WINDSOR, ONT. -- Windsor Regional Hospital officials say the process is in place to increase the availability of local nurses to help during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nurses currently living in the Windsor-Essex region whose licences have lapsed, or are registered in other Canadian provinces outside of Ontario or American jurisdictions, are encouraged to register for an expedited process to practice in local hospitals.
The College of Nurses of Ontario has gone live with the application process to expedite the registration of nurses in the Emergency Class.
This means that CNO has been given the authority to issue emergency assignment certificates of registration to qualified Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) by the provincial government.
Officials say the goal is to increase the availability of local nurses to support the containment of COVID-19 in our hospitals.
According to the CNO, the Emergency Assignment Class comes into effect when the province declares an emergency and asks the college to register qualified nurses in the Emergency Assignment Class.
There is no fee to register in this class.
Current members of the Non-Practising Class who have practiced nursing within the last three years and former CNO members of the General or Extended Class whose current membership status is resigned or expired, who have practiced nursing within the last three years, can apply for reinstatement under this expedited process.
Windsor-Essex nurses who are registered in another Canadian or U.S. jurisdiction who have not been previously registered with CNO, but would like to register, can complete and submit an application.
