职业描述：Nursing Supervisors and Registered Nurses (315)

At Work
These nurses work in government, hospitals and other health care institutions, nursing agencies, doctors' offices, companies and private homes. They may also be self-employed.
Head nurses and supervisors supervise and co-ordinate the activities of registered nurses and other nursing personnel.
Registered nurses provide nursing care to patients and may specialize in surgery, neurology, emergency, intensive care, obstetrics, gerontology or other areas of health care.
Occupational health nurses develop and implement employee health education programs and provide nursing services in the workplace.
Community health nurses provide health education and nursing care in public health units and through home visits.
Psychiatric nurses provide nursing care to patients in psychiatric hospitals and mental health clinics.
This occupational group also includes nursing consultants and nursing researchers.

Education, Training and Experience
These nurses (except registered psychiatric nurses) must complete a college or university registered nursing program. They must obtain provincial licences and may require membership in their professional associations.

Head nurses and supervisors need experience as registered nurses and may require a university degree or other studies in management or administration.
To specialize, registered nurses must have additional academic training or experience. A master's or doctoral nursing degree is usually required for clinical nurse specialists, clinicians and consultants.
Registered psychiatric nurses require completion of a college or other registered psychiatric nursing program.

About these Occupations
247,000 persons were employed in these occupations in 1996, an increase of 20.3% from 1986. Over the same period, employment in all occupations grew by 13.1%.

8% of registered nurses are head nurses and supervisors.
32% of registered nurses work part-time, well above the average of 19% for all occupations.
3% of registered nurses are self-employed, well below the average of 16% for all occupations.
88% of registered nurses are women, well above the average of 45% in all occupations.
The unemployment rate in these occupations averaged 2.6% from 1994 to 1996, well below the average of 6.7% for all occupations. These rates are among the lowest for professional occupations.
Average earnings of year-round, full-time workers in these occupations in 1995 were $33,900, compared to an average of $35,700 for all occupations. These earnings are among the lowest for professional occupations and for occupations in health.
The separation rate in these occupations is low, indicating that workers tend not to lose or leave these jobs.
Employment in these occupations is not very sensitive to overall economic conditions and not seasonal.

Full-Time Earnings

1995 Full-Time Earnings*
$44,200 Highest
$33,900 Average
$20,700 Lowest

* Full-time earnings of the highest 10%, the average and the lowest 10% of workers. $35,700 is the average for all occupations.

Looking to the Year 2001
Current labour market conditions for new entrants in these occupations are fair. Labour market conditions for new entrants will remain fair through 2001.

An alternative view is expressed by the Canadian Nurses Association. They feel that low enrolment in nursing programs, high retirement rates among nurses and increased demand for nursing services for an ageing population will combine to make labour market conditions for entrants in nursing good by 2001.
Nurses' roles will change as more and more technology is introduced at the bedside and as nurses are allowed to perform acts previously restricted to physicians.
Restructuring of the health care system, including the shift from institutional to home care, will change the requirements for nurses and move much of their employment from publicly funded hospitals to community settings and the private sector. Consequently, the best employment opportunities for nurses may be in these sectors.
A large decrease in labour requirements for registered nurses in hospitals through 2001 will be partially offset by increased labour requirements in the health and social services sector and in private health practices.