Registered Nurse Salaries for Nursing Jobs in Canada

Registered nurse salaries are determined by labor union payscale which uses years of experience and the nursing job classification to determine your annual registered nurse salary or hourly rate.

The union negotiates for salary, benefits and working conditions of its members and collective agreements can contain language that describes the various job classifications and steps on the payscale.

The collective agreements of the various nursing labor unions determine the salaries paid to the nurses in that province.

Within the context of the collective agreement there are only two criteria that influence your individual registered nurse salary and they are:

• level of responsibility as specified by the job classification of the job you are in


• number of years of experience

All nursing jobs in Canada are by definition, jobs that require nursing knowledge and skill. Therefore the type of patient the nurse is caring for does not influence the salary.

Nurses who are providing direct care to the patient are paid on the same pay scale regardless of the setting in which they work. So if you are a registered nurse working in an extended care unit, you would be on the same nurse salary payscale as the registered nurse working in the outpatient clinic, or the intensive care unit.

Salary Increases

Nursing jobs in Canada providing patient care are considered the basic level of decision making and responsibility on the salary payscale. When a nurse has other responsibilities like clinical education, team leading, supervision, or unit administration added to the job description there is recognition that these duties require more skill, more judgement, and more responsibility, so the payscale may be a little higher.

Your salary increases when you advance to the next step on the pay scale. There may be some variations in this from province to province but in general as a registered nurse you would move to the next step on the pay scale when either of the following conditions are present:

• you advance to the next step on the payscale because of continued employment (or seniority)
• you move into another job that has a different level of responsibility and/or decision making than providing patient care.

What Determines Your Step on the Payscale?

Your registered nurse salary will be determined at the time of hiring and may be influenced by the language of the collective agreement. If you are starting your nursing job in Canada with no past experience in nursing you would be placed on step one of the salary payscale.

See the starting wage for Registered Nurse Salary

See the starting wage for Licensed Practical Nurse Salary

If you have experience as a registered nurse that is related to the job you are applying for, you may be able to start at a higher nurse salary on the pay scale essentially giving you credit for years of nursing experience that you bring to the job. Only nursing experience can be used to advance you to a higher step on the salary scale. You cannot receive credit for work experience that is not nursing.

Your Nurse Salary Might be Higher Still

Registered nurse salaries are also enhanced by other additions to the hourly wage such as:

• shift differential - for working evenings and night shifts. This can range up to as high as $3.00 per hour in some provinces for working the night shift on the weekends.


• overtime - working in excess of the allowed number of hours per day or per week will trigger overtime payments that range from time and a half to double time.


• statutory holiday pay - if you work on a statutory holiday in most cases you will receive overtime pay for the time worked.


• in charge pay- if you are assuming management responsibilities for your shift you may receive an extra amount of money per hour


• paid meal break - if there is no one to relieve you and you have to take your meal break on the unit and "be available" then you may be paid for that time at your regular hourly rate. This occurs in situations where there may be only one registered nurse on duty such as in extended care.

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More information for the payscale and financial remuneration for nursing jobs in Canada:

Registered Nurse Salaries and payroll deductions for nursing jobs in Canada

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Go back to Registered Nurse Salary Information for Nursing Jobs in Canada

Go back to Salary Information for Nursing Jobs in Canada