NOC 31301: Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
What registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses do
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses 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
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
- General duty registered nurses
- Assess patients to identify appropriate nursing interventions
- Collaborate with members of an interdisciplinary health team to plan, implement, coordinate 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.
- Registered 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 researchers and consultants
- Engaged in research activities related to nursing, as self-employed or as employed by hospitals, public and private organizations and governments.
- Provide consultative services to institutes, associations and health care organizations regarding issues and concerns relevant to the nursing profession and nursing practice.
- 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.
Job titles under NOC 31301
117 job titles are classified here, including clinical nurse, community health nurse, critical care nurse.
- ambulatory care nurse
- bedside nurse
- birthing room nurse
- burn patient care nurse
- burn victim care nurse
- cardiac surgery nurse
- cardiology nurse
- cardiology nurse technician
- casual duty nurse
- circulating nurse
- clinic nurse
- clinical nurse
- clinical nurse specialist
- community health nurse
- consultant nurse
- contagious disease transmission prevention nurse
- coronary intensive care nurse
- coronary unit nurse
- critical care nurse
- dialysis nurse
- doctor's office nurse
- emergency care nurse
- emergency nurse
- first aid nurse
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.
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses wages in Canada
Low, median and high hourly wages from Job Bank’s 2025 wage data. Annual figures assume full-time work (1,950 hours a year).
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Canada | $30.00/hr | $43.27/hr | $54.37/hr |
Toronto ON | $28.00/hr | $40.59/hr | $55.00/hr |
Montréal QC | $28.07/hr | $40.00/hr | $50.48/hr |
Vancouver Lower Mainland region, BC | $34.00/hr | $47.54/hr | $57.00/hr |
Calgary AB | $34.57/hr | $48.01/hr | $55.00/hr |
Edmonton AB | $30.00/hr | $46.00/hr | $53.74/hr |
Ottawa ON | $28.85/hr | $45.00/hr | $54.38/hr |
Winnipeg MB | $35.00/hr | $45.00/hr | $52.40/hr |
Québec City Quebec region, QC | $27.00/hr | $40.00/hr | $50.00/hr |
Hamilton Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula region, ON | $29.60/hr | $43.00/hr | $56.00/hr |
Kitchener-Waterloo Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, ON | $29.73/hr | $41.00/hr | $55.00/hr |
London ON | $31.40/hr | $43.27/hr | $55.00/hr |
Halifax NS | $30.00/hr | $42.00/hr | $51.00/hr |
Victoria Vancouver Island and Coast region, BC | $36.42/hr | $47.00/hr | $55.61/hr |
Saskatoon Saskatoon–Biggar region, SK | $37.80/hr | $48.00/hr | $52.00/hr |
Regina Regina–Moose Mountain region, SK | $37.00/hr | $47.27/hr | $53.49/hr |
| Where | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland and Labrador | $33.65/hr | $44.00/hr | $52.00/hr |
Nova Scotia | $30.20/hr | $41.50/hr | $50.00/hr |
New Brunswick | $31.00/hr | $44.77/hr | $49.00/hr |
Quebec | $27.00/hr | $40.00/hr | $50.00/hr |
Ontario | $29.00/hr | $42.00/hr | $55.00/hr |
Manitoba | $34.00/hr | $45.00/hr | $52.40/hr |
Saskatchewan | $38.00/hr | $47.13/hr | $52.20/hr |
Alberta | $30.00/hr | $47.50/hr | $54.49/hr |
British Columbia | $35.00/hr | $47.58/hr | $57.00/hr |
Using NOC 31301 for your resume or Express Entry profile
- IRCC asks you to make sure the main duties listed for your NOC match what you actually did at your job. If they don’t, look for another unit group whose duties do.
- Describe your own work in your own words. Recruiters and ATS software look for concrete tools, results and scope, not text copied from the NOC.
- Applying from outside Canada? Run your resume through the Canadian resume format checker to catch things Canadian employers don’t expect, like a photo or date of birth.
- Use the job title the employer’s posting uses. The 117 titles above are how the same work is named across employers.
Not in this group
Similar jobs classified under a different NOC code:
- Nurse practitioners (NOC 31302)
- Nursing coordinators and supervisors (NOC 31300)
- Nursing services manager - medical services (NOC 30010)
- Registered practical nurse (R.P.N.) (NOC 32101)
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses?
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses are NOC 2021 unit group 31301. Example job titles in this group include clinical nurse, community health nurse, critical care nurse, emergency care nurse.
What TEER is NOC 31301?
NOC 31301 is TEER 1 (University degree). Usually requires a university degree (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate), or experience from a related TEER 2 occupation. TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 work counts as skilled work experience for Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class programs.
How much do registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses earn in Canada?
Job Bank's 2025 wage data puts the median at $43.27/hr, about $84,000 a year full-time, with a range of $30.00/hr to $54.37/hr.
Related occupations
Sources: Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0; Employment and Social Development Canada, Job Bank wages (2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. OfferJetAI is not affiliated with the Government of Canada. Check IRCC’s NOC guidance before you apply.