Hospital security guard in Quebec: role, training and premium
Emergency room, Code White, access control: what a hospital security guard does, the training required and the Decree's $2.00 an hour P-3 premium.
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A hospital security guard does not do the same job as a guard who watches a warehouse at night. In the emergency room, in the corridors or at the main entrance, the guard works alongside patients, worried families and care staff under pressure. It is a demanding setting, but also one of the few where the Decree provides a significant premium. Here is what a guard does in a health care setting, what training is asked for, how much the premium is worth and how to find a security job in a hospital.
What does a security guard do in a hospital?
The tasks vary from one institution to another, but the same main blocks almost always come up:
- Presence in the emergency room: this is often the most demanding post. The guard provides a visible presence, calms tensions in the waiting room and supports the staff when a situation gets out of hand.
- Interventions with an aggressive person: in many institutions, this is called a "Code White". The security team goes to the scene to help the care staff defuse the situation and, as a last resort, restrain the person safely.
- Access control: checking entrances, managing access cards, watching closed areas (pharmacy, operating rooms, secure units) and enforcing visiting hours.
- Escorts: walking a staff member to their car in the evening, escorting a patient or a visitor, accompanying transfers.
- Patient watch: staying with a patient at risk of running away or of aggressive behaviour, at the request of the care team.
- Rounds and alarms: patrols, response to fire and intrusion alarms, cameras, lost and found.
A patient who is detained or in police custody remains the responsibility of the police officers or correctional officers who accompany them. A private security guard is not a peace officer. The guard's powers are those of any citizen. We explain them in our article on citizen's arrest and the powers of a security guard.
Each intervention generally ends with a written report. If you are not comfortable with the exercise, our security guard incident report template will help you.
What training do you need to work in hospital security?
The basics are the same as everywhere else: you must hold a security guard licence issued by the Bureau de la sécurité privée (BSP), Quebec's private security regulator, which means having passed the mandatory training. The whole path is explained on our security guard training page, and the licence steps on the BSP licence page.
In a health care setting, two additional training courses make a real difference, in the field and on the pay:
Crisis management training
The Decree specifically refers to crisis management training of at least 16 hours, given by a trainer recognized by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), with an attestation issued at the end. It must have been taken within the last 2 years. It opens the door to the P-3 premium (see below).
And what about Oméga training, often mentioned in the health network? The Decree did recognize it, but only through a transitional provision: until August 2, 2025, the P-3 premium could also be paid to a guard who had taken the "OMEGA" or "ITCA" training between August 1, 2021 and August 2, 2023, in the institutions covered by that provision. That period is over. Today, the text of the Decree mentions only training recognized by the CPI. If an employer offers you another training course, ask in writing whether it gives entitlement to the premium.
First aid
First aid, CPR and AED training of at least 16 hours, given by an organization recognized by the CNESST (Quebec's labour standards and workplace safety board) and taken within the last 3 years, gives entitlement to the P-4 premium. In a hospital, medical staff are on site, but the guard is often the first to arrive in a parking lot or an entrance.
What is the salary of a security guard in a hospital?
An agency guard is paid at least according to the Decree respecting security guards. For the current period, the minimum rate of a Class A employee is $20.60 an hour (details in our article on the minimum rate for security guards in 2026). The premiums are added to this rate, and they can be combined.
| Decree premium | Condition | Amount per hour |
|---|---|---|
| P-3 | Work in a health and social services institution + crisis management training recognized by the CPI (16 h, less than 2 years old) | $2.00 |
| P-4 | First aid, CPR and AED (16 h, less than 3 years old, organization recognized by the CNESST) | $0.60 |
A Class A guard whose two training courses are up to date therefore earns at least $23.20 an hour ($20.60 + $2.00 + $0.60), before the other premiums, such as the night premium. The P-3 premium is not reserved for hospitals: the Decree also provides that it is paid to a guard in another sector when a client requires this training.
The trap is expiry. Crisis management training that is more than 2 years old no longer gives entitlement to the premium. Write down the date of your attestation and plan the renewal. All the premiums are presented in the Decree premiums that many guards do not claim and on our security guard salary page.
The amounts above are minimums. An employer can pay more.
Agency guard or hospital employee: what is the difference?
In a health institution, you can come across two types of guards:
- The agency guard: an employee of a security agency that has a contract with the institution. This is the guard the Decree covers, since it applies to security agencies and their employees. Minimum rate, premiums, overtime: everything can be checked in the Decree.
- The institution's employee: some CISSS and CIUSSS also hire their own security staff. Their conditions then depend on the institution and the applicable collective agreement, not on the Decree. Pay scales and premiums can therefore be different.
Before accepting a position, ask clearly who your employer will be. That is what determines which rules apply to your pay.
Is it dangerous to be a hospital security guard?
The main risk is aggression: patients in crisis, intoxicated people, visitors at the end of their rope. Most situations are resolved by talking, and that is precisely what crisis management training teaches. But injuries do happen.
The Act respecting occupational health and safety requires the employer to take measures to protect a worker exposed to a situation of physical or psychological violence in the workplace. It also recognizes the worker's right to refuse work if the worker has reasonable grounds to believe that the work exposes them to a danger to their health, safety or physical or mental well-being. That right has limits, however, in particular when the danger is normal in the kind of work performed: if in doubt, ask the CNESST.
If you are injured during an intervention, report it to your supervisor right away and record it in a report. That is what then makes a claim to the CNESST possible.
How do you find a security job in a hospital?
- Get your BSP licence: no employer can assign you without a valid licence.
- Take the crisis management training recognized by the CPI: it is often required for health care settings and gives entitlement to the P-3 premium.
- Update your first aid: it is an asset and one more premium.
- Aim for both ways in: the agencies that have contracts in the health network, and the job postings published directly by the CISSS and CIUSSS.
- Adapt your resume: highlight customer service, conflict management and up-to-date training, with the dates. Our security guard resume template can serve as a starting point.
Current postings are gathered on our security guard jobs page.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a Code White in a hospital?
In many institutions, Code White is the call made when a person becomes aggressive or violent. The response team, which often includes the security guards, goes to the scene to support the staff. Codes and procedures can vary from one institution to another.
Does Oméga training give entitlement to the P-3 premium?
Not anymore, according to the text of the Decree. It was recognized by a transitional provision that ended on August 2, 2025. The Decree now refers to training recognized by the Crisis Prevention Institute, of at least 16 hours, taken within the last 2 years.
Do you need special training to be a hospital security guard?
The BSP licence is legally enough to work as a guard. Crisis management training is not a condition of the licence, but it is often asked for by employers in health care settings and it gives entitlement to $2.00 more an hour.
Can you become a hospital security guard without a diploma?
Yes. The BSP licence does not require a high school diploma: you must be 18, take the recognized training of at least 70 hours and meet the good moral character requirements. Only the 390-hour AEP, offered by school service centres, asks for credits from the 3rd year of secondary school (or passing the general development test). See how to become a security guard.
What is the night premium for a security guard?
The Decree provides $1.00 more an hour for hours worked between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. (P-11 premium). It is added to the P-3 and P-4 premiums: a Class A guard whose two training courses are up to date and who works nights therefore earns at least $24.20 an hour.
What will a security guard's salary be in 2027?
The Class A minimum rate rises to $21.10 an hour on July 4, 2027, according to the Decree. The premiums stay the same.
Can a security guard hold back a patient who wants to leave?
No, not on the guard's own authority. The guard is not a peace officer. Decisions that affect a patient's freedom are up to the care team and the applicable legal framework. The guard acts in support, following the institution's instructions.
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