Emergency nursing

Emergency Nurse Staffing Across Canada

Emergency nurses for departments that cannot close a shift. We place experienced ER RNs in contract, relief and permanent roles across Canadian hospitals, from urban trauma centres to rural emergency departments.

Submit your profile Request ER staff
  • Free for candidates. Always.
  • Licences verified with the regulator
  • Every province and territory except Quebec

What ER nursing involves

ER nurses assess and stabilize patients of every age and acuity, often with little information, and decide who needs care first.

Triage

Canadian emergency departments use the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), a five-level system, to prioritize patients.

Resuscitation and trauma

Trauma bays, cardiac arrest, sepsis, stroke and mental health crises.

Range of sites

Large trauma centres, community hospitals, urgent care, and small rural EDs where one or two nurses may cover wide scope.

Credentials and what employers look for

Facilities set their own requirements. Here is what they commonly ask for.

Usually required

  • Active RN registration in the province of work
  • BLS (Basic Life Support) and ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support)
  • PALS, which is often asked for because EDs see children

Often valued

  • TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course)
  • ENPC (Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course)
  • CTAS triage training
  • CNA emergency nursing certification, ENC(C)
  • Sexual assault or forensic awareness training

TNCC and ENPC were developed by the Emergency Nurses Association and are delivered in Canada through the National Emergency Nurses Association (NENA). Both verification cards are valid for four years. BLS, ACLS and PALS are Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada programs delivered by training partners.

Rural note: rural EDs often want nurses comfortable with independent decision-making, virtual physician support and patient transfers.

Our honest note: Facilities decide what they require. We verify registration and certifications before any submission.

Why ERs are hard to staff

Emergency departments run around the clock with unpredictable volume.

Round-the-clock coverage

One gap affects patient flow immediately. In British Columbia, the Ministry of Health has set a 1:3 minimum for general emergency and 1:1 for trauma, which makes each vacancy count.

Burnout and turnover

Emergency work is physically and emotionally heavy, so units lose experienced nurses.

Rural competition

Rural departments compete for a small pool, sometimes with limited housing and support.

We ask about your volumes and triage model before we match, so the nurse fits the department.

How it works

For nurses

  1. Submit your profileShare your triage, trauma and certification history.
  2. We verify and askWe verify credentials and match you to the site.
  3. We share rolesContract, relief or permanent roles that fit your experience.
  4. You decideYou decide on introductions.

For facilities

  1. Share your needsYour volumes, shifts and triage model.
  2. We screenWe confirm credentials and scope fit before we introduce a nurse.
  3. You reviewCandidate summaries for your team.
  4. You decideYou interview and decide.

Contract, relief or permanent

Pick the arrangement that fits your life or your unit.

Contract and relief

Cover leaves, surges and rural vacancies. For nurses: flexible blocks and a way to try different sites.

Contract and relief staffing

Direct hire

Permanent emergency department nurses.

Direct hire

Managed programs

Standing ER float pools for hospitals and health authorities.

Vendor and managed programs

We place in every province and territory except Quebec. Read how we check documents on our credentialing and compliance page.

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.

Credentials and scope fit

We confirm both before we introduce a nurse.

Moving between provinces

We explain registration steps for nurses working in a new province.

Plain communication

Clear terms and clear expectations, including what is confirmed per assignment. Some rural sites offer housing or travel support, and we confirm that for each assignment.

Related pages

ICU and critical care nurses

Adult critical care, ventilators and hemodynamic monitoring.

ICU nurse jobs

Cardiac, telemetry and cath lab nurses

Rhythm interpretation and cardiac procedures.

Cardiac nurse jobs

Paramedics

Pre-hospital emergency care.

Paramedic jobs

Emergency and transport

Pre-hospital and transport services.

Emergency and transport staffing

Hospitals

Staffing for acute care hospitals.

Hospital staffing

Registered nurses

The parent page for RN jobs and staffing across Canada.

Registered nurse jobs in Canada

Frequently asked questions

Do I need TNCC to work in an ER?

Many hospitals ask for TNCC or expect you to complete it after hire, but it varies. TNCC is an Emergency Nurses Association course delivered in Canada through the National Emergency Nurses Association (NENA), and the verification card is valid for four years.

Can I take rural ER contracts?

Often yes, if you have the experience the site needs. Rural emergency departments usually want nurses who are comfortable with independent decision-making and transfers. Some sites offer housing or travel support, which we confirm for each assignment rather than assuming it.

What is CTAS?

CTAS is the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale, a five-level triage system used in Canadian emergency departments. Level 1 is resuscitation and Level 5 is non-urgent. Triage nurses use it to decide who needs care first, so experience with it is useful for most ER roles.

Emergency care runs on the right people.

I am an emergency nurse

Share your profile and we will be in touch. Free for candidates. Always.

Submit your profile

I need ED coverage

Tell us your volumes, shifts and start date.

Request ER staff