A program designed to help more nurses register in Ontario has seen some important successes in its first three years, according to a new Evaluation Report from the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). The report explores key outcomes from CNO’s Supervised Practice Experience Partnership (SPEP), a groundbreaking program to help applicants meet requirements needed to register as a nurse in Ontario.
SPEP helps applicants, especially those who are internationally educated, meet the Evidence of Practice and Language Proficiency requirements to become registered as a nurse. It also supports the reinstatement process for individuals seeking to return to active nursing practice. CNO partnered with Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health to launch SPEP in 2022. The program’s goal is to quickly and safely register more nurses by offering a supervised practice experience under an experienced nurse preceptor, ultimately increasing the number of qualified nurses available to provide safe patient care in the province.
The Evaluation Report assesses SPEP’s effect on health human resources, examines the experience of key participant groups, and investigates the relationship between program participation and nursing practice concerns from the start of the program (January 2022) to the end of 2024.
Key findings of the Evaluation Report
- The SPEP program has had a positive impact on addressing health human resources within the first three years. Between 2022-2024, a total of 4,183 applicants completed the program and registered as nurses.
- Nurse retention and employment were other positive benefits. Almost all applicants that registered after completing SPEP renewed their registration the following year, and 72% of surveyed placement employers reported hiring their candidate after program completion.
- Survey feedback from applicants, registrants, preceptors, and placement employers indicate positive SPEP experiences, with many participants reporting improvements in knowledge, skills and familiarity with the Canadian health care system.
“It is very encouraging to see the positive results of the first three years of SPEP,” says Brent Knowles, Director, Analytics & Research at CNO. “And it provides evidence that the SPEP program is helping to get more qualified nurses into practice so that they can do what they do best: deliver great care to the patients of Ontario.”
CNO will continue to work with system partners to offer the SPEP program to eligible applicants. Our partners in the program (Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, and SPEP placement organizations) have been essential to its success and we look forward to continued collaboration on this important initiative.