October 11, 2023
October 2023

CNO Presents on Modernizing Registration at CLEAR Conference

CNO went to Utah to share how we are improving the application process for all applicant, especially internationally educated applicants.  

CNO’s Angela McNabb, RN and Manager of Registration Modernization, presented at the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR) Annual Educational Conference. The conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah from Sept. 27–30, 2023.

The presentation discussed CNO’s approach to improving the application process for all applicants, focusing on internationally educated applicants to ensure more nurses can practice safely in Ontario.

“It was an honour to present on CNO’s efforts to modernize applicant assessment for IENs (Internationally Educated Nurses), alongside my international peers. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase CNO’s innovative approach to nursing registration and to learn from other regulators around the world,” said McNabb. “CNO is committed to ensuring that our assessment processes are fair, transparent and evidence-informed for all applicants, regardless of where they obtained their education."

The presentation highlighted some of the initiatives that CNO developed to improve the registration process for IENs, for example, updating the language proficiency requirement and criminal record check, changes to Temporary Registration and Reinstatement regulations in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and providing more guidance and resources such as the Supervised Practice Experience Program, for applicants and employers.

"We are proud of the work we have done to improve the assessment and integration of IENs, who are a valuable and diverse group of professionals that contribute to the quality and safety of care in Ontario,” said McNabb.

The CLEAR conference is the largest international event for professional and occupational regulators, with a focus on promoting regulatory excellence. The conference features sessions on various topics related to regulatory administration, governance, compliance, discipline, enforcement, testing, examinations, entry to practice standards and continuing competence. The conference also provides opportunities for networking and collaboration among regulators from different jurisdictions and sectors.

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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