How to become a Registered Nurse in Canada in 2025

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A registered nurse in Canada is a healthcare professional who has been trained, licensed and certified as a nurse to provide care, administer medications and maintain the standard of health of individuals in the country. To become an RN in Canada, you will have to go through some certain trainings, education and accepting due responsibilities that come with the profession. A registered nurse can practise as a nurse in the country, providing healthcare service to the people, assisting the doctor or physicians in administering care to the patients.  In this article, you will find out about the steps, the procedures, the strategies, and tips to becoming a registered nurse (RN) in Canada.

Review of Nursing Jobs in Canada

Nursing jobs in Canada are among the highly demanded jobs in Canada. It cannot however be underestimated as the country has put some measures in place to tackle the increase in needs of nurses by employing more foreign nurses who are willing to work and live in the country. If they have been able to pass the eligibility criteria and requirements, they will resume work immediately after licensing and certification in Canada.

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The major labour workforce in the healthcare profession has been retiring over the years and there are needs for new professionals into the system and this is more of the reason why the country now values training and education of new talented nurses to increase the productivity in this field. For International students and citizens, who are looking forward to being a registered nurse in the country and working after their education, the country has put in a good plan for you all. The nursing jobs pay more than other jobs in the country and come with many benefits that other jobs may not have.

Who is a Registered Nurse?

A Registered Nurse is a healthcare professional who has been trained and educated to be a healthcare professional who provides healthcare services to the people, assisting the doctors, and other healthcare personnel in providing healthcare services to their patients. A registered nurse has the ability of rational thinking, problem solving ability, clinical skills, practical skills, etc.
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The Roles and Responsibilities of Registered Nurses in Canada

Registered nurses perform the following functions in a hospital, clinic or health unit:

  1. Care and Support: A registered nurse provides care and support to the patients via carrying out an assessment,  recording their medical history, preparing their beddings, locomotive support, and also periodical monitoring of the patients’ vital signs.
  2. Administration of medications: Registered nurses  also administer drugs, medications to their patients. They record the medication, treatments and coordinate the patients treatment.
  3. Health education: They also enlighten the patients about their health, advice on safe healthcare and habits practice. They also meet with the patients or patients relatives to discuss the care plans to improve the health of  the patients.
  4.  Practical Procedures: Registered nurses perform different medical practices, procedures, which includes the preparation of patients for IV fluid medications,suturing, suctioning, and also in surgical operations.
  5. Care of minor ailment: They also assist in the treatment of minor ailments like headache, catarrh, cough, and also in dressing of wounds and suturing the wounds.
  6.  Laboratory work: A registered nurse also helps with some laboratory work, like phlebotomy,  which involves the collection of blood from test samples for a series of tests like Full blood count, Random blood sugar, etc.                                                
  7. Communication skills: You need to be able to create a good rapport between you and your employer or pateinst.
  8.  Supervision: You must be able to supervise the activities going on in the award for proper management.

How to become a registered Nurse in Canada

Becoming a Registered nurse is not  a tedious job as long as you follow the right steps and you are ready to work hard to achieve your aims. These steps include:

1. Apply for your nursing education: If you are serious about becoming a nurse in Canada, you must apply for an undergraduate nursing program now in any higher institution. To progress your admission into the university, you must have your high school or secondary school certificate and academic other documents like O’level results in core  science courses like English, mathematics, chemistry and physics. These courses are the main courses to be used as criteria to consider you for an admission into the university.  Canada immigration programs like Quebec may require you to complete a three year diploma programme in nursing to earn an associate’s certificate before registration for a bachelor degree in Nursing.

2. Get a License to work in your Province: Completing your undergraduate program in nursing is not the end of the journey, you need to secure a license to practise as a nursing practitioner in the country. And to achieve that milestone, you have to write the council board exam, which will earn you a license as an  RN in your preferred province in Canada. The following documents will be used to access your identity during exam registration, which are:

  • Language proficiency in english language or french language
  • Eligibility to register a nursing professional in the selected province.
  • Proof of identity like citizenship or permanent residence card rather than a study card visa to study in the country.
  • Police clearance reports to check your criminal record or involvement in judicial matters.

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3. Passing the National Board Exam for Nursing: The national board exam for nurses is not an ordinary exam instead it is aimed at testing the ability of the nursing student in nursing science, clinical skill competency and safety practice. The nursing exam is usually a multiple choice question and a series of practical questions. Every nursing student must write the exam and pass the exam to earn their license but if they were not able to pass in the first exam, they can still rewrite the exam in the next 45 days when they fulfill the requirements.

4. Update your resume and Cover letter: It is no longer new that you have successfully passed the nursing board exam but you need to include the new credential into your resume to increase your chance of success in the job application. Your cover letter is also important. In your cover letter, you must show that you are capable of performing absolutely well as it is described in the job description and how you will be able to do that with your qualifications, experience, and knowledge. With a good cover letter, you can have the edge over other applicants and grab the job.

5. Apply for Nursing Jobs: Nursing jobs in Canada is always an open position for every professional who is qualified and certified to practise as a nurse in the country. With a lot of new registered nurses, you can easily apply for any open nursing job vacancy in the country. Many registered nurses are very happy in the country to find their area of interest in the profession and doing their job with the most fulfilment.

What types of work do new registered nurses do? 

Registered nurses are much needed in any healthcare institutes in the country. They have so many responsibilities to bear and to always perform at their best to preserve health and promote healthcare services in Canada. Many of the Registered nurses in Canada are working in the country because of the job security, variety, responsibilities, and good salary structure. These new registered perform the following:

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  • Hospital Care: Registered nurses can work in some specialty as perioperative nurses, cardiac nurses, midwifery nurses, geriatric nurses, head of nurses, etc. They are in charge of providing absolute care and support to all the patients in the ward. They open the day with a report of activities from the previous shift, update patients’ treatment, admit them and discharge those who need to be discharged after necessary care and support is given.
  • Administrative work: Registered nurses can also do administrative work to manage the affairs of the hospital. They have earned quite a lot of experience in their training during their undergraduate or postgraduate training.  They also run other administrative duties like management of shifts, allocation of roles and responsibilities, coordinating and controlling the affairs of the hospital and its staff.
  • Education: They also provide health education to the patients; for maintaining their health, and advising them on good healthy habits. These nurses are also working in teaching hospitals, colleges of nursing and health technology to train new upcoming nurses who are looking forward to working in the country as nurses. Youwill also find them in inroles like patient educators, clinical instructors, nurse educators, etc.
  • Research: Registered nurses also participate in many research programmes especially in their postgraduate years where they have to perform different research which is based on finding solutions to most healthcare challenges. There is also a course for nurses in their postgraduate education known as ‘research nursing’. Nurses who are interested in doing some academic, clinical, social research on different health issues to provide lasting solutions. They also helped to give recommendations and useful information to the government agencies on health and health issues to solve many health challenges.