April 03, 2018

RN prescribing survey: What we learned

We asked and you answered. More than 700 people responded to our survey about RN prescribing. We will use the feedback to help us develop standards and other supports to protect the public.

We asked and you answered. More than 700 people responded to our survey about RN prescribing. We will use the feedback to help us develop practice standards and other supports to protect the public.

We received responses from nurses, associations, other regulators and the public in our online survey, which was available between April 30 and May 14, 2018. The survey included questions about:

  • future practice standards for RNs who prescribe

  • communicating information about the difference between RN prescribing and NP prescribing

  • proposed categories of medications RNs may be able to prescribe for non-complex conditions.

Most respondents (90 per cent) said the changes we proposed to our practice standards provided clear guidance about RNs’ accountabilities. Seventy-eight per cent felt the changes were needed to protect the public. Seventy-four per cent responded that the draft list of medications that RNs may be allowed to prescribe was appropriate.

Some stakeholders expressed concerns about the legal scope of practice for RN prescribing. The Ontario government set the requirement that RNs only prescribe medications (or “categories” of medications) that are named in a regulation. Stakeholders said they are concerned this will not be able to keep pace with changes in practice.

As well, they worry that RNs may not be able to diagnose health conditions and prescribe medication safely because they don’t have the authority to order lab or diagnostic tests, and perform point-of-care lab tests.

Earlier this month, we presented Council with a report about this consultation and the feedback we received. You can read the report on pages 108 – 130 of the June Council meeting materials.

What’s next?

We are now working on draft regulations to permit RNs to prescribe certain medications. We will publish a draft of the regulations in the September issue of The Standard and circulate the regulations for 60 days. Council will review your feedback and consider approving the regulations at its December meeting. Regulations that Council approves do not take effect until government also reviews, approves and passes them.

Keep informed! Watch for updates in The Standard and visit our Journey to RN Prescribing page.

About CNO

The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is the regulator of the nursing profession in Ontario. It is not a school or a nursing association. CNO acts in the public interest by:

  • assessing qualifications and registering individuals who want to practice nursing in Ontario.
  • setting the practice standards of the profession that nurses in Ontario are expected to meet.
  • promoting nurses' continuing competence through a quality assurance program.
  • holding nurses accountable to those standards by addressing complaints or reports about nursing care.

The College was founded in 1963. By establishing the College, the Ontario government was acknowledging that the nursing profession had the ability to govern itself and put the public's well-being ahead of professional interests.

For the latest information, please see our Nursing Statistics page.

Anyone who wants to use a nursing-related title — Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) or Nurse Practitioner (NP) must become a member of CNO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Go to the public Register, Find a Nurse, to conduct a search for the nurse. Contact us if you can't find the person you are looking for.

All public information available about nurses is posted in the public Register, Find a Nurse, which contains profiles of every nurse in Ontario. Publicly available information about nurses include their registration history, business address, and information related to pending disciplinary hearings or past findings.

Unregistered practitioners are people who are seeking employment in nursing or holding themselves out as being able to practice nursing in Ontario, but who are not qualified to do so. They are not registered members of CNO. Only people registered with CNO can use nursing-related titles or perform certain procedures that could cause harm if carried out by a non-registered health professional. CNO takes the issue of unregistered practitioners seriously. See Unregistered Practitioners for more information.

To ensure procedural fairness for both the patient (or client) and the nurse, the Regulated Health Professions Act requires that information gathered during an investigation remain confidential until the matter is referred to the Discipline Committee or Fitness to Practise Committee. CNO will not disclose any information that could identify patients (or clients) or compromise an investigation. See Investigations: A Process Guide for more information.

Information obtained during an investigation will become public if the matter is referred to a disciplinary hearing. If a complaint is not referred to a hearing, no information will be available publicly.

See CNO's hearings schedule, which is updated as hearing dates are confirmed. Hearings at CNO are open to the public and the media. For details on how to attend a hearing, contact the Hearings Administration Team.

A summary of allegations and the disciplinary panel outcomes can be found on the public Register, Find a Nurse. Full decisions and reasons are also available.

Where a disciplinary panel makes a finding of professional misconduct, they have the authority to reprimand a nurse, and suspend or revoke a nurse's registration. Terms, conditions and limitations can also be imposed on a nurse's registration, which restricts their practice for a set period. Nurses can also be required to complete remedial activities, such as reviewing CNO documents and meeting with an expert, before returning to practice.

For detailed information see the Sexual Abuse Prevention section.

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