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RN Applicants: Evidence of Practice
If you are not a recent nursing graduate and CNO asks you to provide evidence of recent nursing practice, it must include:
- past position(s) in nursing (e.g., staff nurse, researcher, educational instructor)
- practice setting(s) (e.g., long-term care, acute care hospital, in-patient unit)
- patient population(s) (e.g., geriatrics, paediatrics)
- evidence of registration in the relevant jurisdiction(s)
- job description(s)
CNO will assess all information to determine if you meet the evidence of practice requirement.
For RN applicants, CNO considers if your nursing practice shows that you:
- used your nursing knowledge, skill and judgment
- applied the standards of practice or guidelines relevant to the jurisdiction where you practised
- affected, directly or indirectly, the delivery of health care services to clients.
Note: RN applicants who successfully complete complete Touchstone Institute's RNCCAP evaluation will meet the evidence of practice requirement for their RN application. The expiry date is three years from the date the Touchstone evaluation was successfully completed.
Successful completion is a score of 3.5 and higher.
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Did you complete nursing education that meets the nursing education requirement within the last 3 years? |
 YES |
Requirement met
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NO
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Within the last 3 years, have you practised (i.e., worked or volunteered) as an RN? |
YES |
Requirement met
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NO
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Has CNO received information about your experience or nursing education within the last 3 years, and determined that it meets the evidence of practice requirement? |
YES |
Requirement met
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NO
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YES
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Have you, or will you, return to another jurisdiction to practise as an RN? |
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NO
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Will you follow instructions and successfully complete additional education the College indicates to meet the evidence of practice requirement? |
YES |
Requirement met
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NO
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Review by the Registration Committee |
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Additional education for meeting evidence of practice requirement
Most applicants who don't meet the evidence of practice requirement have the option of completing additional education.
Course content and the number of practicum hours depend on the type of registration the applicant is requesting, and the number of years they have been out of nursing practice.
Some applicants may be eligible to participate in a supervised practice experience in Ontario to meet your Evidence of Practice.
Read the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership for more details about the program and eligibility requirements.
RN applicants who have not practised in 3 – 10 years must complete:
- 400 hours of clinical/practical/consolidation experience
and
- nursing course content related to cultural context, computers, technology, pharmacology, practice standards, health assessment, legal/ethical, gerontology and communication.
RN applicants who have not practised in 10 – 15 years must complete:
- 600 hours of clinical/practical/consolidational experience
and
- nursing course content related to cultural context, computers, technology, pharmacology, practice standards, health assessment, legal/ethical, gerontology, mental health, crisis management, family-centred care, nursing research, nursing theory/framework, leadership, advanced communication and community.
RN applicants who have not practised in more than 15 years must complete:
- 400 hours of clinical practice
and
- 300 hours practical/consolidation experience
and
- nursing course content related to cultural context, computers, technology, pharmacology, practice standards, health assessment, legal/ethical, gerontology, mental health, crisis management, family-centred care, nursing theory/framework, leadership, advanced communication and community.
Advanced standing
You may wish to ask the school if they can assess your previous education, experience and knowledge (also known as a Prior Learning Assessment Recognition or PLAR), or if they will give you advanced standing for any courses. If you receive advanced standing, the school must indicate this on the CNO’s Verification of Course Completion form and provide a letter explaining why it gave you advanced standing.
Applying as both an RN and RPN
If you are applying for registration as both an RN and RPN, you will meet the requirement for both applications by completing the theoretical and clinical practicum, and consolidation hours, that your RN application requires.
