College of Nurses of Ontario marks 50 years of protecting the public interest

TORONTO, April 1, 2013 /CNW/ - This year, the College of Nurses of Ontario celebrates 50 years of protecting the public interest as the province's nurse regulator. We are marking this milestone with a celebration - "Pride in Our Past. Confidence in Our Future." - that recognizes how far nursing regulation in Ontario has come since 1963, and looks toward the future of nursing regulation in the province.

"The College sets the standards that guide every patient encounter with a nurse," says Anne Coghlan, RN, the College's Executive Director and CEO.  "Nursing regulation is about public confidence.  Nurses take seriously their accountability for safe nursing care."

Today, the College launched a 50th anniversary section of its website (www.cno.org/50). Visitors will find videos and interviews with real nurses who represent the face of nursing today - educated, experienced and caring professionals who are committed to providing patients with safe and ethical nursing care. The website also features a timeline tracing developments in nursing regulation since 1963. Throughout the year, nurses from across the province will be featured on the website, explaining what it means to be part of a regulated profession and how the College supports them in their nursing practice.

For five decades, the College has demonstrated to the public that nurses are accountable for the care they provide. For example, all nurses registered in Ontario have a profile in Find a Nurse, the College's online register. The College also provides information about what people should expect when receiving care from nurses through the public section of its website.

In 1963, it was a great privilege for a profession to be given the right of regulation. At that time, the College was the first nursing regulator in Canada to function separately from the professional association. Ontario's nurses were granted the right to self-regulate because the profession demonstrated that it could regulate itself in the public interest. Thanks in part to regulation and the accountability it brings, nursing remains one of the most trusted professions in the province. Today, the College is one of North America's largest health profession regulators with over 155,000 Ontario nurses currently registered.

As one of the College's 50th anniversary slogans makes clear: "We're Not a School. We're Not an Association. We Are Proud Protectors of the Public Interest."

SOURCE: College of Nurses of Ontario

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