National Occupational Classification, TEER 1
NOC 31301: Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
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. Below are the main duties, all 117 job titles it covers, what it means for Express Entry and what it pays in each province.
Updated
- Official NOC 2021 data
- Job Bank wages
What is NOC 31301?
NOC 31301 is the code for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Job titles in this group include clinical nurse, community health nurse, critical care nurse and emergency care nurse. It is a TEER 1 occupation (usually a university degree), so it counts as skilled work for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, and IRCC lists it for the healthcare and social services category draw. The Job Bank median wage across Canada is $43.27 an hour.
- NOC code
- 31301
- TEER
- 1: University degree
- Broad category
- Health occupations
- Express Entry
- Skilled (TEER 0 to 3)
- Category draws
- Healthcare and social services
- Median wage
- $43.27 an hour
Job titles under NOC 31301
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.
Main job titles
- clinical nurse
- community health nurse
- critical care nurse
- emergency care nurse
- intensive care nurse
- nurse researcher
- nursing consultant
- occupational health nurse
- private duty nurse
- public health nurse
- registered nurse (R.N.)
- registered psychiatric nurse (R.P.N.)
All 117 job titles in the NOC index
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, float nurse, foot care nurse, general duty nurse, general duty nurse - psychiatry, geriatric care nurse, geriatric nurse, gerontology nurse, graduate nurse, graduate nurse - occupational health, graduate nurse - physician's office, graduate private duty nurse, hemodialysis nurse, home care neuroscience nurse, home care nurse, hospital hygiene nurse, hospital hygienist - nursing, hospital nurse, industrial nurse, infection control coordinator - hospital, infection control nurse, infection control officer, intensive care nurse, intensive care unit (ICU) nurse, liaison nurse, medical intensive care nurse, mental health nurse, nephrology and kidney transplantation nurse, nephrology and renal transplantation nurse, nephrology nurse, neuroscience nurse, nurse, nurse consultant, nurse counsellor, nurse researcher, nurse technician, nursing adviser, nursing consultant, nursing counsellor, nursing evaluator, nursing researcher, nursing technician, obstetrics nurse, occupational health nurse, occupational health nurse consultant, occupational medicine nurse, office nurse, on-call nurse, oncology nurse, operating room (OR) nurse, out-patient clinic nurse, outpost nurse, outreach nurse, palliative care nurse, pediatric intensive care nurse, pediatric nurse, perinatal care nurse, physician's office nurse, primary care nurse, primary nurse, private care nurse, private duty nurse, psychiatric and mental health nurse, psychiatric nurse, public and community health nurse, public health nurse, public health nurse consultant, recovery room nurse, Red Cross nurse, registered community health nurse, registered industrial nurse, registered nurse - call centre, registered nurse - contact centre, registered nurse - independent practice, registered nurse - public and community health, registered nurse - telehealth, registered nurse (R.N.), registered psychiatric nurse (R.P.N.), registered public health nurse, respiratory care nurse, respiratory nurse specialist, school health nurse, school nurse, scrub nurse, staff nurse, surgical intensive care nurse, telehealth registered nurse, tele-nurse, triage nurse, Victoria Order nurse, Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) nurse, visiting nurse, ward nurse, youth centre nurse.
Also included in this group
- infection control officer
Main duties of NOC 31301
This group performs some or all of the following duties:
General duty registered nurses
- 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.
Occupational health nurses
- Develop and implement employee health education programs and provide registered nursing care in private businesses and industry.
Community health nurses
- 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.
Registered psychiatric nurses
- 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.
Nursing researchers and consultants
- 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.
Clinical nurses
- Provide leadership, advice and counsel on the provision of research-based care for specific patient groups within the care of particular health care organizations.
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.
Additional information
- Nurses trained exclusively as registered psychiatric nurses (RPN) are regulated in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. In all other provinces and territories, registered nurses (RN) may work as psychiatric nurses without separate registration.
- Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses may progress to supervisory and managerial positions with experience.
Is NOC 31301 eligible for Express Entry?
