Expanding Role of Registered Nurses

• Our government is expanding the role of registered nurses to prescribe medications for certain conditions in a variety of settings close to home, including long-term care homes and retirement homes.
• Starting in January 2024, registration is expected to open for registered nurses interested in completing the additional education requirements to work more independently in their community settings.
• Through this expansion, more people will have faster access to birth control, drugs for smoking cessation, and travel medications to treat and prevent malaria and traveller’s diarrhea. People will also be able to conveniently receive topical wound care and vaccinations such as the flu shot and COVID-19 vaccines from a registered nurse.
• Last year, 15,000 new nurses registered to work in the province, a record number of new nurses registered to work in the province, with another 30,000 nursing students currently studying at one of Ontario’s colleges and universities. Since 2018, Ontario has registered 63,000 new nurses.

As part of Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government is making it easier for regulated health care professionals to work to the full extent of their training and expertise to provide patients with a more connected, convenient health care experience

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Our government is expanding the scope of practice for registered nurses to connect you to faster and easier access to care, including:

• Birth control
• Smoking cessation
• Travel medications
• Topical wound care
• Vaccinations such as flu and COVID-19