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.
...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.
Contact information for
regulatory nursing organizations in Canada
Special programs for
Canadian immigration for skilled workers
An explanation of the
Nursing Laws in Canada
Only a nurse has permission to do that.
