College Of Nurses Of Ontario

Fitness To Practise Committee

A CNO statutory committee that determines whether a nurse is suffering from a physical or mental condition or disorder that is affecting, or could affect, their practice. The committee can revoke or suspend a nurses certificate of registration, and/or have specific terms, conditions and/or limitations imposed on it.

Our Annual Report: Strengthening The System

The second year of the pandemic continued to present extraordinary challenges to the health care system including to CNO. We continued to address the needs of the system by supporting safe nursing care and registering more nurses more quickly. Now, you can read in our annual report, about all the ways we supported Ontarios pandemic response in 2021.

Titled Strengthening the System our annual report is part of our commitment to partnership and accountability. It details the work we did to protect and promote patient safety in 2021, including registering a record number of internationally educated nurses , putting our Strategic Plan into action and working with our valued partners in patient safety, such as Ontario Health, with whom we laid the groundwork for the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership .

Hparb Reviews Of College Of Nurses Of Ontario Complaint Decisions

After the Inquiries Complaints and Reports Committee of the College of Nurses of Ontario decision about a complaint about a nurse’s conduct or competence, both the nurse and the complainant have a right to request a review of the decision by the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board , unless the decision was to refer the matter to the Discipline Committee or the Fitness-to-Practice Committee.

Read on to get answers to some

frequently asked questions

for Ontario nurses.

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What Information And Documents With The Board Consider

The Board will consider the ICRC’s written decision, the CNO’s Record of Investigation , and the submissions made by the complainant and the nurse. In some cases, the parties might submit additional records that they believe the ICRC ought to have considered but did not. The Board will also consider applicable law, including the relevant legislation and case law.

What Types Of Icrc Decisions Cannot Be Reviewed By The Hparb

There are a number of types of decisions of the ICRC that the HPARB cannot review, these include:

Short deadlines apply to most appeal and review requests. If you have received a less than favourable decision from the College, it is always a good idea to consult with a lawyer as soon possible, to understand and preserve your rights and options.

Carina Lentschis an Ontario health lawyer.

She specializes in advocating for health professionals, including in College complaints and investigations, fitness-to-practice, registration, and discipline proceedings, privacy and human rights matters.

Carina shares general information relevant to health professionals and her practice in her blog posts. For legal advice about a specific situation, please contact her directly. To find out how Carina may be able to help you, book a free consult.It’s easier than you may think!

To learn more about Carina’s law practice . You can subscribe to Carina’s newsletter and follow her on

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Who Can Request A Complaint Review

Both the complainant and the nurse who was the subject of the complaint can request the Board to review the decision of the ICRC. Many complaint reviews are initiated by the complainant in circumstances where they believe that the ICRCs decision did not take sufficient action. If a complainant requests a review by the Board, the nurse will be considered a respondent.

A nurse may also seek a complaint review. For example, in cases where the ICRC has decided that the nurse is to be cautioned and/or complete a Specified Education and Remediation Program the nurse may wish to seek a review of the ICRC’s decision.

The decision of whether or not to proceed with a review should be carefully considered. A professional regulation lawyer can help you determine whether it is a good idea to request a review by the Board.

Registration Requirements For Cno

The undergraduate nursing programs at York University are approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario and are designed to lead to eligibility for professional registration as a Registered Nurse.

To practice nursing in Canada, all graduates of an approved nursing program must complete and pass a registration exam approved by the Colleges Council and meet College requirements to become a Registered Nurse. The designation of the title Registered Nurse is regulated in Ontario by the College of Nurses of Ontario . For more details please visit the CNO website Become a Nurse.

The College of Nurses of Ontario publishes the Entry Level Competencies that are required to enter the profession in Ontario. To achieve these competencies a student needs to possess certain essential skills and abilities. These include cognitive, communicative, communication, interpersonal, behavioural, psycho-motor, sensory and environmental capacities, all of which are essential for professional practice. They can be found on the College of Nurses website under Fact Sheet: Requisite Skills and Abilities for nursing practice in Ontario .

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Entitled To Practice With Restrictions

The nurse is a current member of CNO, but has terms, conditions and/or limitations on their practice. These may be in place as a result of:

The restrictions appear in the nurses profile.

College Of Registered Nurses Of Alberta

A regulatory college under the Health Professions Act.

