A career in senior care
General nurse
A general nurse coordinates the care home's medical care, administers treatments and supervises the care team. A role with a constant staff shortage.
About the job
A general nurse (COR code 222101 for university studies, 325901 for post-secondary) is responsible for medical care: administering prescribed medication, performing procedures and coordinating the nursing assistants and carers on shift. Practising the profession requires an OAMGMAMR licence, renewed annually.
Responsibilities
- Assessing beneficiaries' health on admission and periodically (vital signs, history)
- Administering doctor-prescribed medication (oral, injectable, topical)
- Care procedures: dressings, catheters, glucose and blood-pressure monitoring
- Coordinating the care team (nursing assistants, carers) on shift
- Maintaining medical documentation (observation sheet, treatment chart, shift report)
- Alerting the doctor to changes in beneficiaries' condition
- Educating beneficiaries and their families
Requirements
- General-nurse diploma (3-year post-secondary or 3–4-year degree)
- Valid OAMGMAMR practice licence (annual approval) + membership fee
- At least 30 CME credits per year to renew the licence
- Preferred: geriatrics/gerontology attestation and residential-centre experience
Certifications & courses
- OAMGMAMR practice licence (mandatory, renewed annually Oct–Dec)
- Geriatrics / senior-care specialisation course (CME credits)
- BLS / ACLS and pain-management / palliative-care courses (recommended)
Where you can work
- Private residential centres for seniors (a sector short on staff)
- DGASPC — public residential centres
- MMFTS-accredited home-care services
- Geriatrics / rehab clinics and hospitals
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a degree or is post-secondary school enough?
- Both are valid and allow OAMGMAMR registration. A degree (3–4 years) opens access to higher grades (principal, specialist) and a master's; post-secondary (3 years) is the shorter path to practice.
- How long does the annual OAMGMAMR approval take?
- The file is submitted from October for the following year; processing takes a few days at branches. The approval expires on 31 December — without a valid one, practising is illegal.
- Do private homes pay better than the state?
- Not necessarily at base level: state salaries include regulated bonuses that can raise total pay significantly. Private homes compete with a modern environment and a predictable schedule.
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