Consultation Overview
With the creation of NSCN, the registration and licensing examination by-laws from the legacy colleges continued to remain in effect until new by-laws are created by NSCN under the Nursing Act. NSCN is now introducing by-laws for registration and licensing examinations and as a result, stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide feedback during a 30-day consultation period in accordance with section 9(2) of the Nursing Act.
To participate in this consultation, please review the newly proposed by-laws and email NSCN if you have any feedback.
Background on the Initiative
The legacy Colleges, the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Nova Scotia (CLPNNS) and the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia (CRNNS), each had by-laws with respect to their approved registration and licensing examinations. This included: approved licensing examinations, number of attempts to write and pass the examinations and when additional attempts could be granted.
During the creation of NSCN, these by-laws were carried over through the Nursing Act which contained a transition clause which deemed all examinations and related matters continued in effect until NSCN makes new by-laws under the Nursing Act. There has been no new by-laws with respect to registration and licensing examinations since NSCN was formed in June 2019.
NSCN’s new proposed registration and licensing examination by-laws are another step in creating new systems for NSCN. The proposed by-laws provide our Board the ability to:
- Approve registration and licensing exams
- Set number of attempts to write and pass the exam
- Provide the CEO the authority to determine when additional attempts may be granted
The intent of the new by-laws is to maintain what is currently in place with the legacy by-laws. The proposed by-laws also clearly outline the Board’s responsibility to approve any new registration and licensing examinations, and the number of attempts to successfully pass the examination, and the CEO’s responsibility to determine at an operational level what constitutes an attempt and when additional attempts will be granted.
Proposed By-Laws
NSCN proposes the following new By-Laws for registration and licensing exams:
- Subject to By-law 2, an examination required for registration or licensing purposes shall be approved by the Board by resolution.
- An examination approved for registration or licensing purposes under a former Act or by-laws of a legacy College is an approved examination for the same purpose.
- Each candidate for a registration or licensing examination is required to pay examination fees as approved by the Board by resolution.
- The Board may by resolution determine whether a registration or licensing examination is one for which candidates will be permitted an unlimited number of attempts to successfully complete that examination or whether the examination is one for which there will be a limited number of attempts to successfully complete that examination.
- Where the Board determines that a registration or licensing examination is one for which there will be a limited number of attempts to successfully complete that examination, the Board may by resolution:
- Establish a maximum number of attempts to successfully complete the registration or licensing examination;
- Authorize CEO to determine what constitutes an attempt by a candidate to successfully complete the examination;
- Authorize the CEO to grant a candidate who has exhausted the maximum number of attempts one or more additional attempts to successfully complete the examination where the CEO is satisfied it is consistent with the objects of the College to do so.
- A resolution passed by the Board pursuant to By-law 5 replaces the requirements set out in the by-laws of a legacy College respecting the number of times a candidate may write a registration or licensing examination. For greater certainty, if the resolution does not address a particular registration or licensing examination, the requirements set out in the by-laws of a legacy College respecting the number of times a registrant may write that examination remain in effect pursuant to Section 173(4) of the Nursing Act.
Join the Conversation
If you have feedback regarding the proposed new By-laws, please email Heather Totton, Senior Director, Governance and General Counsel, at heather.totton@nscn.ca by November 20, 2021.
Consultation Next Steps
NSCN will share the by-law feedback with the NSCN Board for their consideration, prior to their vote on whether to approve the new registration and licensing examination by-laws. If these new by-laws are approved, an updated by-laws document will be posted on the website.
