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Completing Additional Education
“I must complete additional education to meet the education requirement. What happens now?”
CNO reviews all relevant information provided in your application, including:
- your National Nursing Assessment Service Advisory report
- any other nursing education you’ve completed
- information about any nursing experience you can provide, which may include the results of any additional evaluations you have been asked to complete.
If CNO finds that you have not met the education requirement, we will ask you to complete additional nursing education to address your learning needs.
Addressing learning needs in education
If we find gaps in your nursing knowledge, skill and judgment, we will send you a letter outlining the specific competencies that need to be addressed.
Please review a list of accepted courses or programs you can enroll in to address your learning needs and meet the nursing education requirement.
Once you complete your education, you must ask the school to send an official transcript by email to enp@cnomail.org or by mail (in a sealed envelope, with the school’s official seal or stamp).
When we receive the transcript, it will be reviewed to confirm that the education you completed addresses the identified competencies and provide you with equivalent nursing knowledge, skill and judgment. (We may ask for more information, such as official copies of course descriptions or outlines, to help make our decision.)
If we find your additional education does not address all the competency gaps, you will be asked to complete further education or training.
Note: the level of education required for each nursing category differs; for example, RN applicants are required to complete additional education that is equivalent to the education provided to a current graduate of a Canadian university baccalaureate degree nursing program while RPN applicants are required to complete additional education equivalent to the education provided to a current graduate of an Ontario college practical nursing diploma program.
Other options
You also can visit the website of one of the nursing regulatory bodies in another Canadian jurisdiction and select a nursing program from an approved or accredited school in that jurisdiction that may provide the necessary education to address your learning needs at the required level.
Remember:
- CNO recommends programs/courses tailored to your learning needs for your consideration. If you are considering taking a different program or course, it may not meet the education registration requirement.
- Online or distance education courses can be used to address some learning needs. Clinical related competencies involving the demonstration of nursing, knowledge skill and judgment addressing direct patient care or interaction with clients, healthcare teams or other areas will require completion of clinical practicums or consolidations. Consider schools inside and outside Ontario that offer course options. Check with the province or territory's nursing regulatory body to confirm that the school you're considering is approved or accredited in that jurisdiction.
- CNO must review courses from other jurisdictions to ensure entry-level competencies are met.
Resources
- Competency-based education (Gap-filler programs/courses) for Internationally Educated Applicants
- FAQs: Competency based education for internationally educated applicants