We would like to acknowledge that the CRNA office is within Treaty 6 Territory and we recognize our members on Treaty 4, 6, 7, 8 and 10. The CRNA is dedicated to improving Indigenous health and to supporting culturally safe and appropriate care to Indigenous patients and families in Alberta.

The College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta is operating as College of Registered Nurses of Alberta until the Health Professions Act can be amended to reflect the name change.

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New Nursing Roles In Ontario

The Ontario government recognizes the need for new, innovative health care roles in areas of need. In that vein, here are two exciting emerging nursing roles.

Registered Nurse-Performed Flexible Sigmoidoscopy The RNFS pilot project in Ontario involves educating Registered Nurses to perform flexible sigmoidoscopies a diagnostic procedure used to screen for abnormalities in the lower third of the colon increasing patient access to colorectal cancer screening. RNs who are implementing this role have attained specialized education and participated in training procedures prior to becoming independent practitioners.

Registered Nurse – Surgical First Assist RN-SFAs function collaboratively with the surgical team to achieve optimal patient outcomes. Creation of these positions supports reducing wait times for surgical services. To become a RN-SFA, a RN with previous operating room experience attains additional education in surgical first assistance.

Learn more about the different career paths you can choose at:

What To Expect During A Complaint Review

A complaint review may be conducted in person, by video- or teleconference, or in writing.

It is notable that once a complaint review has been requested, it will typically proceed whether or not the complainant, the nurse, and/or their legal representative appear at the hearing.

Hearings are typically presided by three adjudicators of the board. One adjudicator will act as the “Chair”. It is common practice for the Chair of the Board to explain the hearing process and order of proceedings to the parties at the outset of the hearing.

The parties to the review have an opportunity to make submissions on the issues of whether the ICRC’s investigation was adequate and whether its decision was reasonable, with reference to the CNOs Record of Investigation and any relevant law.

A representative of the CNO will also attend the hearing to answer questions the adjudicators of the Board may have for the College. However, the CNO is not considered a “party” to the review and does not make submissions.

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What Is The Health Professions Appeal And Review Board

The HPARB is a specialized independent administrative tribunal. The Board is neither affiliated with the CNO nor Ontario’s Provincial Government. It is the legislated authority to review complaint decisions made by the ICRC.

Reviews of decisions made by the ICRC of all Ontario health regulatory Colleges make up the majority of the Board’s work, although the Board has the power to conduct a variety of other types of reviews and appeals.

What Happens After The Review

Once the parties have made all of their submissions and the hearing has been completed, the adjudicators will typically “reserve” their decision. This means that the adjudicators will not tell the parties about their decision until some later date.

Decisions of the Board are later released in writing. The written of the Board will include its reasons for the decision. Decisions of the Board are published and publically available on the CanLII website. Published HPARB decisions used to be anonymized by referring to the parties by the initials instead of their full names, however, this is no longer the case.

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What Rules Apply To Complaint Reviews

The Health Professions Procedural Code , which is a part of the Regulated Health Professions Act sets out the procedural requirements and powers of the HPARB in a complaint review. In addition, some provisions of the Statutory Powers Procedure Act and the Board’s own Rules of Practice apply to complaint reviews. The Board’s Rules of Practiceare accessible on the Board’s website.

National Nursing Education Accreditation Adopted By College Of Nurses Of Ontario

On 17 June 2002, the Board of Accreditation of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing concluded its candidacy review of the first three collaborative nursing programs according to the agreement with the College of Nurses of Ontario .

Dr. Cynthia Cameron, Chair of the Board of Accreditation, announced These reviews proceeded according to the national accreditation standards and the Board is confident that the remaining nursing programs in Ontario will be reviewed in time to meet the CNO deadline.

CASN has been reviewing the quality of nursing education for almost 20 years and has the experience in peer-review evaluation necessary to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the wide variety of nursing programs and partnerships that are now offered, says Cameron. Quality nursing education is essential to produce well-educated, professional nurses for the Canadian health care system.

The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing is the national voice of nursing education and scholarship.

CASN Accreditation Program for CNO Approval

For additional information, please contact:

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Entitled To Practice With Restrictions Cannot Prescribe Controlled Substances Until Specialized Education Is Completed

The Nurse Practitioner is a current member of CNO and is Entitled to Practice with Restrictions. Ontario NPs have the authority to prescribe controlled substances if they successfully complete approved controlled substances education. NPs who choose not to complete controlled substances education are not authorized to prescribe controlled substances, as reflected on Find a Nurse. For more information on controlled substances and what competencies are taught in controlled substances education, visit the NPs and Prescribing Controlled Substances page.

