Guides
How to Find and Verify a Registered Nurse in Canada
By NCLEX Elite Academy · · 4 min read
Every nurse who practises in Canada must be registered with the nursing regulator of the province or territory where they work. Each regulator publishes a free public register, so anyone can check a nurse's name, designation and status in a minute or two. Here is how.
Step 1: Find the right regulator
Nursing is regulated provincially, so search the register for the province or territory where the nurse works. There is no single national register. Registered nurses are regulated by these bodies:
- Ontario: College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) RNs, RPNs and NPs
- British Columbia: BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM)
- Alberta: College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA)
- Saskatchewan: College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan (CRNS)
- Manitoba: College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM)
- Québec: Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ)
- New Brunswick: Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB)
- Nova Scotia: Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator (NSNMR)
- Prince Edward Island: College of Registered Nurses of PEI
- Newfoundland and Labrador: College of Registered Nurses of NL (CRNNL)
- Northwest Territories and Nunavut: RNANT/NU
- Yukon: Yukon Registered Nurses Association
Outside Ontario, practical nurses (LPNs) often have their own regulator. The Canadian Nurses Association keeps an up-to-date list of regulatory bodies if a link above has changed.
Step 2: Search the register (Ontario example)
- Open the CNO public register (Find a Nurse) at registry.cno.org.
- Search by the nurse's last and first name. If several people share the name, add their city in the location field.
- Select the correct person from the results. Check the city or employer if several people share the same name.
- Open the summary page to see their registration details.
Step 3: Read the results
- Entitled to practise: whether the nurse is currently allowed to practise nursing in Ontario.
- Category: Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) or Nurse Practitioner (NP).
- Class: for example General Class, Extended Class (for NPs) or Temporary Class.
- Status: Current means the registration is active. Other statuses, such as Resigned or Expired, mean it is not.
- Registration history: past categories and dates, for example a nurse who was an RPN before becoming an RN.
- Terms, conditions and limitations, and any discipline or conduct findings, if there are any.
- Employment information reported to CNO.
Why it matters
Employers check the register before hiring, and patients and families can use it too. If you are a nurse, look yourself up and confirm your details are correct before you apply for jobs, and list your registration accurately on your resume.
As an example, you can look up our founder on the CNO register: search Jasraj Kaur with the location Brampton.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a national register of nurses in Canada?
No. Each province and territory has its own nursing regulator and public register.
Is it free to check a nurse's registration?
Yes. Public registers are free to search and do not require an account.
What does Resigned mean on the CNO register?
It means the nurse is no longer registered in that category. For example, a nurse who moves from RPN to RN may show the RPN registration as Resigned and the RN registration as Current.
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