31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses

What this occupation covers

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.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 16 main duties for this code.

• 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.
• Develop and implement employee health education programs and provide registered nursing care in private businesses and industry.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Provide leadership, advice and counsel on the provision of research-based care for specific patient groups within the care of particular health care organizations.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 3 of its 16 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 31302 Nurse practitioners
• 31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
• 30010 Managers in health care
• 32101 Licensed practical nurses

Excluded from this code

• Nurse practitioners (See 31302 Nurse practitioners)
• Nursing coordinators and supervisors (See 31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors)
• Nursing services manager - medical services (See 30010 Managers in health care)
• Registered practical nurse (R.P.N.) (See 32101 Licensed practical nurses)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

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.