ontario regulation 271/25

made under the

Nursing Act, 1991

Made: November 14, 2025
Approved: November 27, 2025
Filed: November 27, 2025
Published on e-Laws: November 28, 2025
Published in The Ontario Gazette: December 13, 2025

Amending O. Reg. 275/94

(GENERAL)

1. Section 0.1 of Ontario Regulation 275/94 is amended by adding the following definition:

“nurse practitioner” means a registered nurse in the extended class; (“infirmière praticienne ou infirmier praticien”)

2. Section 1.2 of the Regulation is revoked.

3. Subsection 1.3 (2) of the Regulation is revoked.

4. The heading immediately before section 3.2 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

Titles — Registered Practical Nurse

5. The heading immediately before section 4 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

Extended Certificates of Registration — Nurse Practitioner

6. (1) Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of subsection 4 (1) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

2.  The applicant,

i.  must have graduated from an Ontario university nursing program specifically designed to educate and train persons to be practising registered nurses in the extended class and which program was approved by Council or a body approved by Council for that purpose,

ii.  must have graduated from a university nursing program specifically designed to educate and train persons to be practising registered nurses in the extended class and which program was approved by Council or a body approved by Council for that purpose,

iii.  must have graduated from a university nursing program specifically designed to educate and train persons to be practising registered nurses in the extended class, other than a program mentioned in subparagraph i or ii, which program was approved by the Registration Committee as one whose graduates should possess knowledge, skill and judgment at least equivalent to those of current graduates of a program mentioned in subparagraph i,

iv.  must have graduated from a program in nursing specifically designed to educate and train persons to be practising registered nurses in the extended class other than a program mentioned in subparagraph i, ii or iii, and,

A.  must have successfully completed a program approved by Council as one whose graduates should possess knowledge, skill and judgment at least equivalent to current graduates of a program mentioned in subparagraph i, or

B.  must have paid any fees required under the by-laws, have undergone an evaluation approved by Council and satisfied the Executive Director or a panel of the Registration Committee that the applicant has successfully completed any further education or training or combination of education and training approved by the Registration Committee that was identified by the evaluation as necessary to evidence that the applicant possesses knowledge, skill and judgment at least equivalent to those of current graduates of a program mentioned in subparagraph i, or

v.  must have graduated from a program in nursing specifically designed to educate and train persons to be practising registered nurses in the extended class that does not educate and train across all domains of practice covered by a program mentioned in subparagraph i, and,

A.  must have paid any fees required under the by-laws and have undergone an evaluation approved by the Registration Committee that satisfied a panel of the Registration Committee that the applicant has successfully completed a program whose graduates should possess knowledge, skill and judgment that is substantially equivalent to current graduates of a program mentioned in subparagraph i, except for the domains of practice that are not covered by the program the applicant completed, and

B.  must have agreed to the imposition of terms, conditions and limitations on their certificate of registration, as proposed by a panel of the Registration Committee, which limit their practice consistent with the evaluation mentioned in sub-subparagraph A.

3.  The applicant must have successfully completed an examination for registration as a registered nurse in the extended class at a time when that examination was approved by Council and at a time when they were eligible under section 9.1 to take that examination, or must have successfully completed an examination approved by Council for that purpose.

4.  The applicant,

i.  must have graduated from a university nursing program referred to in subparagraph 2 i, ii or iii no more than three years before the day that the applicant met all other requirements for the issuance of a certificate as a registered nurse in the extended class,

ii.  must have successfully completed all the requirements of one of sub-subparagraph 2 iv A or B or both of the requirements of subparagraphs 2 v A and B no more than three years before the day that the applicant met all other requirements for the issuance of a certificate as a registered nurse in the extended class,

iii.  must demonstrate evidence of practice as a registered nurse in the extended class no more than three years before the day on which the applicant met all other requirements for the issuance of a certificate as a registered nurse in the extended class, and in such a case the practice must include,

A.  clinical practice in the extended class, and

B.  a nursing role that required the applicant to use, in the treatment of patients, advanced knowledge and decision-making skill in assessment, diagnosis and therapeutics, or

iv.  must have paid any fees required under the by-laws, undergone an evaluation approved by the Registration Committee at a time when that evaluation was approved by the Registration Committee and met requirements regarding additional training, experience, examinations or assessments specified by a panel of the Registration Committee within the period of time specified by the panel.

(2) Subsection 4 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “subparagraph 2 iii or iv” and substituting “subparagraph 2 iii, iv or v”.

(3) Section 4 of the Regulation is amended by adding the following subsection:

(3.1) An applicant is deemed to have met the requirements of subparagraph 2 i of subsection (1) if they,

(a)  were enrolled before August 31, 2024 in an Ontario university nursing program specifically designed to educate and train registered nurses to practise in a specialty in the extended class that was, at the time they first enrolled in the program, approved by Council or a body approved by Council for that purpose; and

(b)  graduated after July 1, 2026 from the program referred to in clause (a).

(4) Subsection 4 (5) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “subsections (3) and (4)” and substituting “subsections (3), (3.1) and (4)”.

