Registered psychiatric nurses
July 25, 2024 — Registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) are health care professionals who work both autonomously and in collaboration with clients and other health care team members to coordinate health care and provide client-centred services to individuals, families, groups and communities. RPNs focus on mental and developmental health, mental illness and addictions, while integrating physical health and utilizing bio-psycho-social and spiritual models for a holistic approach to care.Reference 1
RPNs are currently regulated in the 4 Western provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia) and the Yukon.
Use the sections below to learn about the supply, education, employment and distribution of nurses across the country.
Key findings
In 2023,
- 5,687 RPNs were employed in direct patient care.Footnotei This number increased by 136 between 2022 and 2023 (an annual growth rate of 2%).
- The overall supply (6,725) of RPNs licensed to practise in Canada grew at a rate of 3.3% in 2023, slightly faster than the rate in 2022 (2.7%).
- The average age of an RPN was 43, compared with 46 in 2014.
- Females accounted for 83% of the RPN supply.
Featured material
Quick Stats
This interactive tool is ideal for workforce planners, health service managers and analysts who want to create customized visualizations.
Explore and compare the supply, workforce, inflow/outflow and provincial and territorial trends of Canada’s registered psychiatric nurses.
Data tables
These tables are meant for analysts, researchers and those who want to explore and analyze the raw data.
Access 10 years of supply, workforce, employment, education and demographic trends for Canada’s registered psychiatric nurses.
Methodology notes
These notes are meant for all data users.
They summarize the sources, definitions, strengths and limitations of the data available.
Reports
The state of the health workforce in Canada, 2023
CIHI has compiled the most recent data (up to 2023) on selected health professionals to illustrate the current state of the health workforce, with a special focus on primary care.
The state of the health workforce in Canada, 2022
This report provides an overview of 4 key areas: health workforce supply and distribution, internationally educated health professionals, workplace measures and specific population needs.
Hospital staffing and hospital harm trends throughout the pandemic
This report presents a high-level look at available pan-Canadian data on hospital staffing — including sick time, overtime and agency use — and potential impacts on patient harm to explore trends observed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health workforce in Canada: In focus
Learn about the impacts of COVID-19 on registered psychiatric nurses and how these professionals helped shape Canada’s response to the pandemic.
Health workforce scopes of practice
Explore data and information on legislated scopes of practice for registered psychiatric nurses and other health care professionals in Canada’s provinces and territories.
Other regulated nursing professionals
Databases and data sources
Health Workforce Database
CIHI collects record-level, standardized, comparative data on the supply, demographics, geographic and distribution characteristics, and education and employment details of RPNs in Canada. To find out more about CIHI’s RPN data, visit the Health Workforce Database metadata page.
Reference
1.
Registered Psychiatric Nurse Regulators of Canada. Registered Psychiatric Nurse Entry-Level Competencies (PDF). 2014.
Footnote
i.
Excludes the Yukon, as workforce data for RPNs was not submitted to CIHI.
If you would like CIHI information in a different format, visit our Accessibility page.