November 08, 2017
March 2018

Have your say: NP status on the Register

We want your feedback on a proposed change to the language we use on the public Register.

The College is proposing a by-law change related to the language we use on our public Register, Find a Nurse. The change will use different language to describe the status of NPs who have not completed the education required to prescribe controlled substances.

The law requires NPs to complete controlled substances education before they are able to prescribe controlled substances. While some NPs may not plan to prescribe controlled substances, the College encourages all NPs to complete the education because it has content that is relevant to all NPs.

Currently, if an NP chooses not to complete approved controlled substances education, the NP’s status on Find a Nurse says: “Entitled to practise with restrictions.” A further explanation under the “Practice Information” tab states: “This member cannot prescribe controlled substances. They have not completed the education needed to do so.”

In September 2017, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care asked the College to remove the word “restriction” from NPs’ status in relation to this education requirement. We also received stakeholder feedback that our language could be misinterpreted as a restriction that was imposed due to conduct issues.

Proposed change

To change the wording on the Register, we need to delete the current provision in paragraph 5.01 under Article 44.1.06 of By-Law No. 1: General, which requires the College to use the word “restriction” on the Register, and replace it with the following:

5.01 Where a member holds an extended class certificate of registration as an RN (Nurse Practitioner) but has not met the requirements under the regulations made under the Nursing Act, 1991 to prescribe controlled substances, a notation to that effect.

This will result in removing the word “restriction” from Find a Nurse so it is clear that an NP’s inability to prescribe controlled substances is not related to a conduct matter.

The College is consulting with different stakeholders including NPs, employers and associations, to ensure the language on the Register is accurate and clear.  

To comment on the proposed change, complete this short survey by Friday, June 1, 2018.

 

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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