Glossary
Category: In Ontario, nursing is one profession with two categories of care providers – Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs). Although all nursing students learn from the same body of nursing knowledge, RNs study it in greater depth and breadth over a longer period of time, and accordingly are able to provide care in more complex situations.
Classes of Registration: There are six classes of registration for RNs and RPNs – General, Temporary, Special Assignment, Retired, Transitional – and the Extended Class for RNs only.
(Note: The Transitional Class is not available to Internationally Educated Nurses)
Client: The person or persons with whom the nurse is engaged in a professional therapeutic relationship. In most cases, the client is an individual. The client may also be a family, a group (as in psychotherapy) or a community (as in the public health field). In research, the client is a subject or participant, and in education, the client may include students. In Ontario, "client" is preferred over the narrower term "patient".
Controlled acts: The Regulated Health Professions Act has established 13 controlled acts, which are considered to be potentially harmful if performed by unqualified persons. RNs and RPNs in the General Class are authorized to perform three controlled acts.
Council: The governing board of the College of Nurses of Ontario. Council consists of 39 members – 21 elected councillors who are nurses (seven RPNs and 14 RNs) and 18 councillors appointed by the Ontario government.
Dual Registration: To be registered as both an RN and an RPN.
Extended Class: A class of registration that's currently available to RNs who have successfully demonstrated competence to practise as primary health care nurse practitioners. They are able to practise with extended scope in assessment, diagnosis and health care management.
General Class: The most common class of registration for RNs and RPNs.
Nurse: A registered nurse (RN) or a registered practical nurse (RPN). Only registered members of the College of Nurses can call themselves a nurse, or practise as a nurse.
Nursing Act: The Nursing Act, along with the Regulated Health Professions Act, authorizes the development of standards and regulations for nursing. It protects the titles "nurse", "Registered Nurse" and "Registered Practical Nurse." Only individuals holding current registration with the College of Nurses of Ontario may use these titles.
Official Sources: The institutions that provide the information used to evaluate your application for registration. They include schools, employers, nurse registration boards and language testing services. Occasionally, official sources may send incorrect or incomplete information. In some cases, no information exists. You and the assessment team work together to obtain the documents and information required for the evaluation.
Professional Accountability: Professional accountability means being responsible for one's actions and decisions, and accepting the consequences. Nurses demonstrate accountability through their decision-making, competency and integrity. This is reflected through nurses' actions and through accurate documentation.
Professional Misconduct: Defined in the Regulated Health Professions Act as a violation of the ethical standards set out for the profession, a failure to meet or a breach of the standards of practice, or crossing the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship. If a nurse is alleged to have committed an act of professional misconduct, the College of Nurses of Ontario will investigate, and could refer the matter to disciplinary proceedings.
Quality Assurance (QA) Program: The Regulated Health Professions Act requires that each regulatory college develop, establish and maintain programs to promote continuing competence among the members of the profession. The College of Nurses of Ontario meets this obligation through its Quality Assurance (QA) program, which includes a Reflective Practice component, the Practice Setting Consultation Program and Practice Review.
Registered Nurse: An individual who has been recognized and registered by CNO as a Registered Nurse.
Registered Practical Nurse: An individual who has been recognized and registered by CNO as a Registered Practical Nurse.
Regulatory Body: The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is mandated through legislation as the regulatory body for nursing in Ontario. Its mission is to protect the public's right to quality nursing services by providing leadership to the nursing profession in self-regulation.
Reflective Practice: A component of the Quality Assurance Program. This five-step process helps nurses maintain their competence in today's rapidly changing health care environment. Every year, all nurses practicing in Ontario are required to complete the Reflective Practice program and declare their participation in the program.
Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA): The core legislation that applies to all regulated health professionals, including nurses. The focus of the RHPA is openness, consumer choice and quality care.
Safe/Competent Nursing Practice: Competence is the ability of a nurse to integrate the professional attributes required to perform in a given role, situation or practice setting. These attributes include knowledge, skill, judgment, attitudes, values and beliefs. Incompetence occurs when a member's professional care of a client displays a lack of knowledge, skill or judgment, or a disregard for the welfare of a client to an extent that demonstrates that the member is unfit to continue to practise, or should have their practice restricted. The CNO must investigate all reported acts of incompetence, which can lead to disciplinary proceedings.
Self-regulation: Self-regulation means that the profession governs itself, both through the College of Nurses of Ontario, and individually in the sense that each member is responsible for practising according to the standards of the profession and for keeping current and competent throughout their nursing careers.
Standards of Practice: These set out the expectations for nurses' conduct and practice. The three major components are professional standards, practice expectations, and legislation and regulations.
Temporary Class: A short-term registration that enables individuals who have met all the registration requirements, except the national examination requirements, to practise as a registered member.
Therapeutic Nurse-Client Relationship: Established and maintained by the nurse and the client as the foundation for providing nursing services that contribute to the client's health and well-being. The relationship is based on trust, respect, intimacy and the appropriate use of the nurse's inherent power.
Transitional Class: A limited-time registration that allows members of other Canadian nursing regulatory bodies who have graduated after January 1, 2005, and who do not meet the new RN or RPN education requirement, to be registered and work in Ontario while pursuing further nursing studies to meet the education requirement for registration.
Unregulated Care Provider (UCP): A family member, household member or paid individual who is not a member of a regulated health profession and assists with or provides personal care.