Nursing in Canada
Encyclopedia
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
practice nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
in a wide variety of specialties.
Education
Most provinces in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
prefer any registered nurse to have at least a bachelor's degree (preferably a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is an American four year academic degree in the science and principles of nursing, granted by a tertiary education university or similarly accredited school...
, BScN), although Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
grants RN status to graduates from CEGEP
Cégep
CEGEP is an acronym for , which is literally translated as "College of General and Vocational Education" but commonly called "General and Vocational College" in circles not influenced by Quebec English. It refers to the public post-secondary education collegiate institutions exclusive to the...
. Many practising nurses are still college graduates, but those entering nursing now are required or encouraged to enter at the university level.
Types of nurses
- Registered nurseRegistered nurseA registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
(RN). - Licensed practical nurseLicensed Practical NurseLicensed practical nurse is the term used in much of the United States and most Canadian provinces to refer to a nurse who cares for "people who are sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled under the direction of registered nurses and physicians. The term licensed vocational nurses is used in...
(LPN) or licensed vocational nurse (LVN), known as registered practical nurse (RPN) in OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. - Registered psychiatric nurse (RPN) - are licensed to practice only in British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, SaskatchewanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, and the territories.
Legal regulation
The profession of nursing is regulated at the provincial and territorial level in keeping with the principles of professional regulation endorsed by the International Council of NursesInternational Council of Nurses
The International Council of Nurses is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for health care professionals...
. The College of Nurses of Ontario regulates both RNs and RPNs in contrast to the other provinces and territories where RNs and LPNs are regulated by separate bodies. In the western provinces, psychiatric nurses
Psychiatric Nursing
Psychiatric Nursing is a 1958 documentary film directed by Lee R. Bobker. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
are governed by distinct legislation.
All registered nurses and nurse practitioners in the province of Alberta are expected to maintain their clinical competence in order receive an annual practice permit from the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta which also sets standards for scope of practice and provides practice support.
Recognition
The role that nurses have played in the development of Canada has been recognized through the designation of seven National Historic Sites of Canada related to nursing. Five nurses' residences (the Ann Baillie BuildingMuseum of health care
The Museum of Health Care is located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It is situated in the Ann Baillie Building, a National Historic Site of Canada and former residence for nursing students at the Kingston General Hospital's School of Nursing. The School of Nursing closed in 1974, after the Ontario...
, Begbie Hall
Royal Jubilee Hospital
The Royal Jubilee Hospital is a 400-bed general hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada located about east of the city centre, in the Jubilee neighbourhood . Its name commemorates the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887...
, the Hersey Pavilion, the Pavillon Mailloux and the St. Boniface Hospital Nurses' Residence
St. Boniface General Hospital (Winnipeg)
St. Boniface General Hospital is Manitoba's second-largest hospital, located in the St. Boniface neighbourhood of Winnipeg. It was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Montreal in 1871, and was the first hospital in Western Canada...
) were designated in commemoration of the growing professionalism of nursing and of the expanded role of nurses in health care over the course of the 20th century. The La Corne Nursing Station
La Corne, Quebec
La Corne is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located in the Abitibi Regional County Municipality.From 1955 to 1965, La Corne was home to Canada's only lithium mine. The underground mine had a deep shaft and lateral workings on three levels, and provided lithium to the glass and...
and the Wilberforce Red Cross Outpost
Highlands East, Ontario
Highlands East is a township located in Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada.-History:The township was incorporated in 2001, upon the amalgamation of the former townships of Bicroft, Cardiff, Glamorgan and Monmouth.-Communities:...
were designated, in part, in honour of the role played by nurses in delivering health care to isolated areas.
External links
- CIHI Regulated Nursing Professions Database - provides supply and distribution statistics for the three nursing professions in Canada.
- Canadian Nurses Association
- Registered Nurses Association of Ontario
- Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions