee associated with your application. This fee covers the cost of reviewing the credentials and evidence you submit to make sure that it meets the requirements for that province. This fee does not cover the cost of the nursing entrance test (Canadian Registered Nurse Exam).

You must provide evidence that you have:

Once these requirements are met you will be given permission to take the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam

How to keep your nursing license

Your license must be kept in good standing and you must renew it every year.

In order to renew your license you must pay the required fee and be able to prove that you have continued to maintain your competency in nursing and that you have been practising in accordance with the standards of professional nursing practice in your province.

Once you pay your annual renewal fee your nursing license will be renewed if:

  • you have worked a minimum number of hours in the previous 5 years. This generally ranges from about 1100 - 1500hrs depending on the province. Without the required number of hours to maintain competence you will be required to take an education program to update your nursing knowledge and skills. You are not required to take the nursing entrance test again. Once you have written and passed the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam you never need to take it again.

  • you have completed a practice review - some provinces require each nurse to complete a practice review on an annual basis and keep a professional portfolio indicating the results of the review against the established nursing standards of practice. In some cases a peer review is also necessary.

  • lack of complaints to the regulatory body. If there have been any complaints to the regulatory body about your practice there may be limits set on renewal of your license.

Your employer will require annual proof that your nursing license is up to date.

Interim or temporary nursing permit

An interim or temporary permit may be granted providing that all your qualifications are in order except for writing and passing the nursing entrance test for Canada (Canadian Registered Nurse Exam).

In order to obtain an interim or temporary permit to work you must have a job offer and the employer must be willing to employ you knowing that if you do not pass the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam then your interim permit will be revoked and you will not obtain your nursing license.


canadian symbol Contact information for regulatory nursing organizations in Canada

Special programs for Canadian immigration for skilled workers

An explanation of the Nursing Laws in Canada


What is a "license"

The noun license really means permission.

A nursing license means the individual has met all requirements and now has government permission to work as a nurse and use the title "nurse".

nurses hat Only a nurse has permission to do that.

All types of nursing in Canada can use the title "nurse".

Current Nursing Shortage

Some provincial health authorities have decreased the number of nursing positions because of funding shortfalls. These are some of the political nuances of nursing in Canada.

The various career sections on health authority websites still show a wide variety of positions, but many of them are not entry level.

This is most likely a temporary situation and all predictions still forcast a nursing shortage for the future.

I will be monitoring this situation over the longer term.

A Canadian visitor says:

Bev:

I have read the pages on your site, and just thought you should know, that so far your website has been the most valuable information tool I have found. It is really hard to find the right information. I have just enrolled in a diploma program, RPN, and then I would like to follow through and get my degree.

Thank you again for your time, and for the great site, I am certainly going to pass it along.

Stephanie


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Copyright© 2009
This website is a private commercial enterprise and is owned and operated by Beverly Hansen OMalley.

It is not in any way affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by the government of Canada or any nursing regulatory organization in Canada.

Listed with Canadian Culture Canada's Supportive Network and Resource Directory - Canadian People working together!


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