1. The College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia (the College) is accountable for all personal information¹ under its control. The College collects, uses and discloses the information in accordance with its obligations under the Registered Nurses Act (2006), associated regulations and the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (the CSA Model Code).

2. The College collects the following member personal information:

• Contact and identification information, such as name, date of birth, address, phone number, fax number, mailing address, language proficiency and e-mail address;
• Credit information for payment for licensure by phone or in person;
• Educational information such as graduating program and year; and
• Previous licensure details.

3. The College is committed to maintaining the confidentiality and security of personal information submitted via its website and other means through the use of responsible information management practices and reasonable security measures, including:

1. technology measures including  the use of passwords and data encryption for electronic information;
2. physical measures such as locked filing cabinet, and restricted access to areas where personal information is stored;
3. organization measures such as employee training , confidentiality agreements and limited access;
4. third party measures including privacy and confidentiality agreements with contractors and third parties; and
5. record retention and destruction policies such as on-site shredding and physical destruction of hard drives

4. The knowledge and consent of the individual is required for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information except where there are legal, contractual, statutory or security reasons for releasing the information. The College does not sell or trade your personal information to third parties. 

The legal, contractual, security and statutory requirements include: 

• Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness for use in the electronic health record “Provider Registry” and nursing human resources planning;
• Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) requirements;  
• Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) for statistical health reporting;
• Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) re legal liability coverage;
• Nova Scotia Community College enrollment in e-learning program;
• Assessment Strategies Inc. (ASI), CNA and American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC ) for registration, licensure and exam purposes;
• College website posting of your name, registration number, active practicing status and licensing sanction; (if applicable)
• College membership surveys, either by the College or a third party, and
• Authorized vendors acting on the College’s behalf.

Should any further additions to the above list occur, they will be added on the next review date.

5. By submitting your annual application for licensure form, you consent to the release of information for the purposes identified in paragraph 4 and no further consent is required.

6. For release of your personal information for nursing research or purposes not identified in paragraph 4, we require your explicit consent. A release of information box on the annual application for licensure form provides an area for you to consent or not consent to such release.

7. Please note that you are entitled to withdraw your consent for research or purposes not identified in paragraph 4 at any time. Please contact the Privacy Officer to discuss your options in this regard.

8. Personal information will not be retained longer than is necessary for its intended use. The College will safeguard the disposal and destruction of your personal information to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to your personal information.

9. Members may contact the Privacy Officer any time to discuss access to personal information. Upon written request, access will be provided. A small fee may be applied to cover the cost of administration.  In certain situations, such as legal or regulatory requirements, the College may not be able to offer you access to your personal information and will provide you with the reasons of denial. The College will correct or amend personal information that is shown to be incomplete or inaccurate.

10. The College Privacy Officer is responsible for overseeing compliance with this privacy policy. Any questions can be directed to the privacy officer who will respond to any concerns. We will investigate all complaints and will take appropriate action to resolve the issue to your satisfaction. We also welcome your comments and suggestions regarding this Privacy Policy.

Our Privacy Officer may be contacted in writing at:

Director – Corporate Services
College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia
Suite 4005-7071 Bayers Road
Halifax, NS B3L 2C2
or
ca@crnns.ca

¹ Personal information is information about an “identifiable” individual, which includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, credit card information, or other contact information and personally identifiable data, date of birth, social insurance number, age, marital and financial status, race, national or ethnic origin, and religion.