Career guide
Licensed practical nurse
Licensed practical nurses give hands-on nursing care: assessments, medications, wound care and treatments, working with registered nurses and the care team.
- StatusRegulated profession
- Training2-year diploma
- Pay scale$25.00–$38.00 an hour
- Openings now24
A day in the job
On a medical or long-term care unit you take report, look after a group of residents or patients, give medications and treatments, do dressings, record changes and report them. LPNs often lead the health care aides on a unit.
Where you could work: Long-term care, hospitals, home care, clinics
How to get there
- Complete the Practical Nursing diploma at Nova Scotia Community College (about two years)
Nova Scotia schools: Nova Scotia Community College (opens in a new tab)
Licence and registration
- Pass the entry-to-practice exam the regulator requires
- Register with the Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator
- Renew every year
Official starting point: Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator (opens in a new tab)
Trained outside Canada?
Practical nurses educated outside Canada usually start with the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS), then apply to the Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator.
Important: Requirements can change and may differ for internationally educated professionals. CareZelo links to official bodies but does not determine eligibility.