June 05, 2023

CNO’s revised Code of Conduct takes effect

CNO has revised the Code of Conduct (Code) for the nursing profession. Nurses are accountable to this new practice standard effective June 5, 2023.

The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) protects the public by promoting safe nursing practice. This includes setting and maintaining practice standards and guidelines that support and ensure all nurses practice safely and competently.

CNO has revised the Code of Conduct (Code) for the nursing profession. Nurses are accountable to this new practice standard effective June 5, 2023.

As CNO’s central practice standard, the Code sets out the behaviours and conduct nurses are expected to follow.  It also tells the public what to expect from nurses when receiving care.

“The release of the revised Code of Conduct is an important milestone for CNO and ensures nursing standards keep pace with our ever-evolving profession” says Silvie Crawford, CNO’s Executive Director and CEO.  “I want to thank the many members of the public, nurses and health system leaders who contributed feedback and participated in consultations to make this revision a reality.”

The most significant change to the Code is the transformation of Principle 2, focusing on inclusive and safe care by practicing cultural humility. The Code also includes new features, such as integrating existing standards from Professional Standards and Ethics and embedding direct links to other CNO practice standards and guidelines.

Since key information and principles from Professional Standards and Ethics are embedded into the modernized Code, the Code will replace both these practice standards.

To help nurses understand the revisions to the Code and how to apply the Code in practice, we’re hosting virtual information sessions. We are also creating new learning resources for nurses.

Visit www.cno.org to learn more about the Code and access the new resources. If you have specific questions related to the Code, contact Practice Support. 

Code of Conduct - Introduction and Principle 1

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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