National Occupational Classification (NOC): 31301
Fast Facts
- Average Pay: N/A
- Future Growth: N/A
- Skill Level: N/A
- Employment Size: N/A
- Unemployment: N/A
- Full-time Share: N/A
Sample Job Titles
- 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
What do 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.
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, 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 perform some or all of the following duties:
- Develop and implement employee health education programs and provide registered nursing care in private businesses and industry.
Community health nurses perform some or all of the following duties:
- 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 perform some or all of the following duties:
- 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 perform some or all of the following duties:
- 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 perform some or all of the following duties:
- Provide leadership, advice and counsel on the provision of research-based care for specific patient groups within the care of particular health care organizations.
Source: National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, Employment and Social Development Canada
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses work in the following subsectors (NAICS) in Newfoundland and Labrador:
- 622 Hospitals
- 621 Ambulatory health care services
- 623 Nursing and residential care facilities
- 911 Federal government public administration
- 561 Administrative and support services
- 912 Provincial and territorial public administration
- 624 Social assistance
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
Short and Long Term Occupational Projections
Short Term Projections for 2023-2025
The employment outlook will be very good for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador (rating of 5 out of 5) for the 2023-2025 period.
Source: Job Bank, Government of Canada
Long Term Projections for 2023-2032
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses belong to the broader occupational group 31300, 31301 (Professional occupations in nursing). This group is forecast to be tightening (rating of 3.5 out of 4) over the next several years, meaning new labour supply will be required to meet anticipated job openings.
Source: Department of Finance, Occupation Projections (Summer 2023)
Number of Job Postings in 2023
During 2023, there were 401 public job postings for this occupation, with the following distribution:
| Avalon: 30% | Western: 22% |
| Eastern: 13% | Labrador: 21% |
| Central: 11% | NL-unspecified: 2% |
Source: Lightcast (note: data used in this analysis reflects new unique monthly postings which are totaled for the calendar year)
Who works as registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador?
During the reference week of May 2021, there were approximately 5,570 people working in this occupation in Newfoundland and Labrador. 8% of those employed were Male+ and 92% of those employed were Female+.
Here is the age group breakdown for this group of workers:
| 15 to 24 | 25 to 54 | 55 to 64 | 65+ |
| 6% | 79% | 13% | 2% |
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
How much do registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses make?
Annual Earnings
The median employment income for all registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in the reference year 2020 (5,750 workers in total, including those working part-time and full-time, as well as part-year and full-year) was $85,000.
Source: Census 2021, Statistics Canada
Hourly Earnings
Salary information for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador is as follows:
| Low ($/hour) | Median ($/hour) | High ($/hour) | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $32.00 | $41.24 | $45.62 |
The following low, median, and high wages are for Canada:
| Low ($/hour) | Median ($/hour) | High ($/hour) |
| $28.00 | $40.39 | $50.00 |
Source: Job Bank, Government of Canada
Most Frequently Sought Skills from Job Postings (2023)
- Nursing
- Medication
- Administration
- Nursing Care
- Health Promotion
- Palliative Care
- Risk Analysis
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Clinical Practices
- Community Health
- Mental Health
Source: Lightcast
What training is required?
Registered Nurses:
- Completion of a university, college or other approved registered nursing program.
- Additional academic training or experience 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.
Registered Psychiatric Nurses:
- Completion of a university, college or other approved registered nursing program.
- Registration with a regulatory body is required in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon.
Source: National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, Employment and Social Development Canada
* Find public and private education, training and skills development opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador here.