Criteria for entry to the register and active-practising roster (International)

Graduates of specialized programs (e.g., psychiatry/mental health, pediatrics, midwifery) are not eligible for registration unless they also have general nursing preparation.

Only those nurses who hold valid nursing licences are authorized to use the designations Registered Nurse, Nurse or nurse or the abbreviations R.N., RN or Reg.N., and to practise as registered nurses in Nova Scotia.

Additional Information Points

1. Applicants are to keep Registration Services informed of changes in name and/or address.
2. Applicants from outside North America are advised to allow 6-8 months for receipt of documents at the College and additional time to prepare for and write the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination; applicants from within North America should allow 4 - 6 months for this process.
3. The College’s licensure year is November 1 to October 31.
4. Licences are valid from date of processing until October 31 of current licensure year.
5. Applications are valid for one year from date of last contact with the College.
6. Anyone applying for or renewing an active-practising licence in Nova Scotia must complete the Building Your Profile™ (BYP) self-assessment tool, or an equivalent tool that is based on the Standards for Nursing Practice and Code of Ethics, to satisfy the requirements of the CCP. 
   Nurses who have not met the CCP requirements when applying for/renewing a licence (e.g., completed the BYP™ tool) will be issued a time-limited licence which will expire on the earliest of
      - three months after its effective date,
      - the last day of the licensure year, for which the licence has been issued, or
      - the date on which the applicant satisfies the requirement of the continuing competence program and is issued a new licence for the remainder of the current licensure year.
   
         The CCP requirements must be met by the expiry date to continue practising. Only one time-limited licence will be issued to an RN within a licensure year. Equivalent self-assessment tools must be based on the Standards for Nursing Practice and Code of Ethics
   
         Also, according to the Registered Nurses Regulations, any document or information prepared by a registered nurse for the purpose of satisfying the CCP requirement (i.e., self-assessment tool, Building Your Profile™) will be considered confidential. In a legal proceeding, no person will be authorized or required to disclose any information related to the content of a self-assessment without the express consent of the author (registered nurse). 

For more information on how to obtain a licence to practise nursing in Nova Scotia, contact:
Registration Services
College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia
Suite 4005, 7071 Bayers Rd, Halifax, NS B3L 2C2 Canada
Tel: 902.491.9744, Toll-free (NS) 1.800.565.9744, ext. 249 
Fax: 902.491.9510  
registration@crnns.ca