Ontario expanding nurse practitioners’ scope of practice

Nurse practitioners in Ontario will be able to apply a defibrillator and cardiac pacemakers starting next summer, as the province expands their scope of practice.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the changes will improve access to care for people across Ontario, especially in Indigenous, rural, northern and remote communities.

The government plans regulatory changes to allow nurse practitioners to order and apply a defibrillator, order and apply a cardiac pacemaker, and order and perform electrocoagulation, a process to treat skin conditions and lesions.

Ontario is also allowing registered nurses to certify a death when it is expected, and is allowing nurse practitioners to certify deaths in more circumstances.

The changes are set to take effect July 1, 2025.

Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, says the changes will help people access timely care.