Nursing Jobs And Salaries

Depending on your certification, nursing careers may include fields like:

• Acute care
• Long-term care institutions
• Hospitals

Licensed nurses may also serve as practitioners, educators and managers in the health field. Nurses also have options in the travel & tourism industry, as travel nurses are often in high demand.

Salaries in the field increase with experience. Registered nurses can expect starting salaries from $45,000 to $50,000 per year, and those that have a specialty like critical care, could start at $60,000 or more. Practical nurses have lower starting salaries, at around $43,000 per year.

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This Is What Guides All Of Our Work

Our values will help to guide, unify and lay the foundation of success for the new organization that is reflective of its stakeholders and goals as one nursing regulator in Nova Scotia.

Accountability

• Being courageous and committed to making evidence-informed decisions.
• Being accountable and responsible for the decisions we make.

Transparency

• Engaging in a participatory, collaborative and respectful way.
• Disseminating clear, relevant and useful information and guidelines.

Integrity

• Being truthful, honest and engaging in respectful dialogue.
• Performing all activities in a fair and consistent way, precluding bias against anyone.

Agility

• Anticipating and responding with an open mind.
• Fostering a mindset of collaboration, openness, and innovation.

Relational

• Cultivating and sustaining relationships by being respectful, inclusive, genuine and consistent.
• Behaving in a manner that encompasses diversity and reflects professionalism.

College Of Nurses Of Ontario

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What Issues Can The Hparb Consider

When it comes to complaint reviews, the Board’s powers are limited to considering the following two questions or issues:

Based on prior decisions of the Board, “an adequate investigation does not need to be exhaustive. Rather, the ICRC must seek to obtain the essential information relevant to making an informed decision regarding the issues raised in the complaint.”

When considering whether a decision of the ICRC was reasonable, the panel of adjudicators of the HPARB will not ask whether it would come to the same decision, but rather whether the decision can reasonably be supported by the information before it and can withstand a somewhat probing examination.

The Board will not consider whether the ICRC’s decision was the “correct” decision or the “best” decision.

Entitled To Practice Cannot Prescribe Controlled Substances Until Specialized Education Is Completed

The Nurse Practitioner is a current member of CNO and is Entitled to Practice with No Restrictions. Ontario NPs have the authority to prescribe controlled substances if they successfully complete approved controlled substances education. NPs who choose not to complete controlled substances education are not authorized to prescribe controlled substances, as reflected on Find a Nurse. For more information on controlled substances and what competencies are taught in controlled substances education, visit the NPs and Prescribing Controlled Substances page.

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Clinical Partnerships At Our Ontario Nursing School

We are proud of our Ontario campus and the nursing clinical partnerships we have established as a resource for our students. Our partners play a vital role in the professional development of students during the core curriculum of the BSN program at our Ontario nursing school. Visit Who We Are to learn more about our mission and goals.

Registration Requirements For Internationally Educated Nurses

To practise as a regulated health professional in Ontario, you must be a member of your professions regulatory college and hold a certificate of registration. Regulated health professionals are required by law to deliver competent, ethical and professional services, and are accountable to the public through their respective colleges.

The College of Nurses of Ontario is the regulatory body for nursing practice in Ontario.The CNO regulates nursing to protect the public interest and sets requirements to enter the profession, establishes and enforces standards of nursing practice, and assures the quality of practice of the profession and the continuing competence of nurses.

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Inquiries Complaints And Reports Committee

A CNO statutory committee that consists of nurses and members of the public who screen matters about public complaints or reports. Since June 4, 2009, the ICRC has combined the functions of the Board of Inquiry and the Complaints Committee, with the screening function of the Executive Committee.

The ICRC reviews written materials and determines whether a hearing is required or if some other action would address the public interest. Depending on the matter under review, the ICRC considers the results of a health inquiry or misconduct investigation, or may accept a resolution that the nurse and complainant propose.

What To Expect From A Career In Nursing

Nursing programs at Ontario colleges come at varying levels for those in or interested in the field. Courses meet the needs of current Registered Nurses looking to diversify their skills as well as future nurses looking to get started.

Patient care demands exceptional attention to detail and a compassion for those in need. If you have these things and you see yourself starting or continuing in nursing education, heres what you need to know.

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