Career paths compared
Six healthcare roles side by side — from the fastest entry points to the most advanced — so you can see where each one sits and how they connect.
Good to know
RPN means two different things depending on where you are. In British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, RPN stands for Registered Psychiatric Nurse — its own distinct nursing profession with its own college, separate from RN and LPN, focused on mental health and psychiatric care. In Ontario, RPN stands for something else entirely: Registered Practical Nurse, which is simply Ontario's name for what every other province calls an LPN — same role, same scope, different label. So if you see “RPN” on an Ontario job posting, that's an LPN-equivalent position; if you see “RPN” on a BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba posting, that's a psychiatric nursing role. The RPN column in the table below means the psychiatric nursing profession — Ontario's RPN role is covered under the LPN column instead.
| Attribute | CCA | PSW | LPN | RPN | RN | NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulated? | No (registry in 4 provinces only) | No (registry in 4 provinces only) | Yes, provincial college | Yes, provincial college (only BC/AB/SK/MB) | Yes, provincial college | Yes, same college as RN, advanced designation |
| Education | Certificate, ~6–12 months | Certificate, ~6–12 months | Diploma, ~1–2 years | Diploma or degree, ~2–4 years | BScN, 4 years | RN + Master's or post-grad NP certificate, +1–2 years |
| Scope of practice | Personal care, ADLs, basic vitals | Personal care, ADLs, basic vitals | Broader in BC/AB/SK, more conditional in ON/NS | Full scope within mental health/psychiatric care | Full nursing scope, complex assessment, all meds | RN scope plus diagnose, order/interpret tests, refer |
| Supervision | Under RN/LPN, follows a set care plan | Under RN/LPN, follows a set care plan | Often autonomous for stable patients, RN consult for complex cases | Autonomous within psychiatric scope | Autonomous, may supervise LPN/CCA/PSW | Fully autonomous |
| Prescribing / diagnostic authority | None | None | None | None | Narrow carve-out, 8 provinces, different name in each | Full: prescribe, order labs/imaging, diagnose |
| Pay range (national, hourly) | $19.00–$28.84 (Job Bank, median $24.00) | $16.00–$27.00 (Job Bank, median $20.50) | Varies significantly by province, see province pages | Shares the RN pay grid in BC/AB/SK/MB | Varies significantly by province, see province pages | $42.00–$75.00 (Job Bank, median $61.54) |
| Time to qualify | Shortest, common entry point into the field | Shortest, common entry point into the field | 1–2 yrs, common bridge from CCA/PSW | 2–4 yrs | 4 yrs, common bridge from LPN | Longest, RN plus graduate school |
RPN in this table means Registered Psychiatric Nurse. In Ontario, the similar-sounding term “RPN” means Registered Practical Nurse — an LPN-equivalent role, not covered separately here since it's the same role as the LPN column.
Heads up
Three rows that actually depend on your province
Regulated status (CCA/PSW): Only 4 provinces have any registry at all. Nova Scotia's CCA Registry is mandatory. Alberta's HCA Directory is mandatory for publicly funded employers, and Alberta becomes the first province to fully regulate HCAs under a professional college starting February 2, 2026. BC requires registry enrollment for publicly funded employers. Ontario's PSW registry is voluntary. Every other province and territory has no registry at all.
LPN scope (IV medications, IV starts, central lines): In BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, these activities sit within LPN scope with additional education and employer authorization. In Ontario and Nova Scotia, they're more conditional, often requiring a specific order or falling under initiation rules rather than standing authorization. This is not a small difference — if IV competency matters to your career plan, it's worth checking your specific target province's college directly.
RN prescribing: Eight provinces (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, Quebec) allow RNs, not just NPs, to prescribe within a narrow, certified scope — but each province names and structures it differently: BC's RN(C), Alberta's RN prescribing authorization, Saskatchewan's RN(AAP), Manitoba's RN(AP), and so on. The categories are typically limited to things like contraception, STIs, minor ailments, travel health, or diabetes management, not general prescribing.