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Telephone:
416 928-0900
Toll Free in Ontario:
1 800 387-5526
Fax:
416 928-6507
Publications & Resources > The Standard > September 2005
Last modified: Aug. 25, 2005
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Annual Membership Renewal: It pays to be early
It’s almost time to renew your College membership. In October, you will receive your 2006 Annual Membership Renewal (AMR) form. Consider the following three reasons for why you should return your AMR form right away.
1. Avoid the rush.
This chart illustrates the increase in AMR forms being processed by the College’s registration department. As you can see, December is the peak month for renewal processing. To get your new Annual Membership Card quickly, complete the form immediately and return it before the end-of-year rush.
“Every year, the majority of AMRs arrive just before the December 31 deadline,” says Prathivathi Ravi, the manager of finance and registration. On average, it takes about two weeks to process and issue an Annual Membership Card.
2. Prevent delays.
“When we receive an AMR form from a member and the required sections haven’t been filled in or a signature is missing, this will lead to delays in the renewal process,” says Ravi. “There are certain sections of the form that must be completed before the College can renew a member. Some of these sections also influence the integrity of CNO’s nursing statistics.”
You told us
In 2005, for the first time in four years, the College is able to report accurate figures on the working status of nurses in Ontario, thanks to the diligence of its members when completing their renewal forms.
In 2004, about 13 percent of members did not indicate working status, making it difficult for the College to determine the percentage of nurses working full-time, part-time and on a casual basis. Last year, every member reporting employment in Ontario also provided working status, which allowed for a complete picture of nursing. By reporting this information, nurses help to ensure that professional associations and policy-makers have the best information available on which to base decisions that may affect the profession.
| Working Status (%) of RN and RPNs reporting employment in nursing in Ontario | ||
| 2004 | 2005 | |
| Full-time | 50.4 | 58.9 |
| Part-time | 28.9 | 32.1 |
| Casual | 7.6 | 8.9 |
| Not specified | 13.1 | 0 |
| Total | 100 | 100 |
In addition, obtaining your Annual Membership Card early means that your employer won’t have concerns about your membership status. Having your membership renewed before the deadline also guarantees that you won’t wind up suspended for nonpayment of fees.
3. You deserve peace of mind.
We all have a multitude of responsibilities in our lives. If you complete your AMR form and send it in early, it will be one less responsibility to worry about.
Margo Bonathan, RPN, one of the College’s Practice Consultants, has made a habit of returning her AMR form early. “After 30 years of being a nurse, paying for my registration has become part of my fall routine,” she says
“The registration process is predictable. I know that by the end of October the form will arrive,” says Bonathan. “Over the years, I have allocated funds for that time of the year. I have this fear that if I don’t get it out immediately, it will become lost in my piles of paper at home and I’ll be late sending it in. It makes sense to get it out of the way. After all, it must be sent in, so why wait?”
For more information on this year’s form and the registration process, check the College’s website, www.cno.org.
What’s your definition?
Nine tips for completing your AMR form correctly
- Provide a signature in sections F and O.
- Complete section G (employment information) and section B (business address), if applicable.
- Before completing sections H, I and J, which pertain to employment and practice, review the practice and employment definitions in the guide or online to make sure that you meet the criteria.
- Sign and write your registration number on your cheque, and fill out the correct amount.
- Double-check the credit card information you provide.
- Do not send any information that’s not related to renewal with your form.
- Write legibly in the sections where you are required to provide additional information.
- Do not write where information has not been requested.
- Use white correction fluid to completely white out mistakes.
When you complete your Annual Membership Renewal(AMR) form, it is especially important to complete sections H, I and J properly. These sections pertain to your nursing employer, your nursing position and your primary area of practice. To assist in providing accurate information in these sections, the College has developed a list of practice and employment definitions.
“These definitions take the guesswork out of filling out the practice section of the AMR,” says Margaret Poon, the College’s manager of information management.
“There is a lot of variation in job titles and responsibilities out there,” Poon continues. “Sometimes nurses find it confusing to decide what nursing employer, position in nursing or primary area of practice they should report to the College.”
The definitions will tell you what the College means by terms such as Case Manager, Community Health Centre and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. “It does not necessarily mean that you should just indicate your practice information,” explains Poon. “You should read the definitions and pick the one that best describes what you do. Members should use their best judgment when interpreting these definitions and applying them to their practice.”
By evaluating your practice within the context of these definitions, you’ll help the College develop statistics that accurately reflect the roles that nurses fulfil. “Decision-makers use CNO statistics when developing policies around nursing human resources and training,” says Poon. “When our statistics reflect the real trends in Ontario nursing today, these individuals are better equipped to make decisions on nursing policy.”
The College’s practice and employment definitions are available online in the Registration section of its website, www.cno.org. The definitions are also included in the guide that will come with your AMR form. For further clarification on a definition, phone the College’s Customer Service Centre at 416 928-0900, ext. 5051, or 1 800 387-5526.
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