Nurses play a critical role at the front line of client care. It is our role to ensure the nurses providing nursing services for Nova Scotians are qualified to do so. The public depends on us to ensure we grant licences to those who demonstrate they have the knowledge, skill and competence required to safely and ethically practice as a nurse. We do this by establishing requirements that all applicants must meet.
As Nova Scotia’s nursing regulator, we are committed to the ongoing review of our registration requirements to streamline processes and reduce the length of time it takes for qualified applicants to obtain a licence to practice. It is important that we support the health system and positively contribute to the supply of qualified nurses to enter practice. We must balance our commitment to process evolution with our accountability to ensure our processes protect the public.
Our goal is to implement an informed, fair and effective application process that ensures only qualified applicants obtain registration and licensure to practice in Nova Scotia. Since 2020, we have implemented the following enhancements:
- Streamlining and reducing the documentation we require of internationally educated nurses
- Approving internationally educated nurses who have met the majority of registration requirements for conditional licensure and earlier access to the registration exam. A conditional licence allows the nurse to practice while simultaneously fulfilling their outstanding requirements, with some specific limitations to their licence.
- Enabling internationally and domestically educated nurses meeting some, but not all of NSCN’s required number of practice hours to return to practice by placing specific conditions on their license. This condition(s) require the nurse to develop a return-to-practice mentorship plan with their employer, which includes providing NSCN with progress updates.
- Adding more options for applicants to meet the English language proficiency requirements.
These changes will streamline and reduce delays in the application assessment process, which will improve the applicant experience and increase the supply of nurses to the health system while upholding our legislated mandate of protecting the public.
We continue to explore ways to enhance our registration processes and will share developments with all stakeholders. Please stay tuned to our website, newsletters and social media for ongoing developments.
