Registered Practical Nurse Programs
Graduates from another Canadian Province or Territory
Graduates from other Canadian provinces or territories must complete a practical nursing program that is accepted by the regulatory body for nursing in that province or territory. If you did not complete a two-year RPN diploma in nursing or equivalent, and you are currently registered in another Canadian province, you may be eligible to register in the Transitional Class and work in Ontario while you pursue further education to meet the new education requirement. Please contact CNO to find out whether or not you will be required to pursue further education. Transcripts are not required for Canadian graduates who are registered in another Canadian province or territory.
Graduates from Outside of Canada (Registered in another Canadian jurisdiction)
Applicants who were registered in another Canadian jurisdiction prior to January 1, 2005 are not required to meet the new education requirements.
Graduates From Outside of Canada
Graduates from outside Canada must successfully complete a practical nursing program that is equivalent to Ontario’s two-year practical nurse diploma program. Your nursing school must verify and send official student transcripts that show you have successfully completed a practical nursing program. The transcript must include the total hours of theory and clinical practice you completed.
Your application package will include a Verification of Course Completion and Transcript Request (B-3) form. Send this form to your nursing school to request your transcript.
Practical nursing programs must have contained a minimum of 1,720 program hours, including at least 600 hours of nursing theory and 1,000 hours of clinical practice.
The theory and clinical components must have covered the following:
- medical and surgical nursing;
- geriatrics; and
- medication administration.
Please note that the RPN program requirements are currently being revised.
If your practical nursing program did not include one of these subject areas, but you have practised in this subject area, the College may accept your practice as meeting the education requirement. If you did not practise in the subject area, you will need to complete a course in the subject area at an approved nursing program. If you have taken additional nursing courses in another program or school, please have the school send this information directly to the College.
The clinical component of the program must include practice related to nursing in the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health of individuals throughout the life cycle, including administration of medication.
Note: Education as a medical doctor is not accepted as equivalent to a Practical Nurse program.