College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO):
The governing body for Registered Nurses (RNs), Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in Ontario, Canada.
Practice standard:
A CNO document that sets out the standards for nursing in Ontario. Nursing standards are expectations that help to protect the public. They inform nurses of their accountabilities and the public of what to expect of nurses. Standards apply to all nurses, regardless of their role, job description or area of practice.
Sponsoring organization:
The sponsor organization is the organization or facility in Ontario that agrees to host the supervised nurse for the purpose of the SPE.
Supervisor:
Supervisors are nurses selected by the sponsor organization to support a nurse re-entering the profession. The supervisor can be an RPN, RN or NP registered with CNO in the General Class or Extended Class who has relevant experience to competently supervise a nurse in the SPE. The supervisor must have an unrestricted certificate of registration (for example, no terms, conditions or limitations) and not be the subject of any investigations or have an open file with CNO’s Quality Assurance Program. Note: RPNs can be supervised by a qualified supervisor who is an RPN, RN or NP. RNs can be supervised only by an RN or an NP.
Supervised nurse:
A nurse in the Non-Practicing Class who has been away from practice for more than three years but less than eight years and is under the supervision of a nurse in the appropriate class and category of registration for the purpose of completing their SPE.
Supervision:
A form of oversight that involves the supervisor working with the supervised nurse to support them in meeting the expected standards of practice. Supervision may be provided directly or indirectly, based on the needs of the supervised nurse. Indirect supervision means the supervisor is readily available for consultation but is not directly at the side of the supervised nurse while that nurse practices.