Reinstatement of registration with CNO

[madricka, BSN, RN]

Anyone else going through this? I thought it would be a speedier process... wrong!

My situation: 3-1/2 yrs ago I was injured at work (violent patient, long story) and have been off recovering. At one point I didn't think I would be able to return to bedside nursing and wasn't willing to accept the alternative positions offered to me (i.e. hand hygiene monitor) so I started graduate work in another field. After a year of that I realized it wasn't for me, spent another year writing (2 novels). Stupidly, I resigned from the CNO (avoid this if at all possible!!!). A few months ago I decided I was finally ready to return to nursing.

I submitted my application for reinstatement dated 3 years and 2 weeks since the last shift worked. Please know that the CNO is VERY rigid with that 3 year mark in terms of "evidence of practice", there is no wiggle room (I mistakenly thought there might be). I received a letter from them first stating I had to provide "Evidence of English language proficiency". Umm... I was born/raised and worked as an RN in Ontario for 8 years, my family only speaks English (sadly), and my education (BA, BScN, post-grad cert in critical care nursing, and a year of a master's degree) is all in English. The customer service rep said that all new grads and applicants have to "prove" this (most have recent education which fulfills this requirement). I was shocked, but hey, it's their call, right? I submitted a letter to them asking if my recent graduate work counts. I have yet to hear anything about that.

I finally get a letter saying that since I did not meet the practice requirement (since I applied 2 weeks after the 3 year mark), I now have to complete 400 hrs clinical/placement/consolidation and a host of theory-based courses. All because of those 2 weeks.

I have mailed all the documentation to George Brown College in Toronto and I'm waiting for word on what my specific plan is. I'm hoping to have it done in one year, no longer since I already applied to UofT for their NP program (I honestly assumed this whole process would be way faster and I naively thought that there would be more wiggle room for the evidence of practice requirement) & will defer for a year if I am accepted.

Is anyone else in this situation??

[mightymini]

Contact Centennial RN Bridging program. if you start in Sept, you can complete requirements in 2 semesters (6-7 months) if you do full-time. if part-time, takes about 3 semesters to meet all the requirements. Hope it helps.

[madricka, BSN, RN]

Contact Centennial RN Bridging program. if you start in Sept, you can complete requirements in 2 semesters (6-7 months) if you do full-time. if part-time, takes about 3 semesters to meet all the requirements. Hope it helps.

Thank you! I emailed them this morning. :)

[Technicalglitch]

I feel your pain, although you definitely have it worse. I had kept my CNO registration for many years despite working in Nunavut, and then a few years ago they made those of us who weren't working in Ontario for the previous 3 years resign, with no warning. (So don't feel bad about resigning, they would have forced it on you anyway.)

I'm jumping the hoops now to get it back too, fewer hoops than you, luckily, since I am still practicing, just not in Ontario, and I got in before the CNO reg'n had lapsed for 3 years, so it's a bit simpler, but still well within the realm of ridiculous, considering I am licensed and practising elsewhere in Canada.

I hate these registration bodies. So bureaucratic, and the nurses that really shouldn't be practicing seem to never be caught by this system of "protection", even when they get reported.

[madricka, BSN, RN]

Absolutely! I honestly believed the whole process would be easier since it really was only 2 weeks past the 3 year evidence of practice mark -- I assumed they'd have some kind of grace period or something. Wrong!

And looking at the courses I have to take (plus the unpaid clinical hours) and the $4,000 in tuition I'll have to pay (plus books, etc). Let's just say my ego is taking this rather hard! Going from critical care/trauma to very basic fundamental stuff is somewhat insulting. I will be required to take classes I already aced less than 10 years ago (I graduated with honours from my BScN and the critical care program). But hey, the CNO has the final say so I have to suck it up and do it or I can't work. I'm going to try and make the best of it and hope it goes by quickly!

The clinical component will be a lot of smiling and nodding I think. Interesting that in my letter from the CNO outlining the list of requirements to meet evidence of practice, it says, "RN applicants who have not practised between three and ten years must complete:". So basically, doesn't matter if you did work full time 3 years ago or if you never worked and graduated 10 years ago, you still have to do the same things. Not sure how that is fair but whatever, I don't make the rules. I'm not saying I disagree with having to do a clinical component, I just think it's excessive for my personal situation.

But yes, very bureacratic with absolute rules and slow processing times. I understand they cover a large number of nurses (and applicants) but it's frustrating when you call and can't get a straight answer (even when they are staring at your file) or they don't have an online application system where you can check the status of your application, whether they received all your docs, etc.

As an aside, how do you like working in Nunavut? Have you worked in other remote communities?

[Technicalglitch]

I've liked Nunavut, but I am ready to stop. The weather is truly abysmal, and the job can be difficult and stressful, and the living conditions unpredictable. But, it is fun too, and the money is the best in Canada. I've worked in the NWT too, and northern Ontario and Manitoba. Liked all of them. I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it. I always did contracts, doing it full time year-round would have been too exhausting.

