Professional liability protection (PLP) provides financial compensation for members of the public who have been harmed because of malpractice or negligence by a professional.

Nurses in the General, Extended, Temporary, Emergency Assignment and Special Assignment classes are required to hold PLP. Nurses in those classes are accountable for ensuring they hold PLP that meets the requirements set out in By-Law 44.4.

Nurses in the Non-Practising Class do not need PLP. However, all members in the other classes are required to hold PLP, regardless of whether they are currently practicing nursing. The public can expect that any nurse who is listed on Find a Nurse as eligible to practice nursing in Ontario has professional liability protection.

If you are employed as a nurse, then your employer may have coverage 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. Please 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, you may wish to consider purchasing your own standalone PLP policy for your practice.

CNO may request proof of adequate PLP at any time. When CNO requires proof from a nurse, it will inform the nurse of the specific type of proof it needs.  Nurses in the identified classes are required to declare that they understand their obligation to maintain PLP in accordance with the by-laws as a condition of registration.

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) 

There are two types of liability protection:

1. Occurrence-based covers claims for incidents that occur while the coverage is in place. It does not matter when the claim is filed.
2. Claims-made 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 liability protection is “claims-made” protection, you are required to obtain extended coverage (called "tail coverage") for a period of two years after the policy or protection ends.

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.

Please note CNO does not recommend or endorse any insurance provider.

Nurses need to be confident they have PLP coverage for all their nursing practice, including in different settings.

Nurses who are not practicing but remain in the General, Extended, Temporary, Special Assignment or Emergency Assignment Class must have PLP.

Nurses in the specified classes are eligible to practice nursing to their full scope and may change roles at any time. CNO requires that all nurses registered in the General, Temporary, Extended, Emergency Assignment or Special Assignment classes hold PLP. The public can expect that any nurse who is listed on Find a Nurse as eligible to practice nursing in Ontario has professional liability protection.

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

Nurses in the General, Extended, Temporary, Special Assignment or Emergency Assignment Class require PLP that will cover their nursing practice. Nurses must ensure they have PLP that will cover them if a situation arises that would require them to step out of their unregulated care provider role and into a nursing role to provide nursing care. You may want to consult a licensed insurance broker to ensure they 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, provided 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.