Discipline Committee hearings are held in cases where an RN, RPN or NP has been referred by the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee because of the serious nature of the alleged professional misconduct and/or incompetence.

A discipline hearing is a formal legal process. A panel of the committee listens to evidence about a nurse’s practice and/or conduct and makes a decision about whether to dismiss the allegations or find that the nurse has committed professional misconduct or is incompetent.

Witnesses may be called by CNO to testify at a hearing because they have information that CNO believes will assist the panel. Read the Information for Witnesses document for more on what to expect as a witness.

Decision outcomes from the Discipline Committee can include:

• an oral reprimand
• revocation or suspension of a nurse’s certificate of registration
• restrictions or limitations on a nurse’s certificate of registration (costs, fines, meetings with regulatory expert, independent practice restriction, etc.)
• education and remedial activities
• the requirement to notify an employer about the committee’s decision
• employer audits of the nurse’s practice (For example charting practices to ensure they are in line with the Documentation, Revised 2008 practice standard.)

In most cases, the Discipline Committee’s order requires the nurse to inform his or her employer(s) about its decision. If a nurse's certificate is revoked, the person may not use the title RN, RPN or NP, hold herself or himself out as a nurse in providing service, or undertake any controlled act.

Summaries of committee decisions are published in the The Standard, and on CanLII Connects; a Canadian legal database of case commentaries and summaries. Decisions are also added to the nurse’s profile on the CNO’s public register, Find a Nurse, indefinitely.

The Discipline Committee has established rules and guidelines that govern the hearings process. Discipline hearings are generally open to the public.