October 11, 2023
October 2023

CNO celebrates NP excellence at annual conference

The event marked the 50th anniversary of the NPAO, and CNO was there to connect with nurses from across the province. 

CNO presented at the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO) Annual Conference in Toronto from Sept. 20–22, where attendees had the opportunity to celebrate 50 years of the NPAO.

The largest nurse practitioner (NP) conference of its kind in Canada, the event brought together NPs, employers, exhibitors, health care partners and more to share knowledge, network and celebrate the profession.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase CNO expertise with NPs from across Ontario”, said Catriona Mill, CNO’s Manager of Practice Quality. She presented alongside Advanced Practice Consultant Chantal Rioux at the event, sharing insights about CNO’s regulatory role and its modernization, legislation and regulation changes and NP practice updates.

Cathy Tersigni and Sarah Alley, CNO Advanced Practice Consultants, at NPAO Conference

Cathy Tersigni and Sarah Alley, CNO Advanced Practice Consultants, at NPAO Conference 

CNO had a booth at the event, where we connected with nurses who had questions about their practice and CNO initiatives, such as Quality Assurance, the new Scope of Practice standard, Code of Conduct and more.

“It's inspiring to see so many nurse practitioners gathered together and engaged with their accountabilities to support client safety,” said Mill.

The conference featured an awards celebration, exhibits, educational opportunities, plenary sessions and sponsored symposia. In addition, at the booth, CNO had a call out to nurses working in independent practice or with medical assistance in dying (MAID) who are interested in participating in a focus group about revisions to guidelines related to their practice. If you are interested in providing subject matter expertise in either of these areas, please fill out this survey.

It was a parallel anniversary celebration of sorts for NPAO and CNO. While NPAO is celebrating 50 years since its founding in 1973, this year marks 60 years for CNO.

The organizations have collaborated over that time to pursue shared success in supporting patient safety. In 1997 CNO became the first Canadian regulator to regulate NPs. It continues to follow the single regulator model where all Ontario nurses can look to one organization for their standards and accountabilities.

“It was a great opportunity to connect and collaborate with NPs, and we look forward to continuing to build on our shared success in the future,” added Mill.

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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