So, for CNO, if someone has been out of nursing for 10 years, do they have to start over then and do their whole degree again? That too seems excessive. Seems to me they should have you write a challenge exam or something, and then only have to go back and do clinical if you were to fail that. And the language component would be funny if it wasn't so incredibly burdensome - there should be some way of exempting Canadian-born anglophones from having to prove they speak their own language.

[madricka, BSN, RN]

It's amazing that you've had the opportunity to work in remote communities, though I understand how draining it must be. I would probably be up there too but (I hate to admit!), I do not drive (spoiled in Toronto by good public transit!).

With the CNO I'm not sure what happens *after* the 10 year mark but I hope they wouldn't expect you to start over! On my letter it just says those who haven't practiced between 3-10 yrs.

I would have been MORE than happy to write a challenge exam! I'm confident I would have passed without issue.

And yes, the language component is somewhat silly, imo. I actually laughed out loud when I saw that as a requirement and called them to confirm. The woman I spoke to says they've received a LOT of complaints -- not surprised!

[madricka, BSN, RN]

If anyone reading this was wondering, the Centennial program to take is the "Bridging to University Nursing - IEN". I was in contact with the summer liaison for the program and was told it was full for Fall 2016 and would have to apply for Fall 2017 (!!!). The weird part is the OCAS website says the program is "open" for Fall 2016. I emailed back asking about this and did not receive a response (nice). I REALLY don't want to wait another year!!

I did send all my documents to George Brown College on June 7th hoping to start this fall. Their website says they get back to you in 10 business day -- that's a lie (not surprised). I have yet to hear back and I did follow up with an email last week (no response to that either).

So yeah, not feeling too good about all of this.

[Kissunshine, BSN, MSN, RN, APN, NP]

I was on the phone with CNO this morning, man they really get on my nerves! I don't understand why they take so long to evaluate an application, all my documents were sent in since June and they still don't have an answer for me. I desperately need my license before school starts in September (i'm doing FNP at UofT ), I don't know what's gonna happen at this point, I hate how things are so slow and difficult in Canada compare to the US!!!

[Phynie]

I am looking into applying for liscensure in Manitoba. I have been with the CNO since I was first licensed and worked in the US. I paid my fees every year and even when they changed my status to non practising in 2014. I returned to Canada and despite attending an Ontario nursing program RN, licensed originally by the CNO, it's been an expensive bureaucratic paper pushing nightmare. I never thought I would regret moving home thus much. Worst thing is, several places in my community need experienced nurses and they can't hire me. It's as though they want to push us out to the US and then pave the way for nurses from other countries. Way to protect the citizens of Ontario!

[madricka, BSN, RN]

I am looking into applying for liscensure in Manitoba. I have been with the CNO since I was first licensed and worked in the US. I paid my fees every year and even when they changed my status to non practising in 2014. I returned to Canada and despite attending an Ontario nursing program RN, licensed originally by the CNO, it's been an expensive bureaucratic paper pushing nightmare. I never thought I would regret moving home thus much. Worst thing is, several places in my community need experienced nurses and they can't hire me. It's as though they want to push us out to the US and then pave the way for nurses from other countries. Way to protect the citizens of Ontario!

The CNO does make it extremely difficult for everyone but I beg to differ when you say they want to "push us out to the US and then pave the way for nurses for other countries". No one is pushing you anywhere. You chose to go & the return. As for "paving the way" for internationally-educated nurses, hardly! I'm in the reinstatement program because I was away from my job for 3 years and 2 WEEKS (no wiggle room there). Yes, it sucks. But the IEN's have it WAY worse. I had to pay some fees, do 8 courses and will be doing 400 hrs of clinical placement (annoying, time-consuming and expensive, indeed). IEN's have to pay WAY more fees, jump through far more hoops, and complete several YEARS of classes (18-20 classes) in addition to clinical placement. These are RN's & RPN's who have (in many cases) decades of nursing experience back home and yet they have to spend 5-7 years in school before they can work here. And all the ones I know (in my classes, we take the same ones) also work full-time and are raising families.

Explain to me how you are not being "protected" as a citizen of Ontario? And how the CNO is paving the way for IEN's? Because what you have said is not meshing with the reality I see everyday.

(and yes, I was born/educated/worked as an RN in Ontario before my work injury)

Oh wait, are you trolling??

[dishes, BSN, RN]

@phynie, if you have proof of recent practice in the past three years (from working in the US) I don't understand why you find the CNO's requirements for reinstatement from non-practising class to general class a barrier. Are you annoyed that it's time consuming and costs money to become registered again Ontario in order to become licensed in Manitoba? If so, I hope you can see that your grumblings about regulatory bodies chasing away Canadian nurses to pave the way for IENs is misguided. You could have prevented the time pressure you are feeling now by applying for reinstatement earlier on in your plans to return to Canada.