Nurse Practitioners
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who have met additional education, experience and exam requirements set by their provincial/territorial nursing regulators.
In 2020, the CCRNR commissioned the Nurse Practitioner Regulation Framework Implementation Plan Project (NPR-FIPP) with a priority that the Nurse Practitioner entry-level education programs in Canada will prepare Nurse Practitioners for practice across the life span and practice settings.
The new model for Nurse Practitioner regulation is expected to be implemented in jurisdictions beginning in 2026 when NPs start to graduate from programs based on the revised Nurse Practitioner entry-level competencies and when the new single entry-level national exam is ready.
Entry-Level Competencies for Nurse Practitioners
The revised Nurse Practitioner entry-level competencies were endorsed by the CCRNR Board in November 2022 and published on the CCRNR website in December 2023 after nursing regulators in each Canadian province and territory approved them.
Nurse Practitioner Exam
NP applicants currently write the Pediatric, Adult or Family/All Ages Exam, but starting in 2026, applicants (with the exception of Neonatal NPs) will write a new, single-entry national Nurse Practitioner (NP) exam.
The practice analysis was completed in August 2024 as a first step to developing the new single entry-level national Nurse Practitioner exam. The analysis is a rigorous evidence-based investigation of the key attributes and tasks of the Nurse Practitioner profession and is informing the development of test questions for the new national entry-to-practice or licensure exam.
Development of the single entry-level national Nurse Practitioner (NP) Exam is underway, with a planned launch in 2026. Many NP education programs started their new programs in September 2024, while others will start in 2025 or later. These programs were developed based on the revised NP entry-level competencies, educating student NPs across the lifespan and practice settings.
The Canadian Nurse Practitioner Exam (CNPE) will remain available in some jurisdictions, as the rollout of the new national NP exam will occur at different times across the country.
Resources for NPs
NP Entry-Level Competencies: English/Français
Visit the website of the nursing regulator in your province or territory for a copy of their NP Entry-Level Competencies. Individual regulators’ versions may have minor differences compared to the national version because of terms and descriptions unique to some provinces and territories.