Background 

On August 19, 2020, the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA) Council voted to separate its dual mandates. The College’s single mandate will focus on setting regulatory standards for registered nurses.

Council’s decision pre-empted the Government of Alberta's Bill 46 announcement on December 9, 2020, that was passed by the Legislative Assembly with exceptions.

Council also approved:

• The name College of Registered Nurses of Alberta as the new name of the Alberta registered nurses regulatory authority.
• The College move to support the development and growth of an independent registered nurses association.

Where We Are Now 

While serving a dual mandate, the CRNA consistently focused on the principles of Right-touch regulation to inform our regulatory decisions and actions. Right-touch regulation is a proven methodology developed by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care in the UK and is founded on six main principles. These principles are stated as:

1. Proportionate: Regulators should only intervene when necessary. Remedies should be appropriate to the risk posed, and costs identified and minimized.
2. Consistent: Rules and standards must be joined up and implemented fairly.
3. Targeted: Regulation should be focused on the problem and minimize side effects.
4. Transparent: Regulators should be open and keep regulations simple and user-friendly.
5. Accountable: Regulators must be able to justify decisions and be subject to public scrutiny.
6. Agile: Regulation must look forward and be able to adapt to anticipate change.

As the CRNA accountability shifts wholly to being a regulatory body, we continue to use Right-touch regulation and our commitment to these principles remains unchanged.

Our Commitment to Transparency 

The CRNA acknowledges the importance of transparency as we evolve to being an independent college and an independent association. We are committed to sharing information, providing answers, and facilitating feedback with our registrants, the public and our stakeholders.

Council, administration and registrants will work together in a collaborative and respectful manner to achieve the ultimate goals of:

• A College that fulfils the mandate of public protection.
• An independent registered nurses association that is founded in good governance and is able to provide its membership with all the products, programs, and services that they have come to expect from a strong association.

Timelines 

We are conducting a review of all our processes and expect that our full transition will take approximately two years to complete which brings us to the end of 2022. We will provide updates on a regular basis.