Description
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.
Job Titles
- Bedside nurse
- Cardiology nurse technician
- Casual duty nurse
- Contagious disease transmission prevention nurse
- Critical care nurse
- Doctor’s office nurse
- Emergency nurse
- General duty nurse
- Geriatric care nurse
- Geriatric nurse
- Intensive care unit (ICU) nurse
- Liaison nurse
- Office nurse
- Operating room (OR) nurse
- Palliative care nurse
- Pediatric nurse
- Perinatal care nurse
- Physician’s office nurse
- Staff nurse
Main 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.
Workplaces
- Clinics
- Community agencies
- Companies
- Doctors’ offices
- Extended care facilities
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
- Private homes
- Public and private organizations
- Rehabilitation centres
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordinating
- Decision Making
- Instructing Learning and Teaching Strategies
Abilities
- Problem Identification
- Categorization Flexibility
- Deductive Reasoning
- Explosive Strength
- Inductive Reasoning
Personal Attributes
- Adaptability
- Attention to Detail
- Collaboration
- Concern for Others
- Service Orientation
Similar Occupations
- Nursing coordinators and supervisors (31300)
- Nurse practitioners (31302)
- Registered practical nurse (R.P.N.) (in 32101.01 Licensed practical nurses)
Source: OaSIS
Employment Outlook
The employment outlook will be Very good for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301) in Prince Edward Island for the 2025-2027 period.
The following factors contributed to this outlook:
- Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
- A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
- There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
Registered nurses and psychiatric nurses continue to face very good employment prospects in P.E.I., with shortages and high vacancy rates across hospitals, long-term care, and community health settings. The province has introduced financial incentives and recruitment programs, including the Transition to Registered Nursing in Canada (TRNC) program, which has already graduated internationally educated nurses to help fill gaps. However, recent media reports show that many new nurses are leaving the system due to workplace pressures, burnout, and heavy overtime, highlighting retention as a challenge. At the same time, the province reports gains in recruitment and continues to build collaborative care teams that expand the roles of nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses to reduce strain on workers in this occupation.
For new graduates and those seeking opportunities, this means strong job security and multiple entry points, especially in rural and community care, though adaptability and resilience are increasingly important as the system evolves to meet the needs of an aging and growing population.
Here are some key facts about Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in Prince Edward Island:
- Approximately 1,950 people work in this occupation.
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses mainly work in the following sectors:
- Hospitals (NAICS 622): 84%
- Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 7%
- The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 78% compared to 84% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 22% compared to 16% for all occupations
- 75% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses work all year, while 25% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 45 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
- Less than 5% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
- The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
- Men: 7% compared to 51% for all occupations
- Women: 93% compared to 49% for all occupations
- The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
- no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
- high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 28% for all occupations
- apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
- college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor’s: 31% compared to 25% for all occupations
- bachelor’s degree: 57% compared to 17% for all occupations
- university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 7% compared to 8% for all occupations
Source: Job Bank
Prevailing Wages
| AREA | LOW | MEDIAN | HIGH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PEI | $31.50 | $42.00 | $49.98 |
| Canada | $30.00 | $43.27 | $54.37 |
Training
There are no known training programs for this occupation in PEI. If you are aware of a local training program, please contact us.