CRPNA Members


Being registered provides you with a permit to practice and authorizes you to use the designation Registered Psychiatric Nurse or RPN. The RPN designation means you are a recognized professional and legally authorized to practice. It assures other health professionals and colleagues of your competence and reinforces public trust in our profession. Maintaining registration requirements helps ensure a continuing high standard of care.


CRPNA provides confidential consultations to registered psychiatric nurses and others who seek assistance about issues that affect the delivery of safe, competent, ethical psychiatric nursing care.

GOVERNANCE DOCUMENTS

The Health Professions Act (HPA) provides a framework for governance, registration, restricted activities, discipline and continuing competence. It defines the requirements that regulated health professions in Alberta need to follow to provide safe and competent care to the public. Individual Psychiatric Nurses need to be knowledgeable about the legislation that governs their practice.

MAINTAIN MY REGISTRATION

To be registered as an RPN or to maintain your RPN practice permit you must:

           * Have 1,400 practice hours in the previous five years, or graduated
             from a psychiatric nursing program in the past 4 years
           * Renew your practice permit annually by April 30
           * Complete annual Continuing Competence Program(CCP)
              requirements
           * Ensure your ongoing fitness to practice

Career Breaks, Parental Leave or Retirement

Whether you're taking a temporary break from psychiatric nursing, relocating to another province or retiring for good, we need to be notified that you will not be renewing your practice permit.

Even though you may not be working, we need you to renew or take a non-practicing membership by the renewal deadline to remain in good standing and to avoid outstanding conditions, fees or having your permit suspended or cancelled. This is the only way for us and the public to know that you are not working without a practice permit.

INDEPENDENT/SELF-EMPLOYED PRACTICE

 

If you are a self-employed Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) in independent practice you are required to have specific PLI coverage for self-employment and submit verification to CRPNA annually as this is a requirement for entering into private or self-employed practice.

 

 

MY RPN PAGE


Members can sign in to their own personal member page where they can view and change personal information, view self-reported hours, print a current practice permit card and tax receipt, and upload documents/certificates of completion.

My Sign In


ANNUAL RENEWAL INFORMATION

Practice Permits must be renewed by April 30th.

                     

    Click HERE for more information on:

  • Link to Renewal Form
  • Key Points for renewing
  • How to View Permits and Tax Receipts
  • "How to Renew" Instructions
  • Quick Tips to Calculate Practice Hours

Select the links below for more detailed information on:


CURRENT PRACTICE ALERTS

 

APPROVED Documents for Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) Prescribing and Ordering Diagnostic Tests

The following approved documents are requirements for RPN prescribing.

Registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs) who meet certain requirements can become authorized to prescribe Schedule 1 drugs (except controlled drugs and substances) and order common diagnostic tests within a specific clinical practice setting.

KNOW BEFORE YOU APPLY

 

RPNs can only be authorized to prescribe within a specific practice setting and location.  If you move practice settings or locations, your authorization is no longer valid, and you will need to re-apply for authorization in your new practice setting.

 

RPNs employed by Alberta Health Services and who wish to become an authorized prescriber in their practice area, are asked to contact Tyler Burley([email protected]) to discuss Alberta Health Services practice areas supporting nurse prescribing.

 

BEFORE APPLYING FOR AUTHORIZATION, AN RPN MUST:

  • Hold an active permit and be in good standing with CRPNA
  • Have at least 3,000 clinical practice hours as an RPN
  • Have at least 750 practice hours in the practice setting/location in which you are seeking to prescribe
  • Complete the approved Athabasca University RPN prescribing course
  • Have employer support including an employer reference, employer policies, clinical support tools, and collaborative practice relationships in the workplace

 

AUTHORIZATION PROCESS

 

Once all the above criteria have been met, please contact CRPNA for the application to become an authorized RPN prescriber.

 

CRPNA contact information: [email protected] with the subject line:  REQUEST FOR RPN PRESCRIBING AUTHORIZATION.

 




    

DOCUMENT REQUESTS

To request Tax Receipts (also available on CRPNA Personal Member Page - no charge), Verification of License/Confirmation of Registration, Verification of Self-reported Hours, Transcripts and other items download the request form   . 

Send the completed Document Request form along with the form you wish to have CRPNA complete (if applicable) to CRPNA via email ([email protected]), fax (780-436-4165) or standard mail.   Document requests will be processed within 2 to 3 business days.