Appealing a Licensure Decision

Applicants and registrants may request a review of a licensure application decision made by the College.

The College’s Appeal Policy is outlined below. A request must be received by the College within 30 days of the decision date.

Policy Overview

The College’s mandate of public protection is upheld when all registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, and registered psychiatric nurses in the province meet the requirements for licensure. The College employs the principles of procedural fairness in the licensure application process which includes compliance with legislation and policy; transparency; open communication; consistency; and impartial decision making.

This policy outlines the process available for an applicant or registrant to request a review of a licensure application decision made by, or on behalf of, the Director of Registration. A decision may include denying eligibility for licensure, or referral for competency assessment, bridging/re-entry program, or supervised practice experience partnership program (SPEPP), which are commonly referred to as pathways.

When a decision on licensure is made, the Director of Registration shall inform the individual of that decision in writing (mail/email), which shall include:

  • The type of decision;
  • The reasons for the decision;
  • Notification advising the individual has a right to request a review of the decision, which must be received by the College, in writing, within 30 days of the individual being provided with the written decision; and
  • A link to the appeal policy.

When the College receives a written request to review a licensure decision, a professional staff member independent of the registration process (the ‘Reviewer’), will conduct the review.

The Review

The purpose of the review is to determine if:

  • The legislative requirements and registration and licensure policies were adhered to in the assessment of the application;
  • An alternate pathway could be offered;
  • Any bias or conflict influenced the decision.

The Request

The signed request for review must be received in writing (mail/email) by the College within 30 days of the written decision being provided to the applicant/registrant. The request should be addressed to the Director of Registration.

The Director of Registration

The Director of Registration shall:

  • Notify the Registrar/CEO and the Reviewer of any requests for review of a registration/licensure decision within five (5) business days of receiving the request for review;
  • Ensure the following documentation is available to the Reviewer through the College’s database system:
  • The request for review, including the reasons the individual is requesting a review of the decision and any documents provided by the individual related to their request;
  • The original application for registration/licensure form and all supporting documentation;
  • A copy of the licensure decision and correspondence sent to the individual;
  • Policies outlining criteria for licensure or renewal.

The Reviewer

The Reviewer shall confirm receipt of the request for review with the applicant or registrant within five (5) days of being notified of same.

The Reviewer:

  • May request clarification and/or additional information from the individual and/or Director of Registration;
  • Shall provide the individual with an opportunity to clarify information (in writing) of any new pertinent matters.

The Reviewer shall complete the review as soon as practicable, but no later than thirty (30) days after being notified by the Director of Registration and determine if the:

  • Legislative requirements and College policies were adhered to in completing the review of the application;
  • Individual meets the criteria for an alternate licensure decision other than the one initially provided; and
  • Additional information provided as part of the request for review influences the individual’s eligibility for licensure.

The Review Decision

The Reviewer may uphold or reverse the decision or offer another option.

Where the decision of the Director of Registration is not upheld, the applicant or registrant shall be registered/licensed as soon as they complete all requirements, including payment of licensure fees.

The Reviewer shall:

  • communicate the review decision to the individual, with written reasons, within five (5) business days of completing the review; and
  • provide a copy of the review decision to the Director of Registration to be added to the individuals file.

Quality Assurance

The Reviewer shall:

  • Document and track each application for review;
  • Monitor all applications for review to identify trends;
  • Make any recommendations to the Registrar/CEO for operational or Board governance policy changes as appropriate based on the above; and
  • Notify the Director of Registration of all the above information to proactively make applicable changes to mitigate pending and future applications for registration being subject to review.

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