Quality Practice - A Resource for Employers of Nurses

Ask CNO: Terminating employment

Our facility recently hired a new graduate who was registered in the Temporary Class. After failing the national exam, her employment was terminated because the College revoked her temporary registration. Was termination the correct action to take?

A Temporary Certificate of Registration is revoked if a candidate fails the national exam. Once revoked, the candidate is no longer allowed to practise nursing.

The College notifies employers when an applicant’s temporary registration is revoked. The employer then has a few choices, including terminating the applicant’s employment or suspending the applicant until she or he successfully completes the national registration examination. The applicant cannot work as a regulated health care professional once temporary registration has been revoked. This also means the applicant cannot perform controlled acts; however, she or he can remain employed as an unregulated care provider. Successful completion of the exam is one of the College’s non-exemptible legislative registration requirements

Individuals who hold temporary registration have met all of the registration requirements but have not yet written the national exam or have not received their results. This short-term registration category enables members to practise until they can register in the General Class. To protect the public, legislation requires that temporary registration be automatically revoked if the applicant fails the exam.

For more information, refer to the Temporary Class fact sheet.