Currency of Practice

As a nurse, you must meet one of the following currency of practice options to be eligible for registration and/or licensure in Nova Scotia:

1. Meet the minimum number of nursing practice hours:
   1. 1000 hours the last five licensure years (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you worked 1000 hours between November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2022) or
   2. 500 hours in the last licensure year (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you worked 500 hours between November 1, 2021 to October 31, 2022).

You are required to retain a record of your nursing practice hours for the past 5 licensure years if you are an LPN.  

2. Completed all program requirements in one of the following programs in the five licensure years prior to your application (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you graduated between November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2022):
   1. Nova Scotia PN program; or
   2. Canadian PN program; or
   3. PN re-entry program; or
   4. International nursing program.
3. Completed a Competence Assessment and successfully completed bridging education in the past 5 licensure years (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you completed the bridging education between November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2022). 

Rules for Calculating Practice Hours

There are some rules about calculating your practice hours:

1. The hour requirements can only be met if the practice hours fall within the definition of nursing services. If you are unsure whether your position meets the definition of nursing services, you can send your job description to Doug Bungay at douglas.bungay@nscn.ca for review. Continue scrolling to the bottom of the page to read the legislated definition of nursing services.
2. Hours accumulated during the orientation period are considered nursing practice hours and should be included in your calculations.
3. You can only count actual hours worked as a nurse and not the hours you are paid while off on vacation, sick leave, long term sickness/injury or maternity leave.
4. When counting your overtime hours worked, one overtime hour is only counted as one nursing practice hour, regardless of how you were paid.  
5. Hours worked as another health care provider do not count a nursing practice hours (e.g. any CCA hours cannot count toward nursing licensure). 
6. Hours worked in one nursing designation cannot be counted towards another nursing designation (e.g., any LPN practice hours cannot count towards RN licensure, RN practice hours cannot be counted towards NP licensure).
7. Practice hours are calculated based on when they fall within our licensure year (between November 1 and October 31).
8. Volunteer hours cannot be counted towards your nursing practice hour requirement.

Why are volunteer hours not counted?

In our role to protect the public, we have to ensure that all applicants have the minimum number of nursing practice hours in order to licence each year. In the past, information provided to NSCN about volunteer hours did not contain sufficient evidence of nursing practice such as a lack of job description, lack of connection to nursing practice, etc. As a result, we felt it was in the best interest of the public to no longer consider volunteer hours as nursing practice hours. While we understand that your volunteer hours may be different than other volunteer information that was previously brought to NSCN, the rules we enforce must be applied consistently for all applicants.

How to Change My Reported Practice Hours

• If you are requesting to adjust your practice hours for a year other than the previous licensing year, you must have your employer submit a Statement from Employer directly to us at registration@nscn.ca. 

How to Re-Establish Currency of Practice 

As an LPN, if you do not meet one of the options listed above related to LPN currency of practice, you must re-establish your currency of practice to become licensed in Nova Scotia.  There are two ways in which you can do this:

1. Complete the LPN Re-Entry Program (unavailable at NSCC for the 2021-2022 academic year)
2. Complete a competence assessment and successfully complete any required bridging education up to and including a full nursing re-entry program. (unavailable at NSCC for the 2021-2022 academic year)

NOTE: the competence assessment is unavailable until the implementation of the Nursing Community Assessment Service (NCAS) in the fall of 2021. If you choose this option, we will hold your information and submit it to NCAS once the competence assessments start.

As a nurse, you must meet one of the following currency of practice options to be eligible for registration and/or licensure in Nova Scotia:

1. Meet the minimum number of nursing practice hours:
   1. RN Only: 
      1. 1125 hours in the past five licensure years (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you worked 1125 hours between November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2022) or
      2. 450 hours in the last licensure year (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you worked 450 hours between November 1, 2021 to October 31, 2022)
   2. NP Only: 600 hours in the past two licensure years as an NP (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you worked 600 hours between November 1, 2020 to October 31, 2022).

Note: you are required to retain a record of your nursing practice hours for the past five licensure years if you are an RN and for two years if you are an NP. 

