CHANGE IN POLICY FOR ONTARIO NURSES IN THE US

The below post was brought to my attention by Michigan attorney Marc Topoleski.  Much of this post is taken directly from a recent email exchange between us.

Canadian nurse licensure in Ontario is governed by the College of Nurses of Ontario.  The CNO has changed their policy for Non- Practising Ontario nurses, such as those who have moved to the US. 

Under the new policy non-practicing Ontario nurses must convert their CNO membership to a registration in the Non- Practising Class.  This requires an annual fee.  A nurse registered in the Non- Practising class cannot practice nursing in Ontario, not even in a volunteer capacity.  These nurses also have a second option.  They can resign their CNO membership. 

One question that Marc and I have is whether this new policy will have any impact on Canadian nurses from Ontario at the time of their VisaScreen renewal.  Neither of us has yet had a nurse in the Non-Practising class apply for a Visa Screen renewal.

Our opinion is that if an Ontario nurse allows his/her license to go inactive (by converting to the Non-Practising class) or lapse (by failing to renew license because they are not actively practicing in Ontario that this should have no impact as part of CGFNS’ license validation. 

Marc also passes along additional notes about nurses returning to Ontario.

Ontario nurses who choose to maintain registration in the Non-Practising class need to apply for reinstatement of their CNO membership if they want to return to Ontario to practice nursing.  The reinstatement process includes passing the Ontario RN Jurisprudence Examination.  The RN Jurisprudence Examination is an online examination that assesses an applicant's knowledge and understanding of the laws, regulations, by-laws, practice standards and guidelines that govern the nursing profession in Ontario.  There is a $40 fee (CDN) to take the exam.  This exam is different than the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE), which is the Canadian national examination that measures the competencies required of nurses at the beginning of their practice.

For Ontario nurses who choose to resign their CNO membership, they can apply for reinstatement within 3 years of the date their CNO membership ended without having to take any examinations, but would have to pay reinstatement fees.  However, if a nurse wanted to return to practice as a nurse in Ontario after 3 years from the date their CNO membership ended, it appears they would have to apply for licensure under the same process as first-time applicants.