Job prospects Primary Nurse in Prince Edward Island

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "primary nurse" in Prince Edward Island or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Prince Edward Island

The recent trends from the past 3 years were updated on July 25, 2025. The job outlooks over the next 3 years were updated on December 10, 2025.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be Very good for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301) in Prince Edward Island for the 2025-2027 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
• A moderate number of positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Registered nurses and psychiatric nurses continue to face very good employment prospects in P.E.I., with shortages and high vacancy rates across hospitals, long-term care, and community health settings. The province has introduced financial incentives and recruitment programs, including the Transition to Registered Nursing in Canada (TRNC) program, which has already graduated internationally educated nurses to help fill gaps. However, recent media reports show that many new nurses are leaving the system due to workplace pressures, burnout, and heavy overtime, highlighting retention as a challenge. At the same time, the province reports gains in recruitment and continues to build collaborative care teams that expand the roles of nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses to reduce strain on workers in this occupation. For new graduates and those seeking opportunities, this means strong job security and multiple entry points, especially in rural and community care, though adaptability and resilience are increasingly important as the system evolves to meet the needs of an aging and growing population. 

Here are some key facts about registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses in Prince Edward Island:

• Approximately 1,950 people work in this occupation.
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Hospitals (NAICS 622): 84%
  • Nursing and residential care facilities (NAICS 623): 7%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 78% compared to 84% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 22% compared to 16% for all occupations
• 75% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses work all year, while 25% work only part of the year, compared to 59% and 41% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 45 weeks compared to 41 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses are self-employed compared to an average of 13% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 7% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 93% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: less than 5% compared to 28% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 31% compared to 25% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 57% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: 7% compared to 8% for all occupations

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

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