About professional liability protection

Professional liability protection (PLP) is a type of insurance that provides financial compensation for members of the public who have been harmed because of malpractice or negligence by a professional. Practicing nurses are required to have PLP.

There are two types of PLP:

  • Occurrence-based PLP covers claims for incidents that occur while the coverage is in place. It does not matter when the claim is filed.
  • Claims-made PLP covers claims for incidents if the claim is filed while the policy or protection is active. The coverage is based on when the claim is filed, not when the incident occurred.

If your PLP is “claims-made” protection, you must maintain extended coverage (called “tail coverage”) for a period of two years after the policy or protection ends.

Classes of nursing that require PLP

The public can expect that any nurse who is listed on Find a Nurse as eligible to practice nursing in Ontario has PLP. CNO's by-law 44.4 specifies that nurses in the following classes must hold PLP. If you are registered in one of these classes, you must have PLP even if you are not currently practicing nursing:

  • General Class
  • Extended Class
  • Temporary Class
  • Emergency Assignment Class
  • Special Assignment Class

Nurses in these classes working in non-clinical roles must have PLP, because they are still eligible to practice in clinical roles and may change roles at any time.

Nurses in the Non-Practising Class do not need PLP.

Amount of PLP required

The minimum coverage required is:

  • $1 million per claim for General, Temporary, Emergency Assignment and Special Assignment classes
  • $5 million per claim for Extended Class (NPs).

If your coverage includes a maximum amount that will be covered in a year, it must be at least:

  • $2 million per year for General, Temporary, Emergency Assignment and Special Assignment classes
  • $5 million per year for Extended Class (NPs)

Responsibility for purchasing PLP

If you are employed as a nurse, your employer may have insurance that covers its staff, including nurses. You are responsible for confirming that this coverage meets the minimum requirements and is appropriate for your individual circumstances and scope of practice.

Carefully review your employer's policy to understand what is covered and any limitations and exclusions. Consider doing this with a licensed insurance broker.

You should also consider obtaining written confirmation of your eligibility under your employer's policy.

To avoid any potential gaps in coverage, consider purchasing your own PLP policy for your practice.

Proof of PLP

CNO may request proof of adequate PLP at any time. When we need your proof of PLP, we will tell you exactly what type of proof we need.

You must declare that you understand your obligation to maintain PLP in accordance with the by-laws to register with CNO and renew your registration.

Who should I talk to if I have any questions about my PLP coverage?

Your employer, professional association, insurance broker or insurance company should be able to answer questions about whether the policy they provide meets the requirements in CNO's by-law.

Note: CNO does not recommend or endorse any particular insurance provider or broker.

Professional Liability Protection FAQs

You need to have PLP coverage for all of your nursing practice, including in different settings.

Since you are eligible to practice as both an RN and an RPN in the General Class, you must hold PLP that covers you in both roles.

If you are registered in the General, Extended, Temporary, Special Assignment or Emergency Assignment Class, you must have PLP that will cover your nursing practice. This includes PLP that will cover you if a situation arises that would require you to step out of your unregulated care provider role and into a nursing role to provide nursing care. You may want to consult a licensed insurance broker to ensure you have proper coverage.

Under the Good Samaritan Act, health care professionals, including nurses, are generally protected from liability when providing first aid or emergency care at the scene of an accident or in another urgent situation, as long as you act in good faith and within your professional scope of practice. Therefore, PLP is not specifically required for actions covered under the Good Samaritan Act. However, you should always ensure your actions follow the standards of practice.