Registered nurses

NOC
3012

- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses

Mainly provide professional nursing care for patients in addition to delivering health education programs. They can work in health care institutions, various organizations, and can be self-employed.

Quick facts

3-Year Outlook

Good
Good

3-Year Job Openings

1,138
 

Median Hourly Wage

$39.57
$31.00
Low
$43.25
High

Median Salary

$71,786
 

Typically Required

University

Employed

9,202
 

% Working Full Time

78%
 

% Working Full Year

75%
 
Job details

Full NOC Description

This unit group includes registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses and graduates of a nursing program who are awaiting registration (graduate nurses). They provide direct nursing care to patients, deliver health education programs and provide consultative services regarding issues relevant to the practice of nursing. They are employed in a variety of settings including hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities, rehabilitation centres, doctors' offices, clinics, community agencies, companies, private homes and public and private organizations or they may be self-employed.

Main Duties

General duty registered nurses perform some or all of the following duties:

  • Assess patients to identify appropriate nursing interventions
  • Collaborate with members of an interdisciplinary health team to plan, implement, co-ordinate and evaluate patient care in consultation with patients and their families
  • Administer medications and treatments as prescribed by a physician or according to established policies and protocols
  • Monitor, assess, address, document and report symptoms and changes in patients' conditions
  • Operate or monitor medical apparatus or equipment
  • Assist in surgery and other medical procedures
  • May supervise licensed practical nurses and other nursing staff
  • May develop and implement discharge planning process on admission of patients
  • May teach and counsel patients and their families on health-related issues in collaboration with other health care providers.
  • Registered nurses may specialize in areas such as surgery, obstetrics care, psychiatric care, critical care, pediatrics, geriatrics, community health, occupational health, emergency care, rehabilitation or oncology.
  • Occupational health nurses develop and implement employee health education programs and provide registered nursing care in private businesses and industry.
  • Community health nurses provide health education and registered nursing care in public health units and through home visits, manage complex home care cases, participate in community needs assessment and program development, conduct disease screening and deliver immunization programs.
  • Psychiatric nurses provide nursing care, supportive counselling and life skills programming to patients in psychiatric hospitals, mental health clinics, long-term care facilities and community-based settings.
  • Nursing consultants provide consultative services to institutes, associations and health care organizations regarding issues and concerns relevant to the nursing profession and nursing practice.
  • Nursing researchers engaged in research activities related to nursing are self-employed or are employed by hospitals, public and private organizations and governments.
  • Clinical nurses provide leadership, advice and counsel on the provision of research-based care for specific patient groups within the care of particular health care organizations.

Also Known As

  • clinical nurse
  • community health nurse
  • critical care nurse
  • emergency care nurse
  • intensive care nurse
  • nurse researcher
  • nursing consultant
  • occupational health nurse
  • private duty nurse
  • public health nurse
  • registered nurse (R.N.)
  • registered psychiatric nurse (R.P.N.)
Requirements

Employment Requirements

Registered nurses

  • Completion of a university, college or other approved registered nursing program is required.
  • Additional academic training or experience is required to specialize in a specific area of nursing.
  • A master's or doctoral degree in nursing is usually required for clinical nurse specialists, clinical nurses, nursing consultants and nursing researchers.
  • Registration with a regulatory body is required in all provinces and territories.

Registered psychiatric nurses

  • Completion of a university or college registered psychiatric nursing program is required.
  • Registration with a regulatory body is required in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon.

Provincial Regulation

  • Provincially Regulated: Yes
  • Compulsory: Yes
  • Red Seal: No
  • Certified Interprovincial Mobility: Yes
Employment by Sex

The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.

Data legend

94.5%
Female
5.5%
Male
Employment by age

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.

Data legend

4.9%
15-24
23.8%
25-34
21.7%
35-44
29.3%
45-54
18.3%
55-64
2.0%
65+
Employment by highest level of education

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.

Data legend

0.0%
No Certificate, Diploma or Degree
1.4%
High School, Diploma or Equivalent
1.8%
Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma
34.5%
College or University Below Bachelor Level
62.4%
University - Bachelor Level or Above
Employment by Industry

The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.

Data legend

92.8%
Health care and social assistance
2.8%
Public administration
1.6%
Retail trade
2.8%
All Other Industries
Employment by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.

Data legend

20.90%
Northeast
27.90%
Southeast
25.60%
Southwest
15.20%
Central
10.40%
Northwest
Province of New Brunswick Economic Regions

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Annual Median Salary by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the median salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Data legend

$75,317
Northeast
$75,688
Southeast
$70,874
Southwest
$67,481
Central
$67,653
Northwest
Province of New Brunswick Economic Regions

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Hourly Median Wages by Economic Regions

The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Northeast

$39.67
$34.00
Low
$42.00
High

Southeast

$39.00
$32.00
Low
$43.00
High

Southwest

$39.50
$23.24
Low
$45.00
High

Central

$39.54
$30.00
Low
$41.50
High

Northwest

$40.00
$25.05
Low
$43.25
High
Salary

This following represents the median salary of all persons employed in this occupation compared to the median salary of workers employed in this occupation that work full-time year-round.

All Workers Employed in this Occupation

$71,786

Workers Employed Full-time, Full-year

$77,975

This following represents the median salary of persons employed in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.

New Brunswick

$71,786

Newfoundland

$78,943

Prince Edward Island

$57,925

Nova Scotia

$64,856

Canada

$67,297
Employment Outlook

The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).

Three Year Outlook

Total Openings: 3-Year

1,138
 

New Jobs: 3-Year

244
 

Retirements/Deaths: 3-Year

893
 

Ten Year Outlook

Total Openings: 10-Year

3,568
 

New Jobs: 10-Year

662
 

Retirements/Deaths: 10-Year

2,904