Privacy Of Registrant Information Policy

Policy

Overview

The Nova Scotia College of Nursing (NSCN) shall be accountable for all personal information under its control. NSCN shall collect, use and disclose the information in accordance with its obligations under the Nursing Act and according to the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (the CSA Model Code).

Policy Statement

  • NSCN shall collect the following registrant personal information:
    • Contact and identification information, such as name, date of birth, address, phone number, fax number, mailing address, language proficiency and e-mail address;
    • Credit information for payment for licensure by phone or in person
    • Educational information such as nursing and other programs and year of graduation; and
    • Previous licensure details.
  • NSCN shall maintain the confidentiality and security of personal information submitted via its website and other means through the use of responsible information management practices and reasonable security measures, including:
    • technology measures including the use of passwords and data encryption for electronic information; 
    • physical measures such as locked filing cabinet, and restricted access to areas where personal information is stored;
    • organization measures such as employee training, confidentiality agreements and limited access;
    • third party measures including privacy and confidentiality agreements with contractors and third parties; and
    • record retention and destruction policies such as on-site shredding and physical destruction of hard drives
  • NSCN shall not sell or trade a registrant’s personal information to third parties.
  • The knowledge and consent of a registrant shall be required for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information except where there are legal, contractual, statutory or security reasons for releasing the information.  The legal, contractual, security and statutory requirements shall include:
    • NSCN’s regulatory processes;
    • Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness for use in the electronic health record “Provider Registry” and nursing human resources planning;
    • Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) for distribution of the CNA Journal;
    • Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI) for statistical health reporting;
    • Canadian Nurses’ Protective Society (CNPS) for legal liability coverage;
    • Nova Scotia Community College for enrollment in e-learning courses;
    • Yardstick Assessment Strategies Inc., CNA and American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC) for exam purposes;
    • NP-QMP contract requirements;
    • NP Practice Analysis;
    • NSCN’s website posting of the registrant`s name, registration number, active practising status and licensing sanction (if applicable);
    • National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and Pearson VUE for the purposes of the RN registration examination and practice analysis;
    • NSCN registrant surveys, either by NSCN or an authorized third party; and,
    • Authorized vendors acting on NSCN’s behalf.

Policy Elements 

Definitions

  • Personal information: is information about an “identifiable” individual, which includes names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, credit card information, or other contact information and personally identifiable data, date of birth, social insurance number, age, marital and financial status, race, national or ethnic origin, and religion. 

Guidelines

  • Should additions to the legal, contractual, security or statutory requirements list occur, they shall be added on the policy’s next review date.
  • By submitting their annual application for licensure form, the registrant consents to the release of information for legal, contractual, security and statutory requirements and no further consent shall be required. 
  • For release of a registrant’s personal information for nursing research or purposes not identified as a legal, contractual, security or statutory requirement, NSCN needs the registrant’s explicit consent. A release of information box on the annual application for licensure form shall provide an area for the registrant to consent or not consent to such release. 
  • At any time, registrants shall be entitled to withdraw their consent for research or purposes not identified as a legal, contractual, security or statutory requirement. 
  • Personal information will not be retained longer than is necessary for its intended use. 
  • Registrants shall be advised when their personal information is stored outside Canada i.e. NCLEX, ANCC.
  • Registrants may contact the Privacy Officer any time to discuss access to personal information. Upon written request, access will be provided. A small fee may be applied to cover the cost of administration. In certain situations, such as legal or regulatory requirements, NSCN may not be able to offer the registrant access to their personal information and shall provide the registrant with the reasons of denial. NSCN shall correct or amend personal information that is shown to be incomplete or inaccurate.
  • NSCN’s Privacy Officer is responsible for overseeing compliance with this privacy policy. Any questions can be directed to the privacy officer who will respond to any concerns. NSCN will investigate all complaints and will take appropriate action to resolve the issue.

Procedure

  • For more information or to withdraw consent for reasons not listed as a legal, contractual, security or statutory requirement, registrants and staff may contact NSCN`s Privacy Officer in person or in writing at:

    Privacy Officer
    NSCN
    300 – 120 Western Parkway
    Bedford, NS B4B 0V2
    or Privacy.Officer@nscn.ca  
     
  • Those wishing to lodge a complaint regarding their personal information, are requested to fill out the Registrant Request to Lodge a Complaint Form.