As a Registered Nurse, I am part of the largest group of health care workers in our Canadian Health System (Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, n.d.). It’s important to learn and understand our role and professional obligations outlined in Canada's federal and provincial legislation to ensure safe practice within our scope.

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In Ontario, the nursing profession is regulated by two legislations: the Nursing Act, 1991 and the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) (CNO, 2023). The RHPA establishes the standards for colleges of all self-governing health professions in Ontario including nursing, dentistry, physiotherapy, dietetics, to name only a few (Ontario Ministry of Health, 2018). As for the Nursing Act, it’s primary focus involves setting standards for registration, establishing our controlled acts, and defining the scope of practice for nurses in Ontario (CNO, 2023). According to the College of Nurses of Ontario (2023), “the practice of nursing is the promotion of health and the assessment of, the provision of, care for, and the treatment of, health conditions by supportive, preventive, therapeutic, palliative and rehabilitative means in order to attain or maintain optimal function.” Both important legislative acts share a common goal, which is to protect the patients and the public that we serve by ensuring safe and consistent practice across Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Health, 2018).