National Nurse Practitioner Regulation Framework Implementation Plan Project
CNO, the Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators (CCRNR) and other system partners are collaborating towards the common goal of ensuring Nurse Practitioner (NP) regulation protects the public.
Currently, there are three specialty certificates for NPs in Ontario: Primary Health, Adult and Pediatric. CNO is working with partners to change this to a single NP classification, so NPs, employers and government have the flexibility and agility to deliver accessible services across patient populations. Under this new framework, NPs will have more opportunities to fill critical and vacant positions in underserved, rural and remote communities that may rely on NP models of primary care.
Our shared vision for a single NP classification is to:
- enable the appropriate national level of regulation in the public’s interest
- facilitate collaboration among system partners
- reduce unnecessary barriers to labour mobility in Canada
Currently, CCRNR’s NP Regulation Framework Implementation Plan Project (NPR-FIPP) is focused on implementing this new framework. The national, multi-year project depends on factors such as unique jurisdictional implementation plans, regulation changes, curriculum changes and education program approval. The framework is expected to ensure consistency in:
- graduate-level education programs aligned with revised NP entry-level competencies (ELCs)
- a single national NP entry-level exam for all NPs across Canada
- one NP registration classification based on core NP ELCs
By the numbers: NP specialty certificates in Ontario
According to CCRNR’s 2015 and 2024 NP practice analysis reviews, we know that NPs in Canada use similar competencies regardless of their specialty certificates. If NP regulatory approaches across Canadian jurisdictions are consistent, there will be more opportunities to advance labour mobility, create an agile NP workforce and minimize regulatory barriers.
As of September 2024 there were:
79%
of Ontario NPs in the Primary Health Care specialty
15%
of Ontario NPs in the Adult specialty
>5%
of Ontario NPs in the Pediatric specialty
<1%
of Ontario NPs in multiple specialties
View the Registrant Statistics webpage for the most recent numbers of Ontario’s NPs holding specialty certificates.
Working with system partners
CNO is working closely with CCRNR (regulators across the country), government and health sector partners including employers, academics and NPs, to support implementing this new regulatory framework.
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Project updates:
- Sept. 26, 2024: System partners are invited to participate in a 60-day consultation and provide feedback about the draft NP regulation amendments. This consultation will close on November 24, 2024.
- Sept. 25, 2024: CNO's Council approved proposed NP regulation amendments for a 60-day public consultation, seeking feedback from registrants and system partners.
- Sept. 5, 2024: CNO held a virtual Town Hall where we discussed ongoing plans for moving toward a single classification of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in Ontario, in keeping with the National Nurse Practitioner Regulation Framework Implementation Plan Project. You can watch the recording of the Town Hall here.
- Sept. 1, 2024: Ontario universities have ramped down NP entry-level specialty education programs and begin using the revised national NP entry-level competencies (ELCs) —which were endorsed by Council in December 2022—in nurse practitioner education programs to educate NPs across patient populations and practice settings.