Who is in the General Class?

Both Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) belong to the General Class. The class therefore includes most nurses registered with CNO.

Registration Requirements

Applicants to the General Class must meet all the registration requirements before they can practice nursing in Ontario.

Membership Obligations

Use of protected titles

Registrants in the General Class must identify themselves by the following terms in their practice:

  • “Registered Nurse” or “RN” for nurses registered as RNs
  • “Registered Practical Nurse” or “RPN” for nurses registered as RPNs.

QA Program

Every nurse in the General Class is required to take part in CNO’s Quality Assurance Program, with some exceptions for nurses who are registered in another Canadian jurisdiction.

Recent practice

Every year, CNO asks all General Class registrants whether they have practiced nursing within the past three years.

Registrants who haven’t practiced nursing during that time are asked to transfer to the Non-Practising Class or resign from CNO.

Registrants who hold two certificates of registration (for example, as an RN and an RPN) must declare recent practice for each certificate.

Professional liability protection

All General Class registrants must hold professional liability protection as set out in the CNO by-laws. They must produce evidence of this protection whenever CNO asks for it.

RN prescribing practice

RNs registered in the General Class can add prescribing authority to their practice by completing RN prescribing education approved by CNO. RNs with this authority can prescribe certain medications and communicate diagnoses for the purpose of prescribing those medications. Visit the RN Prescribing Practice webpage for more information about this practice.

There are two RN prescribing education options available in Ontario:

Reporting requirements

Every General Class registrant must tell CNO’s Registrar and CEO about any of the following:

  • a finding of guilt in any jurisdiction relating to any offence
  • a charge in any jurisdiction relating to any offence
  • a finding of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity or any similar finding, in relation to the practice of nursing or another profession in any jurisdiction
  • a current investigation, inquiry or proceeding for professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity, or any similar investigation or proceeding, in relation to the practice of nursing or another profession in any jurisdiction

Also, the registrant must provide any information requested by the Registrar and CEO under the authority of the Nursing Act, 1991, the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, regulations under those acts or CNO’s by-laws.

Citizenship/permanent residency/authorization to practice nursing

A General Class registrant must be one of the following:

  • a Canadian citizen
  • a permanent resident of Canada
  • someone authorized under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) to practice nursing in Ontario

If a registrant ceases to be any of these, they must immediately stop practicing and inform the Registrar and CEO in writing.

Terms, conditions and limitations

Every General Class certificate of registration is subject to the following terms, conditions and limitations.

You must provide to the Registrar and CEO the details of any of the following that relate to you and occur or arise on or after the day that you were issued a certificate of registration:

  • a finding of guilt arising in any jurisdiction relating to any offence
  • a charge arising in any jurisdiction relating to any offence
  • a finding of professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity or any similar finding, in relation to the practice of nursing or another profession in any jurisdiction
  • a current investigation, inquiry or proceeding for professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity or any similar investigation or proceeding in relation to the practice of nursing or another profession in any jurisdiction

At the request of the Registrar and CEO, you must provide information that is required pursuant to the Nursing Act, 1991, the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, regulations under those Acts or the CNO by-laws in the form and manner requested by the Registrar and CEO.

You must not engage in the practice of nursing unless you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada or have authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) permitting you to engage in the practice of nursing in Ontario.

You must immediately advise the Registrar and CEO in writing if you are no longer a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada or no longer have authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) permitting you to engage in the practice of nursing in Ontario.

If you later obtain Canadian citizenship, become a permanent resident of Canada or attain authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) permitting you to engage in the practice of nursing in Ontario, you must immediately advise the Registrar and CEO in writing of that fact.

You must maintain professional liability protection in accordance with the requirements, if any, set out in CNO’s by-laws.

At the request of the Registrar and CEO, you must provide evidence satisfactory to the Registrar and CEO, and in the form and manner requested by the Registrar and CEO, that the you maintain professional liability protection in accordance with the requirements, if any, set out in CNO’s by-laws.