Confirming membership status
Remember, employers – the College stopped issuing Annual Payment Cards (APCs) to nurses this year. The discontinuation of the APC will enhance security, and ensures that everyone is using more accurate and up-to-date ways of verifying a nurse’s membership.
Nurses and employers have routinely used the APC as proof that an individual is currently registered with the College. However, APCs only provided information about a nurse’s membership status at the time of renewal. The card did not reflect changes that may have occurred in a nurse’s status after it was issued.
Nurses are now receiving an electronic receipt that confirms they have paid their fees. This receipt can be stored in their Members’ Area profile, or printed out and saved. However, this receipt should not be used to confirm a nurse’s current membership status.
It is very important for employers to verify that anyone calling themselves a nurse has current membership with the College. Not doing this can lead to unknowingly hiring an illegal practitioner. When illegal practitioners obtain nursing employment, it compromises the safety of the public, and undermines the reputation of the facility and the integrity of the nursing profession.
The College’s online Register of its members –– Find a Nurse –– is the most reliable way of confirming a nurse’s status. All nurses registered in Ontario have a file on Find a Nurse, which is searchable by first and last name. The online Register is also updated in real time, so the information is current, accurate and readily available.
If you cannot find someone on Find a Nurse, it may be because there is a discrepancy between their given name and the name they use when practising. Or, the person may be an illegal practitioner. Contact the College’s Customer Service Centre if you need help locating someone on Find a Nurse.
The College has also produced a fact sheet, Verifying a Nurse’s Membership Status, which explains other ways of confirming a nurse’s status with the College. It can be found in the document list in the Learn About Standards and Guidelines section of the College’s website.