What is the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership Program?

If you are a CNO applicant(RN or RPN) and your safe period is expired, then the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership(SPEP) program is for you. It is a new partnership program between the CNO, Ontario Health, and CNO-approved organizations that allow RN and RPN applicants to meet their Evidence of Practice.

Before this SPEP program, Internationally Educated Nurses(IEN) had to go to their home country to work for a minimum of 2-3 months to meet the Evidence of Practice requirements. It was a huge inconvenience for many IENs due to the expense and delay in completing the requirements. The SPEP Program provides an opportunity for IENs and nurses returning to practice to complete their Evidence of Practice in Ontario, meaning they don’t have to leave and return, saving them both money and time.

Also Read: How to Become a Registered Nurse in Ontario 2023: A Complete Guide for IENs

What is the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership Program CNO?

The Supervised Practice Experience Partnership Program (SPEP) offers applicants with the expired safe period the option to meet the safe period requirements by working in a CNO-approved hospital or long-term care under the supervision of a Nurse Practitioner, Registered Nurse, or Registered Practical Nurse, depending on your application. The duration of this program is 140 hours, but the program may also be extended depending on the applicant’s needs.

SPEP Program Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the SPEP program, you must meet specific criteria such as:

1. All your requirements, except Evidence of Practice and Language Proficiency, must be met.
2. You must be eligible to work in Ontario.
3. To get an invite, you must be in Ontario. If you are outside of Ontario, you should find a CNO Approved hospital or long-term care in Ontario.
4. You wouldn’t be eligible for this program if your Evidence of Practice expired more than five years ago.

As soon as you pass NCLEX-RN and meet Educational Requirments, go ahead and finish the Jurisprudence examination and Police Criminal Record Check so that there won’t be any delay in getting approval from the CNO for this program. I did my NCLEX-RN Exam from Illinois and transferred it to the CNO. So, my Education Requirements were met by themselves.

If you have met the criteria mentioned above, you will be notified by the CNO on your Message Centre on the CNO dashboard. The message also includes the Supervised Practice Experience – Intake Form link. If you met all the requirements and did not get any messages from CNO, please get in touch with the CNO at spe@cnomail.org.

If interested, you can fill out the Supervised Practice Experience – Intake Form sent by the CNO and apply directly to Ontario Health. Once you submit the intake form, Ontario Health will match you with the CNO-approved organization for the program. Once you are matched, the organization will contact you directly for further details.

Alternatively, you can find a CNO-approved Hospital or Longterm Care to do your supervised practice experience and contact them directly to apply. You can reach out to the HR or Recruitment Team of the organization and ask for available options.

Benefits of Supervised Practice Experience Partnership Program

Now let us have a look at the benefits of the SPEP Program:

• You do not need to go back to your home country to practice and meet the Evidence of Practice requirements.
• You can complete the requirements much faster than leaving and returning from your home country.
• There are no additional travel or accommodation expenses as you will do the practice experience in Ontario.
• SPEP Program gives great exposure to the healthcare system in Ontario, which can be beneficial for your career advancement.
• Many institutions pay for the SPEP Program so you can work and get paid at the same time.
• Just like a newly hired Nurse, you will get the orientation to Long Term Care or Hospital setting, which can be very beneficial for your career.
• Many institutions hire SPEP candidates soon after completing the program and getting their Nursing licenses.

As mentioned, you will be working under a preceptor, and they will evaluate you for any additional learning needs based on your competency. You can also do an initial and final self-evaluation of your learning and identify any additional areas of improvement. The program may be extended further if you or your preceptor think you need additional support and learning.

Once you have completed the program, your preceptor will send the CNO the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership Completion Form. It may take 3-5 days to process and approve it. After the approval, you will get a message on your CNO Dashboard to register as an RN or RPN in Ontario. Please note that you cannot use the title RN or RPN until you successfully register with the CNO.

The SPEP Program is an excellent opportunity for RN and RPN to meet the Evidence of Practice and Language Proficiency Requirments in Ontario. We hope this article provides a comprehensive overview of the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership Program and its benefits.

This article on SPEP Program is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. For specific requirements and further information about Supervised Practice Experience Partnership Program, contact the College of Nurses of Ontario directly.