CEPI: the candidate to the nursing profession, her status, her salary, the exam
The CEPI has her diploma and is waiting for her OIIQ permit. What she can do, under what supervision, her rate of $26.95 an hour and the exam rules.
The CEPI is the candidate to the nursing profession (CEPI): a nursing graduate who has her diploma, is waiting for the exam of the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ), Quebec's order of nurses, or for her result, and works under the supervision of a nurse. In the public network, she has earned $26.95 an hour since April 1, 2026. The text applies to male candidates too.
Who is a CEPI
Section 1 of the Règlement sur les activités professionnelles pouvant être exercées par des personnes autres que des infirmières et des infirmiers (chapter I-8, r. 2) defines the candidate: the holder of a diploma giving access to the permit, or a person to whom the Ordre has recognized an equivalent diploma or training.
According to the OIIQ, the status begins when the confirmation email from the Ordre is received.
What a CEPI can do
Section 10 of the regulation allows her to perform the professional activities of nurses, except the following:
- activities performed with a woman in labour
- activities performed with a client whose state of health is in a critical phase or requires frequent adjustments
- activities performed in community health
- initiating diagnostic and therapeutic measures, according to a prescription
- initiating diagnostic measures for screening purposes (Public Health Act)
- determining the treatment plan for wounds and alterations of the skin and teguments
- administering vaccines (Public Health Act)
- deciding to use restraint measures
- deciding to use isolation measures
- assessing a child not yet eligible for preschool education who shows signs of developmental delay
- adjusting the nursing therapeutic plan in connection with these activities
The CEPI may contribute to vaccination. The exceptions for the critical phase, community health and the assessment of a child do not apply to a holder of a university degree. This text is neither legal advice nor union advice.
The conditions for working
Section 11 sets four conditions for the CEPI, who must hold a registration certificate:
- hold the attestation of the Ordre, which the OIIQ calls AECEPI
- work for a public institution or a private institution under agreement, with a director of nursing
- have completed the institution's integration program
- practise under the supervision of a nurse present in the care unit
The attestation is requested online from the OIIQ, which allows at least ten working days. An employer is required. Registration fees went from $210 to $235, before taxes, on April 1, 2026.
How long the status lasts
Section 13 ends the right to practise at the first of these events:
- the exam is not passed within the set time
- the candidate has failed the exam 3 times
- more than 30 days have passed since the permit was issued
- more than 4 years have passed since the first exam session after the diploma
The time limit is 2 years from the first exam session after the diploma, under section 7 of the OIIQ regulation on the issuing of permits (chapter I-8, r. 13).
The OIIQ professional exam
The Ordre holds 2 exam sessions per year (section 3 of the same regulation). The candidate must sit the first session after her diploma. An absence counts as a failure. Section 11 gives the right to 2 retakes, or three attempts.
The last sitting took place on September 29, 2026. The OIIQ announces the next one on March 31, 2027. The registration fee is $638.11 per attempt. Results arrive no later than eight weeks after the exam.
The CEPI's salary
The network's job title nomenclature, version of September 15, 2026, places the candidate under number 2490. There is a single rate.
| Job title | April 1, 2026 | April 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| CEPI (2490) | $26.95 | $27.89 |
| Nurse, step 1 (2471) | $29.61 | $30.65 |
Source: job title nomenclature, part III, titles 2490 and 2471, version of September 15, 2026. Hourly rates.
The rate in force on October 10, 2026 is $26.95. Schedule 14 of the FIQ collective agreement sets it at 91% of step 1 for a nurse. Under letter of agreement no. 31, an employee of the network who earned more the day before keeps her base salary. See the nurse's salary and the FIQ collective agreement.
Moving to the nurse title
According to the OIIQ, the CEPI has 30 days after the results are announced to register on the Tableau of the Ordre.
Paragraph 7.18 of the FIQ agreement pays the nurse's salary retroactively to the exam date, or to the start date if the candidate began working after the exam. Under paragraph 7.19, a candidate who had to retake the exam receives it retroactively to the date she passed.
CEPI, CEPIA and extern
- The CEPI is waiting for the OIIQ permit, title 2490, at $26.95 an hour (nomenclature)
- The CEPIA is waiting for the permit of the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers auxiliaires du Québec, title 3456, at $25.28 an hour (nomenclature)
- The nursing extern is still a student, title 4001, at $23.69 an hour (regulation I-8, r. 2, section 1, and nomenclature)
Did you like this article?
Thank you. It is anonymous, and it tells us what to write next.
Frequently asked questions
What is a CEPI nurse?
She is a candidate to the nursing profession. She holds a diploma that gives access to the OIIQ permit and does not have that permit yet. Regulation I-8, r. 2 governs her work.
What is the difference between a CEPI and a nurse?
The nurse holds her permit and is registered on the Tableau of the Ordre. The CEPI practises under the supervision of a nurse, and section 10 of the regulation removes eleven activities from her. In the public network, she earns $26.95 an hour, compared with $29.61 for a nurse at the first step.
How do I work as a CEPI?
You need a registration certificate, the diploma, the OIIQ email confirming the status and an employer. The candidate then requests her practice attestation from the Ordre. Our article on nurse jobs shows where to apply.
What is the average salary of a CEPI in Canada?
No official source publishes a Canadian average: CEPI status is defined by a Quebec regulation. In the Quebec public network, the rate is $26.95 an hour since April 1, 2026 and $27.89 on April 1, 2027.
Did you like this article?
Thank you. It is anonymous, and it tells us what to write next.
Sources
- LégisQuébec, Règlement sur les activités professionnelles pouvant être exercées par des personnes autres que des infirmières et des infirmiers, chapter I-8, r. 2, sections 1, 10, 11 and 13, up to date as of June 1, 2026
- LégisQuébec, Règlement sur les conditions et modalités de délivrance des permis de l'Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec, chapter I-8, r. 13, sections 3, 7, 8 and 11, up to date as of June 1, 2026
- OIIQ, Étape 3 : CEPI - AECEPI, consulted on October 10, 2026
- OIIQ, Examen professionnel, convocation et inscription, consulted on October 10, 2026
- OIIQ, Étape 1 : immatriculation, consulted on October 10, 2026
- OIIQ, Étape 6 : première inscription au Tableau, consulted on October 10, 2026
- Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, Nomenclature des titres d'emploi, des libellés, des taux et des échelles de salaire du réseau de la santé et des services sociaux, titles 2471, 2490, 3456 and 4001, September 15, 2026
- CPNSSS and FIQ, Convention collective, version administrative, in force from December 15, 2024 to March 31, 2028, paragraphs 7.18 and 7.19, Schedule 14, letter of agreement no. 31