October 14, 2022

CNO sets new registration record

As of October 1, 2022, the number of nurses CNO registered in Ontario reached 183,954 — an increase of 3.6% since this time last year. This number includes 12,802 registrations newly available to the health care system so far in 2022. Of these new registrations, 5,848 are international registrations across all nursing categories.

Image of two nurses wearing masks.

Toronto, Ont. (Oct. 14, 2022)  - The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) protects the public by promoting safe nursing practice. This includes registering nurses who are qualified to practice safely in Ontario.

As of October 1, 2022, the number of nurses CNO registered in Ontario reached 183,954 — an increase of 3.6% since this time last year. This number includes 12,802 registrations newly available to the health care system so far in 2022. Of these new registrations, 5,848 are international registrations across all nursing categories.

Image of two nurses wearing masks.

“This milestone marks the fourth consecutive year of increasing registrations of new nurses,” says Silvie Crawford, CNO’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. “During this extraordinary time in the health care sector, nurses with the knowledge, skill and judgment are answering the call to provide safe, quality patient care in communities across the province.”

The increase in registrations is a result of CNO’s ongoing efforts to modernize its applicant assessment processes. This includes collaborative initiatives with other health care system partners, like the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership, which has supported registering 841 internationally educated nurses so far.

“This is transformational work, but we know that the need for health human resources continues to grow. That's why we are resolute in our commitment to public protection and doing everything we can to identify new opportunities and solutions to respond to the growing system demand,” says Crawford.

On September 2, 2022, the Ministry of Health supported CNO’s plan to register more nurses, so they can provide the care that is critical to Ontario’s patients. This plan included proposed changes to registration regulations, unanimously approved by Council, to allow for more flexibility to register qualified applicants and to reinstate non-practicing nurses.

“We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts with the Ministry and other system partners to explore longer-term strategies,” Crawford adds.

Check CNO’s registrations at a glance and applicant statistics to keep up to date on nursing registration in Ontario. 

Updated Nov. 30, 2022 to indicate registrations are a record number for CNO, representing potential available nurses to the system.

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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