Information for foreign-trained registered nurses and psychiatric nurses
(3152) Verified: 2007 02 15
Information on requirements to practise (regulation/licensure)
Nurses may be employed in many settings such as hospitals and doctors' offices; in community health agencies, health centres, and clinics; in nursing homes and extended-care facilities; in rehabilitation centres and mental health centres; in schools, governments, businesses, and industries; and in private homes; or they may be self-employed. However, all nursing professions are regulated in Canada.
In order to practise as a nurse in Canada, you must be registered with one of the provincial or territorial regulatory bodies. When you know where you will settle and work in Canada, you should contact the appropriate provincial/territorial regulatory body (see list below) for more specific information.
In order to obtain the designation Registered Nurse (RN), candidates must apply for registration, have their credentials assessed, and pass the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination or for Quebec, l'examen professionnel de l'Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec. The provincial/territorial regulatory bodies register the applicants in their jurisdiction who meet their professional criteria and standards of practice. These regulatory bodies, with the exception of the College of Nurses in Ontario and the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, are member bodies of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). The CNA does not regulate individual nurses. However, there is information, tools and resources accessible from the CNA website that may be of assistance to internationally educated nurses seeking to be registered and practise in Canada.
CNA Certification
The CNA, in collaboration with specialist nursing associations, offers voluntary certification in 17 nursing specialties: neuroscience, occupational health, nephrology, emergency, critical care, critical care pediatrics, psychiatric/mental health, perioperative care, oncology, hospice palliative care, gerontology, gastroenterology, perinatal care, cardiovascular nursing, orthopaedics, community health and rehabilitation. Each of these nursing specialties has its own national professional association.
For more information on membership, specialization, and certification, you can contact the CNA at
- Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)
- 50 The Driveway
- Ottawa ON K2P 1E2 Canada
- Phone : (613) 237-2133
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-361-8404
- Fax : (613) 237-3520
- Email : info@cna-aiic.ca
- http://www.cna-aiic.ca/
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurses
There are separate provincial regulatory bodies (see list below) in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to register nurses as registered psychiatric nurses who are specifically qualified in the area of psychiatric/mental health nursing. In the other provinces/territories, all nurses complete a generalist education and are registered as registered nurses but some may practise in the area of psychiatry/mental health. The Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Canada can provide more information on registered psychiatric nursing in Canada.
There may also be a special interest group for Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurses within registered nurses professional bodies. The Canadian Federation of Mental Health Nurses can also provide more information on the field of mental health nursing in Canada. The federation can be contacted at
- Canadian Federation of Mental Health Nurses (CFMHN)
- 1 Concorde Gate, Suite 109
- Toronto ON M3C 3N6 Canada
- Phone : (416) 426-7029
- Fax : (416) 426-7280
- Email : info@cfmhn.ca
- http://cfmhn.ca/
Information on assessment of qualifications
The regulatory body for nursing in each province and territory handles the assessment of qualifications for internationally educated nurses and the scheduling of nurses to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination. With special permission, candidates may write the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination in a Canadian province or territory other than the one in which they reside. However, candidates cannot write the exam outside Canada.
You may also contact an evaluation service to evaluate your credentials. Consult our Fact Sheet No. 2, "Assessment and recognition of credentials for the purpose of employment in Canada." Although the evaluation services offer expert advice on how qualifications obtained abroad compare with credentials obtained in a Canadian province or territory, the evaluation is advisory only and does not guarantee recognition of your qualifications for employment or registration purposes in Canada. Please note that evaluation services charge a fee for their services. To become registered as a nurse in Canada, you will still need to have your credentials assessed by the provincial/territorial nursing regulatory body.
Other relevant information
The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) accredits university and college nursing programs at the baccalaureate level in Canada, but is not responsible for requirements for entry to practise of this occupation (RN or RPN). It is the nursing regulatory bodies that set the standards for entry to practice and the schools of nursing prepare the learners to graduate nursing with these competencies. CASN represents degree-level nursing education and nursing research across Canada. CASN member schools and its regional associations work collaboratively with provincial and territorial regulatory colleges/associations of nursing to ensure that standards of education meet entry to practice requirements. For more information on member schools, nursing programs, CASN databases on nursing education and research, CASN standing committees and task forces, standards of excellence for nursing education, you can contact the association through inquire@casn.ca.
