Issue 2 | July 2026

Regulatory Updates

Looking for a College Document?

The Newfoundland and Labrador College of Nurses offers a range of resources to support safe and effective nursing practice.

As part of the transition from CLPNNL and CRNNL to the NL College of Nurses, many documents have been combined into shared resources for nurses across the province. While most documents apply to all nurses, some are specific to LPNs, RNs, NPs, or RPNs.

Visit the Standards and Practice page on the College website to explore these resources.

Looking for practice supports? You can now easily access the Practice Team’s resources under Standards and Practice, bringing essential guidance together in one convenient location.

If you’re seeking information on your Standards or Scope of Practice, visit Foundational Documents for comprehensive and up-to-date materials.

Stay informed about upcoming opportunities by visiting the Events section, where you’ll find information on educational sessions and other activities.

The website for the new College has been thoughtfully designed with your needs in mind—take the time to discover all it has to offer.

If you receive notification from the College, we strongly encourage you to review the available CCP resources and respond promptly. Should you have any questions, the College team is available to provide support and guidance.

Recent legislative amendments have introduced important changes affecting the prescribing and dispensing of controlled substances by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) under the Tamper Resistant Drug Pad Program.

Under the current program requirements, prescriptions for drugs listed in the Schedule of Drugs must be issued using a tamper resistant prescription pad, except in circumstances where the prescription is transferred, provided verbally, or transmitted directly from the prescriber to the dispensing pharmacy.

In June 2026, amendments to the Pharmaceutical Services Act were enacted to align provincial requirements with the upcoming October 2026 changes to Health Canada’s Controlled Substances Regulations. These amendments remove the requirement for a tamper resistant prescription pad when a prescription for a controlled drug is sent directly from the prescriber to the pharmacy responsible for dispensing the drug.

Prescriptions drugs in the Schedule drugs that are provided directly to the patient—rather than transmitted to the pharmacy—will continue to require the use of a tamper resistant prescription pad.

A friendly reminder to 2026 graduates and preceptors to complete the Education Approval survey. Invitations were sent via email, so if you do not see the message in your inbox, please take a moment to check your junk or spam folder.

Please contact the Practice Team at 709-753-6040 (ext. 2) or by email practiceteam@nlcn.ca if you did not receive an invitation and you either:

• graduated from an NL nursing program for LPNs, RNs or NPs in 2026; or
• were a preceptor for an NL nursing student in their final clinical placement.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated and supports the ongoing review of nursing education programs.

• Strengthening Team-Based Care: Optimizing the Scope of Practice of Primary Care Nurses: This study looks at how Primary Care Nurses, including LPNs, RNs and NPs, use their full scope of practice on primary health care teams. For more information, contact Dr. Julia Lukewich at jlukewich@mun.ca or Aprill Susin at aprill.susin@queensu.ca
• Stronger Together – Building and Internationally Educated Nurses’ Community of Practice in Newfoundland and Labrador: This study aims to explore ways to improve the integration of IENs in NL through a community of practice. If you completed your undergraduate nursing education outside Canada and moved to NL to work as a Registered Nurse, contact Dr. Robin Burry at rdburry@mun.ca for information about the study.
• Mapping nursing recruitment decision-making processes in Newfoundland and Labrador: This study looks at how nursing recruitment decisions are made in NL. You may be eligible if you are:
  • are an RN, LPN or NP who was recruited to work in NL in the last two years, or
  • a nursing leader who has been involved in the recruitment of nurses in NL in the last two years.
    
    For more information, contact Dr. Robin Burry at rdburry@mun.ca

Seven New Recommendations in Ophthalmology

Registration is now open for upcoming webinar sessions focused on harm reduction and substance use health:

• July 8: Building Recovery Capital: Protective Factors, Community, and Sustainable Recovery
• July 15: Beyond the Blame: Harm Reduction, System Failure, and the Substance Use Crisis
• July 22: Harm Reduction Beyond Community Strategies for Acute Care

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