2. Completed all program requirements in one of the following programs in the five licensure years prior to your application (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you graduated between November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2022):
   1. Nova Scotia nursing program
   2. a Canadian nursing program
   3. a nursing re-entry program or
   4. an international nursing program
3. If you are an NP: completed all program requirements in one of the following programs in the two licensure years prior to your licence renewal application (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you graduated between November 1, 2020 to October 31, 2022):
   1. Nova Scotia nurse practitioner program
   2. Canadian nurse practitioner program 
   3. an international nurse practitioner program that has been reviewed and approved by NSCN
4. Completed a Competence Assessment:
   1. If you are an RN: a competence assessment and successfully completed bridging education in the past 5 licensure years (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you completed the bridging education between November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2022)
   2. If you are an NP: a competence assessment to the satisfaction of the NSCN Registration and Licensing Committee in the past 2 licensure years (example: for your 2023 licence that is in effect November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2023, you completed the competence assessment requirements between November 1, 2020 to October 31, 2022).
5. Provided official confirmation from the school of nursing that you are enrolled in and currently attending one of the following nursing programs:
   1. post-RN baccalaureate degree program in nursing;
   2. master’s degree program in nursing; or 
   3. doctorate degree program in nursing.
      Note: you must have been eligible for a licence with NSCN when you enrolled in one of the above program.

Rules for Calculating Practice Hours

There are some rules about calculating your practice hours:

1. The hour requirements can only be met if the practice hours fall within the definition of nursing services. If you are unsure whether your position meets the definition of nursing services, you can send your job description to Cathy Rose, NSCN Policy Consultant, at cathy.rose@nscn.ca for review. Continue scrolling to the bottom of the page to read the legislated definition of nursing services.
2. Hours accumulated during the orientation period are considered nursing practice hours and should be included in your calculations.
3. You can only count actual hours worked as a nurse and not the hours you are paid while off on vacation, sick leave, long term sickness/injury or maternity leave.
4. When counting your overtime hours worked, one overtime hour is only counted as one nursing practice hour, regardless of how you were paid.  
5. Hours worked as another health care provider do not count a nursing practice hours (e.g., any CCA hours cannot count toward nursing licensure). 
6. Hours worked in one nursing designation cannot be counted towards another nursing designation (e.g., any LPN practice hours cannot count towards RN licensure, RN practice hours cannot be counted towards NP licensure);
7. Practice hours are calculated based on when they fall within the NSCN licensure year (between November 1 and October 31).
8. Volunteer hours cannot be counted towards your nursing practice hour requirement.

Why are volunteer hours not counted?

In our role to protect the public, we have to ensure that all applicants have the minimum number of nursing practice hours in order to licence each year. In the past, information provided to NSCN about volunteer hours did not contain sufficient evidence of nursing practice such as a lack of job description, lack of connection to nursing practice, etc. As a result, we felt it was in the best interest of the public to no longer consider volunteer hours as nursing practice hours. While we understand that your volunteer hours may be different than other volunteer information that was previously brought to NSCN, the rules we enforce must be applied consistently for all applicants.

How to Change My Reported Practice Hours

• If you are requesting to adjust your practice hours for a year other than the previous licensing year, you must have your employer submit a letter confirming your nursing practice hours directly to us at registration@nscn.ca.

How to Re-Establish Currency of Practice 

• As an RN: if you do not meet one of the options listed above related to RN currency of practice, you must re-establish your currency of practice to become licensed in Nova Scotia. There are two ways in which you can do this:
  • successfully complete a nursing re-entry program
  • complete a competence assessment and successfully complete any required bridging education up to and including a full nursing re-entry program.
• As an NP: if you do not meet one of the options listed above related to NP currency of practice, you must re-establish your currency of practice by having your application documents, including your NP education and experience, reviewed by the Registration and Licensing Committee. The first step in this process is to complete the Nurse Practitioner Currency of Practice Application Form and return it, and your current curriculum vitae (CV), to registration@nscn.ca. We will then be in touch with you about next steps.

The term “nursing services” means the application of specialized and evidence-based knowledge of nursing theory, health and biological, physical, behavioural, psychosocial or sociological sciences inclusive of principles of primary health care, in a variety of roles including clinical services to clients, research, education, consultation, management, administration, regulation, policy or system development relevant to such application, and such other services, roles, functions, competencies and activities for each nursing designation that are related to and consistent with the foregoing, including those: 

1. described in Section 174 or prescribed by the regulations
2. taught in an approved education program
3. authorized for practice under federal or Provincial legislation
4. generally accepted as constituting the practice of nursing