Yes for the programs that need skilled work: TEER 1 is in the TEER 0 to 3 range IRCC accepts.
| Program or draw | NOC 31301 |
|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker Program | Counts as skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) |
| Canadian Experience Class | Counts as skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) |
| Federal Skilled Trades Program | Not a listed trade |
| Healthcare and social services occupations (category draw) | On the eligible list |
| French-language proficiency (category draw) | Open to any occupation with NCLC 7 in French |
Read how TEER categories work and the full list of NOC codes in each 2026 category draw. Category draws also need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same amount part-time) in one listed occupation within the past 3 years.
How much does NOC 31301 pay?
Job Bank wages for this occupation, per hour. Low and high are, in most cases, the 10th and 90th percentiles, so 8 in 10 workers earn somewhere between them.
| Area | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $30.00 | $43.27 | $54.37 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $33.65 | $44.00 | $52.00 |
| Prince Edward Island | $31.50 | $42.00 | $49.98 |
| Nova Scotia | $30.20 | $41.50 | $50.00 |
| New Brunswick | $31.00 | $44.77 | $49.00 |
| Quebec | $27.00 | $40.00 | $50.00 |
| Ontario | $29.00 | $42.00 | $55.00 |
| Manitoba | $34.00 | $45.00 | $52.40 |
| Saskatchewan | $38.00 | $47.13 | $52.20 |
| Alberta | $30.00 | $47.50 | $54.49 |
| British Columbia | $35.00 | $47.58 | $57.00 |
| Yukon | $33.00 | $48.50 | $60.88 |
| Northwest Territories | $45.00 | $58.00 | $69.23 |
| Nunavut | $45.00 | $57.99 | $71.57 |
Source: Job Bank, Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025), data from 2023-2024 (Labour Force Survey). Wages for job offers in LMIA and provincial programs are compared with these figures, so check the current numbers on Job Bank before you rely on them.
Using NOC 31301 duties on your resume
Canadian resumes do not list NOC codes. Employers read your job titles, what you did and what came of it. The NOC duties are still a useful checklist: if you did these tasks, say so in your own words and add the numbers that prove it.
For Express Entry, the reference letter from your employer should describe the duties you really performed, in line with this lead statement and most of the main duties, without copying the NOC text word for word. The free reference letter generator checks your duties against NOC 31301 as you write.
- Start each bullet with a strong verb and end it with a result: how many, how often, how fast.
- Use the job title your employer used, even if the NOC title is different.
- Keep immigration details such as your NOC code and permit type off the resume.
- See a Canadian resume example for this job.
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Where this information comes from
Occupation codes, titles and descriptions are adapted from Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Wages come from Job Bank, Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Express Entry rules come from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): the program pages for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the category-based selection page as modified on June 22, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NOC code for registered nurse (RN)?
NOC 31301, Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, a TEER 1 occupation.
What TEER is NOC 31301?
TEER 1. Usually a university degree. The TEER is the second digit of the code. See all TEER categories.
Is NOC 31301 eligible for Express Entry?
Yes. As a TEER 1 occupation it counts as skilled work for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class. You still have to meet every other requirement, and your duties must match the NOC description.
Is NOC 31301 in an Express Entry category-based draw?
Yes. IRCC’s 2026 list puts it in the healthcare and social services category. You need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same part-time) in it within the past 3 years.
How much does NOC 31301 pay in Canada?
The Job Bank median across Canada is $43.27 an hour, with most wages between $30.00 and $54.37. Pay varies by province: see the table above.
Where is the official description?
On the Statistics Canada and ESDC NOC site: search 31301 in NOC 2021 Version 1.0. This page shows the same text, from the open data Statistics Canada publishes.
Your duties fit. Now show employers.
CVMaple turns the work you did into a Canadian resume: the right format, strong bullets and the keywords Canadian applicant tracking systems look for.
More on NOC codes and Canadian resumes
- NOC Code Finder: Describe your duties and get your NOC 2021 code, TEER and Express Entry eligibility. Free.
- NOC Codes Canada: Full List: All 516 NOC 2021 codes with their TEER, duties and wages.
- TEER Categories Explained: What TEER 0 to 5 means, which count for Express Entry, and every job in each one.
- Express Entry Category Draws: NOC Codes: Every NOC code on the 2026 healthcare, STEM, trades, education and other lists.
- Canadian Resume Examples by Job: Real examples for cashiers, caregivers, trades, tech, students and more.
- Newcomer Resume Guide: Turn international experience into a resume Canadian employers understand.