Complex and Chronic Care Nurses, Placed Across Canada
Long-term care for people with complex needs. We connect RNs with complex continuing care and chronic care roles, and help programs find nurses who can manage high-need conditions over the long term.
- Free for candidates. Always.
- Licences verified with the regulator
- Every province and territory except Quebec
Skilled nursing for the long road
These nurses care for people with several conditions at once, such as advanced heart, lung or neurological disease, frailty, dementia, or dependence on a ventilator or feeding tube. Stays can last months or years, so nurses know their patients well.
Chronic disease management
Chronic disease management, medication review and symptom control.
Technology-dependent care
Respiratory and technology-dependent care, including tracheostomy, ventilator and enteral feeding care where the site and nurse are trained.
Comfort and goals of care
Comfort, dignity and goals-of-care conversations, working with families, physicians and the interdisciplinary team.
Where we place complex care RNs
Complex care nursing happens in hospitals, care homes and the community.
Hospital complex and chronic care units
Hospital complex continuing care and chronic care units.
Hospital staffingLong-term care homes
Long-term care homes with higher-acuity residents.
Long-term care staffingPalliative and hospice
Palliative and hospice settings.
Palliative and hospice staffingHome and community care
Home and community care for complex clients.
Home and community care staffingWe fill these roles through contract and relief staffing and through permanent direct hire. We place in every province and territory except Quebec.
Credentials and what employers look for
Employers decide what is required. This is what we most often see.
Required
- Active RN registration in the province of work
- BCLS is common
Often valued
- CNA gerontology certification, GNC(C), where relevant
- CNA hospice palliative care certification, CHPCN(C), where relevant
- ACLS in some settings
- Experience with dementia care approaches, restorative care and wound care
The Canadian Nurses Association offers GNC(C) for RNs, registered psychiatric nurses and nurse practitioners, and GPNC(C) for licensed practical nurses. Both are exams, and both are optional for most roles.
Our honest note: We verify licence and listed credentials. Employers decide what is required.
Knowing the resident or patient takes time
Orientation covers each site's care pathways, equipment and unit routines. Because the work builds on knowing each person, relief nurses rely on strong handover and care plans. Nurses new to this area need time with a preceptor, especially for technology-dependent care.
Buyer note: good care plans help agency nurses give consistent care.
Questions worth asking before you start
- What are the RN-to-resident ratios, and what is the mix of RN, LPN and PSW support?
- How does handover work?
- What equipment training is provided?
Why complex care is hard to staff
Demand is rising, and many nurses are drawn to other settings.
Rising demand
An aging population and rising acuity are increasing demand.
Competing preferences
Many nurses prefer acute care or specialty units, so complex care roles go unfilled.
A demanding skill mix
Advanced assessment is needed, with often limited on-site physician presence in some settings.
Continuity matters
Frequent agency turnover can hurt care. We prioritize repeat and block bookings where possible.
How it works
For nurses
- Submit your profileShare your background.
- We verify and talkWe verify licence and discuss your geriatric, chronic or technology experience.
- We share rolesSuitable roles come to you.
- You decideYou decide on introductions.
For facilities
- Share your unitUnit type, acuity, technology and shifts.
- We screenWe screen and verify.
- You reviewCandidate summaries for your team.
- You decideYou interview and decide.
What makes our approach different
We keep this practical and we do not overpromise. Hiring decisions stay with the facility, and career decisions stay with you.
Continuity-minded
We favour longer relief blocks where they suit both sides.
Specific screening
We screen for technology-dependent care and dementia experience.
Verification
We check registration and listed credentials.
Related pages
Registered nurses
The parent page for RN jobs and staffing across Canada.
Registered nurse jobs in CanadaMedical-surgical nurses
The general ward pathway.
Medical-surgical nurse jobsRehabilitation nurses
Recovery-focused nursing alongside the therapy team.
Rehabilitation nurse jobsWound care nurses
Wound, ostomy and continence roles.
Wound care nurse jobsLong-term care
Resident care in long-term care homes.
Long-term care staffingPalliative and hospice
Comfort-focused care at end of life.
Palliative and hospice staffingFrequently asked questions
What is complex continuing care?
In Ontario it is hospital-based care for people with long-term, medically complex needs, often needing skilled, technology-based care that is not available at home or in a long-term care home. Ontario also calls it chronic care. Other provinces use terms such as continuing care (Alberta), so we describe the role on each posting.
Do I need geriatric experience?
Often helpful, not always required. Tell us what you have done, including any dementia care, ventilator, palliative or chronic disease experience, and we will say where you may fit. Nurses new to this area need time with a preceptor, especially for technology-dependent care.
Is there a certification for this work?
The Canadian Nurses Association offers gerontology certification, GNC(C), for RNs, registered psychiatric nurses and nurse practitioners, and GPNC(C) for licensed practical nurses. Hospice palliative care certification, CHPCN(C), is also offered. All are exams and are optional for most roles.
Do you offer longer relief blocks?
Yes, where facilities and nurses want continuity. Longer blocks help nurses learn the people they care for and give residents and patients consistent care. See our contract and relief staffing page for how short-term and block coverage works with us.
Let us talk about complex care RNs
I am looking for longer-term care roles
Share your profile and we will be in touch. Free for candidates. Always.
Submit your profileI need continuity in complex care
Tell us the setting, the shifts and the start date.
Request complex care staff