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Telephone:
416 928-0900
Toll Free in Ontario:
1 800 387-5526
Fax:
416 928-6507
What's New
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2000
College of Nurses Welcomes Baccalaureate Requirement for Registered Nurses
(TORONTO) -- The regulatory body for the nursing profession in Ontario, the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), has welcomed today’s announcement by the province to require a bachelor’s degree in nursing for all new registered nurses by January 1 of 2005. Baccalaureate preparation will mean that from the first day of practising as an RN, nurses will be better prepared to join the complex health care environment as productive team members alongside their more experienced nursing colleagues.
"Approving the regulation, and the necessary funding for supporting enhancements in nursing education, is a commendable decision," said College President Mary MacLeod, RN, in a letter to Minister of Health Elizabeth Witmer and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Dianne Cunningham. "From the start, you have recognized that the demands placed on RNs by our changing health care system can only be met by new entrants with baccalaureate level preparation in nursing. Your support for our proposal ensures that high standards of nursing care will continue to meet the health needs of the Ontario public."
In the spring of 1999, CNO’s governing Council, comprising both nurses and representatives of the general public, approved and forwarded a regulation to the province incorporating the baccalaureate requirement.
"We took this important step after extensive consultation with nurses, employers, consumers, nursing educators, and other stakeholders across Ontario," said Ms. MacLeod. "Nurses are the very foundation of health care, and strengthening that foundation will benefit the recipients of our care in every setting in which nurses practice."
"Nurses have anticipated this requirement for a long time. Now we look forward to government and Ontario’s colleges and universities moving the regulation into educational reality," Ms. MacLeod said. "There is still a great deal of work to do, particularly in forming collaborative partnerships between the two branches of our post-secondary system and developing new curricula. These should build on the best of what the current college and university nursing programs have to offer, and ensure accessibility to everyone in the province who wants to pursue a career as an RN."
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For more information, please contact:
Cindy Campbell
Manager, Communications
College of Nurses of Ontario
ccampbell@cnomail.org
416-928-0900, Ext. 6309
or 1-800-387-5526, Ext. 6309
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