FAQs: Quality Assurance (QA)
What is Quality Assurance?
Nurses maintain and enhance their competence through daily practice reflection, lifelong learning and by integrating that learning into their practice. As practicing nurses, QA is integral in ensuring the public receives safe, quality and ethical care.
The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 requires CNO to establish and administer a QA Program that assists nurses in maintaining competence and continually evaluating their practice.
CNO’s QA Program consists of three components:
- QA Everyday
- QA Assessment
- Remedial support
Where can I find the reflective questions?
You can find the reflective questions on the Practice Reflection section of our website.
Can I reflect with my team or in a group setting?
Yes. Reflection can take place in a group setting. Group reflection provides opportunities to learn from each other, identify common goals and inform your own assessment.
Do I need to complete a Learning Plan?
Yes. It is your accountability under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 to complete a learning plan every year. You can do this however you choose. Some nurses use CNO’s template, other nurses prefer using a notebook to record their plans for the year. CNO requires the learning plan identify two learning goals. If you are selected for QA Assessment, you will be required to submit your learning plan to CNO. You should keep a copy of your learning plan for two years.
What if my Learning Plan changes throughout the year?
As reflective practitioners, nurses reflect on their practice everyday to identify opportunities for continuous improvement to support professional learning and growth. Working in a pandemic can result in many changes for health professionals. If your learning goals change or if there have been other significant changes in your practice, it is appropriate to revise your learning plan.
Will CNO select nurses for QA Assessment?
Yes. CNO will be selecting a small group of nurses to go through a QA Assessment. QA Assessment will include submitting your learning plan, which identifies two learning goals, and a Code of Conduct practice activity. You will receive feedback on your submitted QA activities from a Peer Coach. If you don't successfully complete this assessment, you will be required to complete additional learning activities.
Do I have to participate in the QA Program if I am newly registered with CNO?
Yes. Newly registered nurses in the General or Extended class are expected to participate in QA by reflecting daily on their practice and participating in learning activities to maintain their continuing competence.
If I am registered with CNO in the General or Extended Class but I am not practicing nursing, do I have to participate in QA?
Yes. All nurses registered in the General or Extended Class are expected to participate in QA activities, except for nurses in the Non-Practising Class. For more information about the Non-Practising Class, go to the Registration Classes section of this website.
Even if you are not currently working, you can still reflect on your nursing practice experiences to determine your strengths, areas for improvement and learning needs. These experiences can include previous formal employment, or student placements if you are a new graduate.
You can also reflect on relevant new information and think about how it might influence your practice. For example, is there new evidence or legislation that may change how you would deliver care?
Part of practice reflection is getting feedback from peers. You can get peer feedback from a colleague who is familiar with your recent nursing roles, or include feedback from a previous clinical evaluation.
Once you have identified your learning needs from this reflection, you can plan your learning goals, and the activities you need to do to achieve them in your learning plan.
Where do I check for updates for CNO’s QA program?
Updates to CNO’s QA program will be available on our website. We also will notify you of any changes in The Standard, and on our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram pages.
