Who is this guide for?

This guide is for RN or RPN applicants who want to practice nursing under the Temporary Class while they are completing their registration requirements for the General Class.

To be eligible for the Temporary Class you must:

About the Temporary Class

If you are registered under the Temporary Class, you are permitted to practice nursing (under terms, conditions and limitations) while you complete outstanding education or  wait for your examination results. You will be eligible to join the General Class when you successfully complete the registration exam and meet all other requirements for registration.

Once you register in the Temporary Class, you will receive a message from CNO telling you when your certificate of registration for the Temporary Class expires.

Temporary Class registration expires when:

  1. the date of expiry is reached or
  2. you fail for the second time any approved registration exam in the category of nursing you are applying to.

Applicants who have failed the exam two times or more are not eligible for registration in the Temporary Class.

Applying to the Temporary Class

You must first apply to join the General Class before you apply to join the Temporary Class. If you have not already started this process, go to Maintain Your Membership to create an account and apply online.

  1. Please note that you will need to create two online applications — one for the General Class and another for the Temporary Class. First, begin the process to register in the General Class. Next, create a separate online application for the Temporary Class and download the Temporary Class Offer of Employment Form.
  2. You must complete Section 1 of the form. Your prospective employer (which must be in Ontario and on the list of organizations that can employ Temporary Class nurses, at the end of this guide) must complete Section 2. You will upload the completed form during your application process.
  3. You must complete a police criminal record check. It will expire after six months. If it expires before your application process is complete, you will need to complete another check.
  4. You are encouraged to review the Temporary Class Learning Module on Nursing Regulation. The Learning Module will help you understand the legal and ethical issues, as well as the professional accountabilities, of the nursing profession in Ontario’s health care system.
  5. You are also required to complete the RN/RPN jurisprudence examination. You will receive details in the online application portal about how to access the online exam, which can be completed at any time.
  6. You must submit your application fee to complete your application.
  7. Name changes: You must let us know if your name has changed by sending us a written request for a name change. You can find details of what to include in the request on our Applying to CNO FAQ page.
  8. Once we are satisfied you have met all Temporary Class requirements, you will be notified that you are eligible for registration in the Temporary Class. You must pay your annual fee, which covers your registration for the rest of the calendar year, even if you become registered in the General Class before the year ends. Your Temporary Class registration confirmation will include the expiry date and the name of your approved employer. You can also confirm your temporary registration by searching for your name on Find a Nurse, CNO’s online register.

Notes about practicing in the Temporary Class

  • If you have failed the registration exam two times or more, you are not eligible to apply to the Temporary Class.
  • Your Temporary Class registration is valid for only 8 months from the date of issue, unless CNO’s Registrar and CEO authorizes an extension. It is your responsibility to complete any outstanding General Class registration requirements, including the registration exam for your category (RN or RPN), before your Temporary Class membership expires. We will send you a reminder message in the online portal to let you know the date your Temporary Class registration expires.
  • You have 30 days to complete your General Class registration once you meet all the requirements. Your Temporary Class certificate of registration will expire if you do not move into the General Class within 30 days.
  • If you have applied for the Temporary Class and your registration is not completed by the time you pass the registration exam, we will not process your Temporary Class registration. You must complete your application for General Class registration instead. If you have already paid your Temporary Class application fee, it will not be refunded.
  • Registration in the Temporary Class expires if you fail the registration exam twice. CNO will notify you and your employer that your registration has expired and you are no longer permitted to practice nursing in Ontario. If you fail the registration exam twice while you have an open Temporary Class application, that application will be closed. Note that application fees are non-refundable.
  • To make sure your application isn’t delayed, it is important that you request your police criminal record check in a timely manner as you approach the end of your application process.

To make sure your application isn’t delayed, it is important that you request your police criminal record check in a timely manner as you approach the end of your application process.

Terms, Conditions and Limitations of the Temporary Class

While practicing in the Temporary Class you must:

  1. practice in an approved facility identified on your Temporary Class registration form and only within the scope of employment of that facility
  2. be monitored and directed by a nurse registered in the General or Extended Class
  3. not perform a controlled or authorized act, unless the act is ordered by an authorized practitioner; to learn more read, CNO’s Scope of Practice standard
  4. not supervise, monitor or direct the performance of a controlled or authorized act or the practice of another nurse in any class
  5. not accept delegation of a controlled or authorized act
  6. not delegate a controlled or authorized act to any other person
  7. not prescribe medications under RN prescribing authority, even if you have completed the necessary education to have prescribing authority
  8. identify yourself as “Registered Nurse (Temporary)” or “RN (Temp)” if you hold a temporary certificate as an RN, or “Registered Practical Nurse (Temporary)” or “RPN (Temp)” when you hold a temporary certificate as an RPN.

You are also subject to the following terms and limitations

  1. Temporary registration expires:

    • on the date the certificate of registration expires; CNO will send you this date when you become registered in the Temporary Class
    • after successful registration in the General Class
    • 30 days after CNO sends you a notice that you are eligible to register in the General Class or
    • after CNO receives confirmation that you have failed the registration exam a second time.
  2. You must provide a copy of the Verification of Registration letter to all potential employers.
  3. You must inform CNO if your employment is terminated or suspended for any reason, or if you choose to leave your job.

Performing controlled acts

Temporary Class registrants cannot perform a controlled act unless the act is ordered by a physician, dentist, midwife, chiropodist, or nurse practitioner.
Nurses in the General Class are authorized to do the following controlled acts:

  1. perform a prescribed procedure below the dermis or a mucous membrane
  2. administer a substance by injection or inhalation
  3. dispensing a drug
  4. put an instrument, hand or finger

    • beyond the external ear canal
    • beyond the point in the nasal passages where they normally narrow
    • beyond the larynx
    • beyond the opening of the urethra
    • beyond the labia majora
    • beyond the anal verge
    • into an artificial opening in the body
  5. treat, by means of psychotherapy technique delivered through a therapeutic relationship, an individual’s serious disorder of thought, cognition, mood, emotional regulation, perception or memory that may seriously impair the individual’s judgement, insight, behaviour, communication or social functioning.

Having the authority to perform a procedure does not automatically mean that it is appropriate to do so. There are a number of factors to consider in determining whether performing a procedure or activity is appropriate (see Scope of Practice for more information).

Responsibilities

A Temporary Class registrant is responsible for:

  • the care they provide
  • identifying situations where they require monitoring or directing
  • identifying learning needs
  • negotiating a plan to meet their learning needs
  • complying with CNO's standards and guidelines, along with the terms, conditions and limitations of their Temporary Class certificate of registration.

Types of organizations that can employ Temporary Class nurses

CNO accepts offers of employment from the following organizations described in Schedule 1 (Ontario Regulation 275/94) of the Nursing Act, 1991:

When CNO reviews offers of employment from Retirement Homes, we refer to the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority to ensure that homes are licensed under Retirement Homes Act, 2010.

When CNO reviews offers of employment from Home Care and Community Care Service organizations, we refer to Home and Community Care support Services and other relevant websites to confirm information about home and community care organizations providing services under the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994.

If an organization that has made you an offer of employment is not approved, you can request a review by CNO’s Registration Committee for approval or obtain an offer of employment from another organization. CNO will tell you why an offer of employment was not approved.

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