“Evidence of practice” refers to any information that shows the College you have recently practised as a nurse.

The evidence must be relevant to the category or class you’re applying to join; for example, an applicant applying to become a Registered Practical Nurse must provide evidence of practice as an RPN.

Most applicants to the College who have recently completed a nursing program (i.e., within the past three years) that is approved by the College automatically meet the evidence of practice requirement through their course of study.

If you are not a recent graduate of a nursing program and you state on your application that you have recent nursing practice, then you must provide the following information about your recent nursing practice to the College:

• Position(s) in nursing (e.g., staff nurse, researcher, educational instructor)
• Practice setting(s), as applicable (e.g., long-term care, acute care hospital in-patient unit)
• Patient population(s) (e.g., geriatrics, paediatrics)
• Evidence of registration in the relevant jurisdiction(s)
• Job description(s)

All information that you provide about your recent nursing practice is assessed by the College to determine if you meet the evidence of nursing practice requirement.  

For RN and RPN applicants, the College considers if your nursing practice shows that you had an impact, direct or indirect, on the delivery of health care services to clients as it pertains to RN and RPN practice in Ontario.

For NP applicants, the College considers if your recent nursing practice includes:

• clinical practice within the specialty for which you applied and
• a nursing role within that specialty that required you to use, in the treatment of patients, advanced knowledge and decision-making skills in assessment, diagnosis and therapeutics.

What happens if I don’t meet the evidence of practice requirement?

Most applicants who do not meet the evidence of practice requirement have the option to complete additional education. Course content and the number of practice hours required depend on the type of registration an applicant is requesting and the number of years the applicant has been out of nursing practice. The College will provide you with more information if you need additional education to meet the nursing practice requirement.

For NPs who cannot provide evidence of nursing practice as an NP, a mentored experience is required. Applicants will be provided with information on how to obtain mentored experience by the College as part of the registration process.