August 29, 2019
September 2020

2020 Quality Assurance program simplified due to pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the nursing profession in many ways. We recognize the demands many of you have and continue to experience. In response to the challenging circumstances nurses have faced because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CNO has streamlined the Quality Assurance (QA) program for 2020.

 

This year, QA will focus on supporting nurses in completing the practice reflection component of your self assessment. “It has been a time of significant change and learning, which provides an opportunity for nurses to reflect and examine their practice,” says Carol Timmings, CNO’s Chief Quality Officer. “Our goal is to support you in being reflective practitioners.”

 

Along with your practice reflection, you are still required by legislation to complete your annual learning plan. We will not be selecting nurses for Practice Assessment this year. This modified approach makes sure that you can meet your QA obligations while recognizing the unique situation the pandemic has caused for many nurses.

 

Reflecting on your practice is fundamental to safe, quality nursing care. It helps you determine your areas of strengths and where you need to improve. To help you reflect on your unique experiences, we have developed new reflective questions. These questions can be used to reflect on your practice day-to-day or to help develop or update your annual Learning Plan, which remains a legislated requirement for all nurses.

 

Visit our website for more information about QA 2020 and to use the new reflective questions, as well as other QA resources. For specific questions about the program, contact QAassessement@cnomail.org.

   

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the nursing profession in many ways. We recognize the demands many of you have and continue to experience. In response to the challenging circumstances nurses have faced because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CNO has streamlined the Quality Assurance (QA) program for 2020.

This year, QA will focus on supporting nurses in completing the practice reflection component of your self assessment. 

“It has been a time of significant change and learning, which provides an opportunity for nurses to reflect and examine their practice,” says Carol Timmings, CNO’s Chief Quality Officer. “Our goal is to support you in being reflective practitioners.”

Along with your practice reflection, you are still required by legislation to complete your annual learning plan. We will not be selecting nurses for Practice Assessment this year. This modified approach makes sure that you can meet your QA obligations while recognizing the unique situation the pandemic has caused for many nurses.

Reflecting on your practice is fundamental to safe, quality nursing care. It helps you determine your areas of strengths and where you need to improve. To help you reflect on your unique experiences, we have developed new reflective questions. These questions can be used to reflect on your practice day-to-day or to help develop or update your annual Learning Plan, which remains a legislated requirement for all nurses.

Visit our website for more information about QA 2020 and to use the new reflective questions, as well as other QA resources. For specific questions about the program, contact QAassessement@cnomail.org.

 

About CNO

The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is the regulator of the nursing profession in Ontario. It is not a school or a nursing association. CNO acts in the public interest by:

  • assessing qualifications and registering individuals who want to practice nursing in Ontario.
  • setting the practice standards of the profession that nurses in Ontario are expected to meet.
  • promoting nurses' continuing competence through a quality assurance program.
  • holding nurses accountable to those standards by addressing complaints or reports about nursing care.

The College was founded in 1963. By establishing the College, the Ontario government was acknowledging that the nursing profession had the ability to govern itself and put the public's well-being ahead of professional interests.

For the latest information, please see our Nursing Statistics page.

Anyone who wants to use a nursing-related title — Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) or Nurse Practitioner (NP) must become a member of CNO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Go to the public Register, Find a Nurse, to conduct a search for the nurse. Contact us if you can't find the person you are looking for.

All public information available about nurses is posted in the public Register, Find a Nurse, which contains profiles of every nurse in Ontario. Publicly available information about nurses include their registration history, business address, and information related to pending disciplinary hearings or past findings.

Unregistered practitioners are people who are seeking employment in nursing or holding themselves out as being able to practice nursing in Ontario, but who are not qualified to do so. They are not registered members of CNO. Only people registered with CNO can use nursing-related titles or perform certain procedures that could cause harm if carried out by a non-registered health professional. CNO takes the issue of unregistered practitioners seriously. See Unregistered Practitioners for more information.

To ensure procedural fairness for both the patient (or client) and the nurse, the Regulated Health Professions Act requires that information gathered during an investigation remain confidential until the matter is referred to the Discipline Committee or Fitness to Practise Committee. CNO will not disclose any information that could identify patients (or clients) or compromise an investigation. See Investigations: A Process Guide for more information.

Information obtained during an investigation will become public if the matter is referred to a disciplinary hearing. If a complaint is not referred to a hearing, no information will be available publicly.

See CNO's hearings schedule, which is updated as hearing dates are confirmed. Hearings at CNO are open to the public and the media. For details on how to attend a hearing, contact the Hearings Administration Team.

A summary of allegations and the disciplinary panel outcomes can be found on the public Register, Find a Nurse. Full decisions and reasons are also available.

Where a disciplinary panel makes a finding of professional misconduct, they have the authority to reprimand a nurse, and suspend or revoke a nurse's registration. Terms, conditions and limitations can also be imposed on a nurse's registration, which restricts their practice for a set period. Nurses can also be required to complete remedial activities, such as reviewing CNO documents and meeting with an expert, before returning to practice.

For detailed information see the Sexual Abuse Prevention section.

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