May 01, 2024
March 2019

RN entry-to-practice competencies changing in 2020

We’d like to thank all RNs who provided feedback on the proposed changes to the RN entry-to-practice (ETP) competencies. You along with RNs across Canada helped to inform the final version, which will come into effect in September 2020. You can read the new competencies at...

We’d like to thank all RNs who provided feedback on the proposed changes to the RN entry-to-practice (ETP) competencies. You along with RNs across Canada helped to inform the final version, which will come into effect in September 2020. You can read the new competencies at Entry-to-Practice Competencies for Registered Nurses.  

Every five years, the Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators leads a review and update to make sure the competencies are current and consistent across the country.

In the new revision, a roles-based model organizes the competencies under the multiple roles nurses assume when providing safe care. The roles are: clinician, professional, communicator, collaborator, coordinator, leader, advocate, educator and scholar. The competencies also reflect changes in the health care environment, such as increased focus on patient acuity, use of social media and continuous quality improvement. As well, the competencies include recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action.

Next steps

Between now and 2020, we will update our Program Approval documents to align with the new competencies. RN nursing education programs will integrate the new competencies into their curriculums.

Visit Become a Nurse for more information on entry-to-practice and Nursing Education Program Approval.

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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