7. The heading immediately before section 4.2 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

Titles — Nurse Practitioner

8. (1) Subsection 4.2 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “subsections (2), (3), (4) and (5) and 3.2 (3)” and substituting “subsection 3.2 (3)”.

(2) Subsections 4.2 (2) to (5) and (8) of the Regulation are revoked.

9. Paragraph 2 of subsection 8 (5) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

2.  The member shall not hold themselves out as a person qualified to practise in Ontario as a nurse, nurse practitioner, registered nurse in the extended class, registered nurse, practical nurse or registered practical nurse.

10. (1) Subsection 9.1 (1) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(1) The College shall ensure that an examination that is a requirement for an extended class certificate of registration is available at least once every year.

(2) Paragraph 4 of subsection 9.1 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “for that specialty to which the examination relates” at the end.

11. Subsection 10 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “and any specialty certificates to which it applies”.

12. Subsections 10.4 (3) and (4) of the Regulation are revoked.

13. (1) Subsection 10.5 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) If a former member who applies for reinstatement of a certificate of registration as a registered nurse in the extended class under subsection (1) held one or more specialty certificates, as they existed at the time, no specialty certificates shall be reinstated.

(2) Sub-subsubclauses 10.5 (3) (d) (ii) (C) (1) and (2) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

(1)  clinical practice in the extended class, and

(2)  a nursing role that required the former member to use, in the treatment of patients, advanced knowledge and decision-making skill in assessment, diagnosis and therapeutics.

14. (1) Subsection 10.6 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) If a member who applies for reinstatement of a certificate of registration as a registered nurse in the extended class under subsection (1) held one or more specialty certificates, as they existed at the time, no specialty certificates shall be reinstated.

(2) Sub-subclauses 10.6 (3) (b) (iii) (A) and (B) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

(A)  clinical practice in the extended class, and

(B)  a nursing role that required the member to use, in the treatment of patients, advanced knowledge and decision-making skill in assessment, diagnosis and therapeutics;

15. (1) Subsection 10.7 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) If a member who applies for reinstatement of a certificate of registration as a registered nurse in the extended class under subsection (1) held one or more specialty certificates, as they existed at the time, no specialty certificates shall be reinstated.

(2) Subsection 10.7 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “and one or more specialty certificates” in the portion before clause (a).

(3) Subclauses 10.7 (3) (b) (i) and (ii) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

(i)  clinical practice in the extended class, and

(ii)  a nursing role that required the member to use, in the treatment of patients, advanced knowledge and decision-making skill in assessment, diagnosis and therapeutics; and

16. Subsection 10.8 (2) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(2) If a former member whose extended class certificate of registration is reinstated under subsection (1) held one or more specialty certificates, as they existed at the time, no specialty certificates shall be reinstated.

17. (1) Subclauses 11 (1) (c) (i) and (ii) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

(i)  clinical practice in the extended class, and

(ii)  a nursing role that required the member to use, in the treatment of patients, advanced knowledge and decision-making skill in assessment, diagnosis and therapeutics.

(2) Subsection 11 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “in any specialty for which the member holds a specialty certificate” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “as a registered nurse in the extended class”.

(3) Clause 11 (3) (b) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “along with all of the specialty certificates that the member held”.

(4) Subsection 11 (7) of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

(7) If a member who is a registered nurse in the extended class and a registered practical nurse in the General class declares that the member has not practised as a registered nurse in the extended class during the previous three years, the member’s extended certificate of registration shall be revoked.

(5) Subsection 11 (8) of the Regulation is revoked.

18. The Regulation is amended by adding the following sections:

12.3 (1) A member holding an extended certificate of registration in the primary health care specialty immediately before July 1, 2026 shall be deemed to be a holder of an extended certificate of registration.

(2) A member holding an extended certificate of registration in the adult specialty immediately before July 1, 2026 shall be deemed to be a holder of an extended certificate of registration.

(3) A member holding an extended certificate of registration in the paediatrics specialty immediately before July 1, 2026 shall be deemed to be a holder of an extended certificate of registration.

12.4 Subject to section 12.3, every certificate of registration that was in existence immediately before July 1, 2026 is continued as the equivalent certificate of registration under this Regulation and is subject to any terms, conditions and limitations imposed on the certificate of registration.

12.5 If a certificate of registration of a former member was suspended for failure to pay a fee required under the by-laws or any previous legislation before July 1, 2026 and that suspension was in effect immediately before July 1, 2026, that certificate shall be deemed to be revoked 30 days after July 1, 2026. 

19. The French version of the Regulation is amended by striking out “certificat d’inscription à la catégorie” wherever it appears and substituting in each case “certificat d’inscription de la catégorie”.

20. The French version of the Regulation is amended by striking out “certificats d’inscription à des catégories” wherever it appears and substituting in each case “certificats d’inscription des catégories”.

Commencement

21. This Regulation comes into force on the later of July 1, 2026 and the day this Regulation is filed.

Made by:
Pris par :

Council of the College of Nurses of Ontario:
Le Conseil de l’Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers de l’Ontario :

Rodolfo D. Lastimosa Jr.

Council Chair / Président du conseil

Silvie Crawford

Registrar & CEO / Registrateure et PDG

Date made: November 14, 2025
Pris le : 14 novembre 2025