Nurse Practitioner

This section applies to you if you are:

Categories of Practice

In Newfoundland and Labrador, nurse practitioners (NPs) are licensed in one of three categories of practice:

  • Family/All-Ages
  • Adult
  • Pediatric

For information on the process to change your category of practice see Fact Sheet NP Change of Category.

Overview of Licensure Process – Canadian Licensed NP

  1. Create an account on the College’s Member Portal (Alinity), submit an application as a Registered Nurse and pay the processing fee. Choose ‘Practicing’ option and select “I am a Registered Nurse licensed in a Canadian jurisdiction seeking licensure in NL for the first time”.
  2. After submitting the RN application return to the main landing page in the member portal and select the ‘add designation’ for ‘Nurse Practitioner’.
  3. Submit application for initial NP licensure to the College.
    Note: Presently the application is a PDF version. An updated combined RN/NP application will be available soon through the College’s member portal (Alinity).
  4. Submit proof of CNPS Nurse Practitioner professional liability protection for Newfoundland & Labrador. Receipt must be uploaded to member portal.
    Note: CNPS coverage for another province/territory is not accepted. Coverage must be for NL.
  5. Submit Declaration Form – confirmation that you have reviewed the Tamper Resistant Prescription Pad Program (TRPPP) information posted on the Department of Health and Community Services, Government of NL website. Declaration form to be sent to registration@crnnl.ca.
  6. The College will review your application and notify you if any additional information or documentation is required.

Overview of Licensure Process – New NP graduate

Note: You must hold a current practicing RN license with the College or be eligible for NP licensure in Newfoundland & Labrador.

  1. Submit application for initial NP licensure to the College.
    Note: Presently the application is a PDF version. An updated application will be available soon through the College’s member portal (Alinity).
  2. Submit Declaration Form – confirmation that you have reviewed the Tamper Resistant Prescription Pad Program (TRPPP) information posted on the Department of Health and Community Services, Government of NL website. Declaration form to be sent to registration@crnnl.ca.
  3. Submit NP licensure exam eligibility application and pay the processing fee. Refer to Nurse Practitioner Examinations page for more information on the exam application process.
    – Canadian Nurse Practitioner Exam: Family All-Ages (CNPE:F/AA) application form – click here.
    – Adult exam (AANPCB) or Pediatric exam (PNCB) – contact registration@crnnl.ca for more information on the exam application process.
    Note: New graduates of a nurse practitioner education program are required to successfully complete an NP licensure exam based on their education and specific to the applicable category of practice.
  4. The College will submit your name and contact information to the NP licensure exam vendor. The vendor will contact you by email, prior to the exam, and you will be required to complete the vendor exam application process and pay the exam fee directly to the vendor. Refer to Nurse Practitioner Examinations for more information on the exam application process and exam fee(s).
  5. The College will notify you by email that your NP licensure exam eligibility application has been approved and advise you of the process to apply for interim nurse practitioner licensure, should you have NP employment in NL, and wish to practice while you wait to write the licensure exam.
  6. If applicable – Apply for Interim NP licence through the College’s member portal – An interim licence authorizes graduates of an NP education program to practice in an NP position and establish their role while waiting to write, and receive the results of the applicable licensure exam.
  7. The College will notify you of your NP licensure exam results by email.

Interim NP Practice

Interim NP Licence holders must adhere to College regulatory documents and relevant legislation that govern NP practice, including but not limited to the authority to prescribe medications or to complete client care processes (e.g., Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) Prescribing Methadone for Opioid Dependence; Nurse Practitioners (NPs) Prescribing Methadone for Analgesia; Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). 

Practice Conditions

Prior to the issuance of an Interim NP Licence the applicant must validate to the College that: 

  • i. They have a collaborative arrangement with a licensed NP or physician who is also employed by or has privileges within the RHA or another agency that the Interim NP License holder will be employed;
  • ii. the licenced NP or physician is available to provide an accessible resource (i.e., in person, by phone, or other telecommunication method (i.e., telehealth video connection)) where the Interim NP Licence holder identifies a client’s care is outside their competence; and
  • iii. the employer confirms understanding of the NP collaborative arrangement.

The above information must be provided using the Interim NP licensure declaration form.

Title 

The applicant who has been issued an interim licence to practise as a nurse practitioner is required to use the title Interim Nurse Practitioner Licence (Interim NP Licence).

Registrants who practice without a valid NP interim licence or NP practicing licence will be subject to an Unauthorized Practice Fee ($100/shift worked with a maximum fee of three times the regular licensure cost) and subject to discipline where the period of practice exceeds 3 shifts from and including the 1st shift.