You can meet the EOP requirement in the following ways:

• You worked as a nurse in the category for which you are applying, in a jurisdiction where you are registered, if required, within the past three years. Note: to meet your EOP requirement as a new applicant to CNO, you must demonstrate your nursing practice experience through employed or paid roles. Volunteer practice will not be accepted. For details, please see the Evidence of Practice section of CNO’s website.
• You completed your initial nursing program or additional nursing education in the category for which you are applying within the past three years. The program or education must include both theory and clinical-based component that allowed you to apply your nursing knowledge, skill and judgment: for example, a Specialty Certificate with a clinical practice component or a Masters in Nursing or PhD with a research/publication outcome.
• You achieved the required benchmark scores by completing the Registered Nurses Canadian Competency Assessment Program (RNCCAP) with Touchstone Institute within the past three years. (This is a score of 3.50 or higher on the Objective Structured Clinical Examination [OSCE]. This requirement is specific to RN applicants.)
• You completed specified additional nursing education in the same category for which you are applying within the past three years, as directed by CNO. This education addressed required areas of nursing knowledge, skill and judgment, along with specified hours of supervised clinical practicum.
• You practiced as an RN or RPN in the Temporary Class, Emergency Class or Special Assignment Class. Employers must submit the Verification of Nursing Practice form to CNO to confirm your practice.
• You completed an Education Pathway.
• You completed the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership, the Supervised Practice Experience for returning members, or a Supervised Clinical Practice as a Nurse Practitioner.

No. You can only use Registered Nurses Canadian Competency Assessment Program (RNCCAP) pass results obtained within the past three years. You must obtain a score of 3.50 or higher on the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to pass the RNCCAP. Also, CNO does not consider practice that took place more than three years ago to be current EOP.

If you failed the RNCCAP (OSCE), you can submit information about your additional education for CNO to review. You must have completed the education within the last three years, and it must have included a combination of theory and clinical/practical application components.

No. You are required to complete both theory and clinical components of the additional education.

No, RPN practice does not meet the RN EOP requirement.

According to the Nursing Act, 1991, and CNO’s standards and guidelines, there are differences between RNs and RPNs in:

• the level of autonomous practice
• the types of patient acuity and complexity that they manage
• their authority to initiate controlled acts

Although your RPN practice has provided you with valuable nursing experience and makes an important contribution in the delivery of health care service, your RPN experience can’t be used as evidence of RN practice.

No. CNO has provided you with options to update your EOP, including either:

• completing additional nursing education that includes theory addressing specific areas and specified hours of supervised clinical practicum in Ontario or
• returning to practice where you are allowed to legally practice nursing.

We encourage you to contact Ontario nursing schools in your area to find out about programs that will help you meet this requirement. These schools include community colleges, which offer refresher programs through continuing education.

You may also be eligible to participate in a supervised practice experience in Ontario to meet your EOP. Read about the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership (SPEP) for more details about the program.

No. Time spent working as a PSW is not recognized by CNO as evidence of recent nursing practice when completing the Declaration of Practice.

At the time of membership renewal, nurses must provide evidence of recent nursing practice within the previous three years that is appropriate for the requested certificate.

CNO recently changed one of the ways an applicant can meet the evidence of practice (EOP) registration requirement. The change is being made to uphold CNO’s commitment to public safety. As of Jan. 12, 2026, CNO requires applicants to satisfy the EOP requirement by gaining nursing experience through paid nursing employment or other paid roles.

Volunteer or unpaid nursing activities or practice are no longer an acceptable demonstration for the EOP requirement for initial applicants to CNO.

Paid employment is generally structured and allows CNO to effectively verify an applicant’s practice history. This change helps the nursing registration process in Ontario move faster, while maintaining patient safety and high-quality standards. Volunteer settings often vary in their documentation and oversight practices, which can make it challenging to assess whether professional standards and the volunteer roles and responsibilities required to be demonstrated through EOP were met in every case. As the nursing regulator, CNO is responsible for confirming that all nurses joining the profession have the necessary knowledge, skill and judgment to competently deliver safe care to Ontarians. Going forward, applicants can demonstrate readiness by fulfilling the EOP requirement through paid employment, in clinical or non-clinical nursing roles, anywhere in Canada or abroad.

Limited exceptions to the updated EOP requirement

This change does not apply in the following circumstances:

• Applicants who applied to CNO before Jan. 12, 2026, can provide evidence of volunteer practice on or before Monday, April 27, 2026. To meet the EOP requirement, please ensure all required documents are sent directly to CNO by Monday, April 27, 2026. Submissions after this date will not be accepted toward the practice requirement.
• Applicants reinstating or reapplying for a CNO certificate may show their volunteer experience outside Ontario toward meeting the EOP requirement. In this case, they must prove they maintained CNO registration in the same category while they volunteered as a nurse in another jurisdiction within the last three years.

Check the Evidence of Practice section on the CNO website to find out which EOP requirements apply to the registration class you intend to join.

As of Jan. 1, 2026, a labour mobility applicant who is currently registered as a practicing nurse in another Canadian province and intends to get an equivalent practicing nursing certificate of registration with CNO is not required to meet the EOP requirement for registration. However, labour mobility applicants will be required to show EOP after their registration. In the case when CNO’s Registrar & CEO requests EOP from labour mobility registrants, including but not exclusive to those who are automatically recognized, that practice experience can include paid positions and may also be demonstrated through volunteer roles and activities within the last three years.