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Patient care attendant: $29.40/hLicensed practical nurse: $27.78 to $37.08/hNurse: $29.61 to $47.48/hNurse practitioner: $34.86 to $73.20/hRespiratory therapist: $29.12 to $45.20/hNext increase: April 1, 2027Patient care attendant DEP: 705 hoursLicensed practical nurse DEP: 1,800 hoursPatient care attendant: $29.40/hLicensed practical nurse: $27.78 to $37.08/hNurse: $29.61 to $47.48/hNurse practitioner: $34.86 to $73.20/hRespiratory therapist: $29.12 to $45.20/hNext increase: April 1, 2027Patient care attendant DEP: 705 hoursLicensed practical nurse DEP: 1,800 hours

Licensed practical nurse in Quebec

The licensed practical nurse (nursing assistant in Quebec): the role, permitted acts, training, professional order, salary and employment, with links to each of our articles on the occupation.

Updated on October 14, 2026. Figures taken from official sources consulted on October 10, 2026.

The licensed practical nurse is a professional within the meaning of the Professional Code. Her title is reserved, her role and scope of practice are written into law and she belongs to an order. Everything that follows also applies to male licensed practical nurses.

A reserved title and an order

Section 36 of the Professional Code, in paragraph p, prohibits using the title of "infirmière auxiliaire" or "infirmier auxiliaire" without holding "a valid permit for that purpose" and being entered on the roll of the Ordre professionnel des infirmières et infirmiers auxiliaires du Québec (OIIAQ), Quebec's order of nursing assistants.

The scope of practice

Section 37 of the Code, in paragraph p, describes what a member of the OIIAQ does: contribute to the assessment of a person's state of health and to the carrying out of the care plan, provide nursing and medical care and treatment to maintain or restore health and prevent illness, and provide palliative care.

The nine reserved activities

Section 37.1 of the Code, in paragraph 5, reserves nine activities for members of the OIIAQ:

Table
  • Applying invasive measures to maintain therapeutic equipment
  • Collecting specimens, according to a prescription
  • Providing care and treatment for wounds and alterations of the skin and teguments, according to a prescription or the nursing treatment plan
  • Observing a person's level of consciousness and monitoring neurological signs
  • Mixing substances to complete the preparation of a medication, according to a prescription
  • Administering prescribed medications or other prescribed substances by routes other than the intravenous route
  • Contributing to vaccination as part of an activity under the Public Health Act
  • Introducing an instrument or a finger, according to a prescription, beyond the nasal vestibule, labia majora, urinary meatus or anal margin, or into an artificial opening in the human body
  • Introducing an instrument, according to a prescription, into a peripheral vein to collect specimens

Six of these nine activities are carried out "according to a prescription". Section 39.3 defines a prescription as an individual or collective prescription made by a professional authorized by law.

Activities authorized by regulation

The Règlement sur certaines activités professionnelles pouvant être exercées par une infirmière ou un infirmier auxiliaire adds activities taken from those of nurses. They are carried out following a prescription.

Division of the regulationTraining required for the OIIAQ attestation
Care of a tracheostomy connected to a ventilatorAt least 7 hours
Contribution to intravenous therapyAt least 21 hours

Source: regulation, chapter I-8, r. 3, sections 3 and 5, up to date as of June 1, 2026.

In both cases, the attestation also requires having successfully performed each activity at least 3 times under immediate supervision.

Job title 3455

The job title nomenclature of the health and social services network, in its September 15, 2026 version, gives the title the number 3455: "Infirmier auxiliaire ou infirmière auxiliaire". The description begins this way: a person who takes part in carrying out a set of nursing care in collaboration with the care team.

The work week is 37.5 hours.

Two requirements close the description: holding a diploma of vocational studies (DEP) in health, assistance and nursing care, and being a member of the OIIAQ. See the licensed practical nurse DEP and the licensed practical nurse's salary.

Where she works

The government site Avenir en santé names three settings: the hospital centre, the CHSLD (long-term care centre) and patients' homes, as part of the services of the CLSC (local community service centre). See working in a CHSLD and where to apply.

Licensed practical nurse, nurse, attendant

Patient care attendantLicensed practical nurseNurse
Job title348034552471
Order required by the descriptionNoneOIIAQOIIQ
Role according to the descriptionProvides assistance care related to activities of daily livingTakes part in carrying out a set of nursing careIs responsible for a set of nursing care
Care planNot mentionedContributes to carrying it outDetermines it and ensures it is carried out

Source: job title nomenclature of the network, September 15, 2026 version.

Section 36 of the Nurses Act reserves 17 activities for the nurse. The description of title 3480 requires no diploma. Moving from one occupation to the other is described in from attendant to licensed practical nurse.

The permit and the roll of the Order

Section 46 of the Professional Code sets the conditions for entry on the roll. The person holds a permit issued by the order's board of directors, pays her dues within the set time and provides a guarantee against her professional liability.

While waiting for her permit, the graduate holds title 3456, candidate to the profession of licensed practical nurse. According to the nomenclature, she carries out the activities of the licensed practical nurse "according to the conditions set out in the applicable regulations".

Mandatory continuing education

The Règlement sur la formation continue obligatoire des infirmières et infirmiers auxiliaires du Québec, in section 2, requires 10 hours of training per 2-year reference period. The first period began on April 1, 2007.

All our articles on the licensed practical nurse

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a nurse and a licensed practical nurse?

The nurse assesses the state of health and determines the nursing care and treatment plan, under section 36 of the Nurses Act. The licensed practical nurse contributes to that assessment and to carrying out the care plan, under section 37 of the Professional Code. The first is a member of the OIIQ (Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, Quebec's order of nurses), the second of the OIIAQ.

What is the role of a licensed practical nurse?

She takes part in carrying out a set of nursing care in collaboration with the care team, according to the description of title 3455. She contributes to the assessment of the patient's state of health and to carrying out the care plan. She provides nursing and medical care and treatment.

What is a nursing care assistant?

The network nomenclature contains no job title by that name. In Quebec, section 36 of the Professional Code reserves the titles "infirmière auxiliaire" and "infirmier auxiliaire". The corresponding job title is number 3455.

How do you become a licensed practical nurse in Quebec?

You need the DEP Santé, assistance et soins infirmiers (5325), which lasts 1,800 hours, or about 20 months. You then must pass the OIIAQ professional exam, whose registration costs $342 plus taxes, then obtain your permit and be entered on the roll of the Order.

What is the salary of a licensed practical nurse in Quebec?

In the public network, the scale for title 3455 runs from $27.78 to $37.08 an hour since April 1, 2026, in twelve steps. Full time, at 37.5 hours a week, that gives $54,359 a year at the first step and $72,556 at the twelfth.

Will there be free training to become a licensed practical nurse in 2026?

No official source consulted announces free training. The cost changes from one centre to another: $800 at the CFP Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry and about $513.58 at the CFP Pozer for the January 2027 groups. The department offers 200 bursaries of $20,000 in 2026-2027, in exchange for two years of work in a Santé Québec institution.

Sources