Career guide
Registered practical nurse
Registered practical nurses (RPNs, called licensed practical nurses in other provinces) 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 scaleNot stated in current postings
- Openings now—
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 an approved two-year Practical Nursing diploma at an Ontario college
Ontario schools: Centennial College (opens in a new tab), Algonquin College (opens in a new tab), Fanshawe College (opens in a new tab)
Licence and registration
- Pass the REx-PN entry-to-practice exam
- Register with the College of Nurses of Ontario as a registered practical nurse
- Renew every year
Official starting point: College of Nurses of Ontario (opens in a new tab)
Trained outside Canada?
Nurses educated outside Canada usually start with the National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS), then apply to the College of Nurses of Ontario.
Important: Requirements can change and may differ for internationally educated professionals. CareZelo links to official bodies but does not determine eligibility.