June 26, 2025

Rodolfo D. Lastimosa Jr., the new chair for CNO’s Council

Rodolfo D. Lastimosa Jr., RPN and RN (Council Chair).

We are delighted to introduce Rodolfo D. Lastimosa Jr., the newly appointed chair of CNO’s Council.

Rodolfo brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for the nursing profession.

As an internationally educated nurse from the Philippines, Rodolfo has dedicated his career to making a positive impact on people's lives and contributing to the well-being of society. In this interview, Rodolfo shares his journey, motivations and insights into the nursing profession.

  1. Why did you become a nurse?
    Can you tell us more about your career in nursing? Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my story. My name is Rodolfo D. Lastimosa Jr., and I am honored to serve as the new Council chair of CNO. I am an internationally educated nurse from the Philippines, and I am truly passionate about the nursing profession.

    I decided to become a nurse because I have always had a deep desire to make a positive impact on people's lives and contribute to the well-being of society. Nursing provided me with the perfect platform to fulfill this calling. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working in various healthcare settings, including hospitals, community health centers and long-term care facilities.

    My nursing journey has been incredibly rewarding. I have had the opportunity to care for patients of diverse backgrounds, help them during their most vulnerable moments, and witness the incredible resilience of the human spirit. Nursing has taught me to be compassionate, adaptive, and dedicated to lifelong learning.

  2. What motivated you to want to volunteer with CNO? 
    As an internationally educated nurse, the opportunity to volunteer with CNO was a natural next step for me. CNO plays a pivotal role in regulating the nursing profession in Ontario and ensuring the public's safety and trust in nurses. I wanted to contribute my knowledge, skills, and diverse perspective to support Council’s accountability to the public by helping to make decisions that align with CNO’s public protection mandate.

    Additionally, volunteering with CNO allows me to give back to the nursing community that has supported and nurtured me during my journey to becoming a Registered Nurse in Ontario.

  3. What would you tell nurses who might be interested in joining Council or one of CNO’s committees? 
    To nurses who may be interested in joining Council or one of CNO's committees, I would say go for it! Volunteering with CNO provides a unique opportunity to actively contribute to shaping the future of nursing in Ontario. It allows you to have a direct impact on the policies and standards that govern our profession. By serving on Council or one of CNO's committees, you can lend your expertise, insights and perspectives to the decision-making processes. You have the chance contribute to the development of evidence-based practices that promote safe, competent and ethical nursing care.

    Moreover, volunteering with CNO offers immense personal and professional growth. It provides a platform for networking, collaborating with healthcare leaders, and staying updated on the latest advancements in nursing practice. It is a chance to make a difference and contribute to the continued improvement of our nursing profession.

    I encourage nurses who are interested to explore the various opportunities available within CNO and consider volunteering their time and expertise. Together, we can shape the future of nursing and ensure the highest standard of care for our patients and communities.

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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