August 10, 2020
April 2021

Making QA work for you

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are mindful of the ongoing challenges you face. That’s why we are introducing a new Quality Assurance (QA) Program that focuses on self-assessment activities to support your ongoing professional development. Even in uncertain times, it is critical that you continue to keep your knowledge, skill and judgment up-to-date.

QA is an ongoing process that is fundamental to safe, quality care. Our goal is to offer a QA program that enables continuous learning. Here’s what’s changing in 2021 ... 

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we are mindful of the ongoing challenges you face. That’s why we are introducing a new Quality Assurance (QA) Program that focuses on self-assessment activities to support your ongoing professional development. Even in uncertain times, it is critical that you continue to keep your knowledge, skill and judgment up-to-date.

QA is an ongoing process that is fundamental to safe, quality care. Our goal is to offer a QA program that enables continuous learning. Here’s what’s changing in 2021:

Self-assessment activities

Reflecting on and assessing your practice happens every day. We know that during the COVID-19 pandemic, you have been continuously learning and adapting to changes all year long. This year, as you reflect, ask yourself if you can identify gaps or opportunities to enhance your practice. Then, create learning goals and develop a Learning Plan for 2021. For more information about this process, see our new Self-Assessment Guide and Learning Plan template.

QA Assessment

This year, we will randomly select nurses for QA Assessment. We will contact selected nurses by email at some point during the year. If selected, you’ll need to submit your Learning Plan to CNO and complete a Code of Conduct Practice Activity. The purpose of this activity is to make sure you have a good understanding of how your practice aligns with the principles of the Code. Nurse Practitioners selected for QA Assessment will complete an additional activity.

Coaching support

Later in the year, we will introduce QA coaches to guide you through the QA Program. Coaching support will be available for nurses participating in the QA Assessment.

We continue to find ways to make QA more meaningful to you. Visit www.cno.org/myqa to find resources and tools to guide you through QA every day.

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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