Maintaining Eligibility for Licensing: Nursing Practice Hours

Hourly Bylaw Requirement

To maintain eligibility for licensing, the registrant must complete the hourly bylaw requirement of acceptable nursing activities specific to their licensure for the period immediately preceding the license year for which renewal is sought or completed an approved re-entry program within that same period.

• Registered Nurse (RN) – 1125 hours in a five-year period OR 450 hours in a two-year period
• Registered Nurse with Additional Authorized Practice [RN(AAP)] – 900 hours in a three-year period
• Nurse Practitioner (NP) – 900 hours in a three-year period

Please note that overtime, “on call”, travel to and from work, and sick time are not considered nursing practice for the hourly bylaw requirement.

What is not eligible for nursing hours

Only actual hours worked in approved nursing activities may be counted. Do not include the hours you are paid but not practicing, as these are not considered nursing practice for the hourly bylaw requirement. This includes time spent:

• on call
• travelling
• on vacation
• paid or unpaid leaves (sick, maternity, disability,  sabbatical, bereavement, family, etc.)

Considerations when counting hours:

• One overtime hour is considered one nursing hour, regardless of how you were paid.
• Hours spent caring for friends or family members are not recognized as approved nursing hours.

Nursing Practice Outside of Saskatchewan

Nursing practice that occurs outside of Saskatchewan may be counted if:

• the person is actively registered in that province, state, or county; or,
• the person has maintained a practicing membership with the CRNS and is using practice hours to count towards eligibility for licensing in a country that does not have a nurse registration.

Please note proof of license status will be requested.

Professional Development and Education

Continuing professional nursing education hours will be recognized in the following:

• Nursing Certificate/Certification Courses: Equivalent hours of nursing practice will be accepted. In those courses, where the provider has assigned no hours, the course will be assessed by the CRNS to ascertain number of approved hours.
• Nursing Workshops/Conferences: Equivalent hours of nursing practice will be accepted.
• Part-time or full-time study: Part-time or full-time study outside of CRNS RN, RN(AAP) and NP approved programs or courses towards advanced nursing education will be assessed course-by-course.
  • Full-time study towards a nursing degree, Masters/PhD, which builds on RN/NP competencies, is recognized as equivalent to full-time nursing hours practiced.
  • Part-time study towards a nursing degree, Masters/PhD is recognized as follows: 60 hours per credit unit. For example, three credit class – 3 X 60 = 180 hours.
• Other Degrees: Nurses enrolled in courses in other professional disciplines will have their courses assessed course-by-course.

Considerations when counting professional development hours:

• Registrant must maintain a practicing membership with the CRNS.
• Keep all agendas and certificates of participation for workshops and certification programs.
• For approved courses of study, registrants must provide course syllabi and transcripts.

Recognition of Practice

CRNS has a Recognition of Practice (ROP) process to evaluate the work of registrants planning to or practicing in non-traditional or complex roles. The CRNS Registrar will review written requests for ROP. Requests may be presented on an individual basis to the Registration and Membership Committee, who will make a recommendation to the Registrar.

Self-Employed Practice

Self-employed practice is where a nurse provides professional nursing services, either as an individual practitioner, in collaboration with other practitioners, or by employing others, to clients in a variety of practice settings (clinical services, research, education, consultation, management, administration, regulation, policy or system development). Self-employed nurses should report their practice to the CRNS for advisement on whether it falls within approved nursing activities. All self-employed RNs and NPs are responsible for tracking eligible nurse practice hours and determining how to have them independently verified (lawyer, accountant, tax specialist, designated person in authority).

Volunteer Hours

Non-salaried registered nursing activities may count for up to 20 percent of the current bylaw requirement of acceptable employment in the given period for your applicable licensure. Volunteer hours may include, but are not limited to, work with medical/health/government/missionary organizations, activities with regulatory and professional body committees and/or other health care/government committees and/or boards. The volunteer activities must be revalidated annually as part of licensing renewal, and the registrant may be required to have a job description and/or a letter from the agency.

• RN – 225hours in five years (20 percent of 1125 hours)
• RN(AAP) or NP – 180hours in three years (20 percent of 900 hours)