For a general description of duties and employment requirements, you can refer to the information prepared by Human Resources Development Canada regarding
Specific Provincial/Territorial Information
You may also be interested in these CICIC information pages:
List of provincial/territorial regulatory bodies
Alberta
- College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA)
- 11620 - 168 Street
- Edmonton AB T5M 4A6 Canada
- Phone : (780) 451-0043
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-252-9392
- Fax : (780) 452-3276
- Email : carna@nurses.ab.ca
- http://www.nurses.ab.ca/
- College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Alberta (CRPNA)
- 9711 - 45 Avenue, Suite 201
- Edmonton AB T6E 5V8 Canada
- Phone : 780-434-7666
- Phone (alternate): 1-877-234-7666
- Fax : 780-436-4165
- Email : rpnaa@rpnaa.ab.ca
- http://www.crpna.ab.ca/
British Columbia
- College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC)
- 2855 Arbutus Street
- Vancouver BC V6J 3Y8 Canada
- Phone : (604) 736-7331
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-565-6505
- Fax : (604) 738-2272
- Email : info@crnbc.ca
- http://www.crnbc.ca/
- College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of British Columbia (CRPNBC)
- 307 - 2502 St. Johns Street
- Port Moody BC V3H 2B4 Canada
- Phone : (604) 931-5200
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-565-2505
- Fax : (604) 931-5277
- Email : info@crpnbc.ca
- http://www.crpnbc.ca/
Manitoba
- College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM)
- 890 Pembina Hwy.
- Winnipeg MB R3M 2M8 Canada
- Phone : (204) 774-3477
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-665-2027
- Fax : (204) 775-6052
- Email : info@crnm.mb.ca
- http://www.crnm.mb.ca/
- College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitoba (CRPNM)
- 1854 Portage Avenue
- Winnipeg MB R3J 0G9 Canada
- Phone : (204) 888-4841
- Fax : (204) 888-8638
- Email : crpnm@crpnm.mb.ca
- http://www.crpnm.mb.ca/
New Brunswick
- Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB)
- 165 Regent Street
- Fredericton NB E3B 3W5 Canada
- Phone : (506) 458-8731
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-442-4417
- Fax : (506) 459-2838
- Email : nanb@nanb.nb.ca
- http://www.nanb.nb.ca/
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Association of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador (ARNNL)
- 55 Military Road
- St. John's NL A1C 2C5 Canada
- Phone : (709) 753-6040
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-563-3200
- Fax : (709) 753-4940
- Email : info@arnnl.nf.ca
- http://www.arnnl.nf.ca/
Northwest Territories
- Registered Nurses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut (RNANT/NU)
- Box 2757
- Yellowknife NT X1A 2R1 Canada
- Phone : (867) 873-2745
- Fax : (867) 873-2336
- Email : admin@rnantnu.ca
- http://www.rnantnu.ca/
Nova Scotia
- College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia (CRNNS)
- 4005-7071 Bayers Road
- Halifax NS B3L 2C2 Canada
- Phone : (902) 491-9744
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-565-9744
- Fax : (902) 491-9510
- Email : info@crnns.ca
- http://www.crnns.ca/
Ontario
- College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)
- 101 Davenport Road
- Toronto ON M5R 3P1 Canada
- Phone : (416) 928-0900
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-387-5526
- Fax : (416) 928-6507
- Email : cno@cnomail.org
- http://www.cno.org/
Prince Edward Island
- Association of Registered Nurses of Prince Edward Island (ARNPEI)
- 53 Grafton Street
- Charlottetown PE C1A 1K8 Canada
- Phone : (902) 368-3764
- Fax : (902) 628-1430
- Email : info@arnpei.ca
- http://www.arnpei.ca/
Quebec
- Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ)
- 4200, boul. Dorchester Ouest
- Montréal QC H3Z 1V4 Canada
- Phone : (514) 935-2501
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-363-6048
- Fax : (514) 935-1799
- Email : inf@oiiq.org
- http://www.oiiq.org/
Saskatchewan
- Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Saskatchewan (RPNAS)
- 2055 Lorne Street
- Regina SK S4P 2M4 Canada
- Phone : (306) 586-4617
- Fax : (306) 586-6000
- Email : rpnas@rpnas.com
- http://www.rpnas.com/
- Saskatchewan Registered Nurses' Association (SRNA)
- 2066 Retallack Street
- Regina SK S4T 7X5 Canada
- Phone : (306) 359-4200
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-667-9945
- Fax : (306) 525-0849
- Email : info@srna.org
- http://www.srna.org/
Yukon
- Yukon Registered Nurses Association (YRNA)
- 204-4133-4th Avenue
- Whitehorse YT Y1A 1H8 Canada
- Phone : (867) 667-4062
- Fax : (867) 668-5123
- Email : yrna@yknet.ca
- http://www.yrna.ca/
List of non-regulatory provincial/territorial professional nursing associations
Ontario
- Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO)
- 158 Pearl Street
- Toronto ON M5H 1L3 Canada
- Phone : 416-599-1925
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-268-7199
- Fax : 416-599-1926
- Email : info@rnao.org
- http://www.rnao.org/