Employer Newsletter - April 2, 2026

Effective March 19, 2026, Joy Peacock has concluded her role as Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA). Council has appointed Andrew Douglas as Interim Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, effective March 19, 2026.

The CRNA's regulatory mandate is unchanged and all regulatory functions, including registration, complaints, investigations, hearings and professional oversight, continue without interruption.

The CRNA’s quarterly Council meeting took place on March 27. The recording and highlights are now available.

The CRNA’s Council approved the new Scope of Practice for Nurse Practitioners, which is effective as of March 31, 2026. The updated scope enables NPs to work to the full extent of their training, adapt to evolving care environments and strengthens public protection by emphasizing competence-based, rather than population-based, streams of practice.

Prescribing epinephrine for cardiac arrest is an exception to the RN Prescribing Schedule 1 Drugs and Ordering Diagnostic Tests: Requirements and Standards. The CRNA has introduced a new practice advice document to provide information and guidance for registrants who may need to prescribe and administer epinephrine for cardiac arrest when a physician or nurse practitioner (NP) is not immediately available.

The CRNA will be hosting a webinar on how registrants complete the continuing competence requirement on April 22 at 10:00 a.m. MDT. Join our experts as they go through the steps of the Continuing Competence Program and cover topics including how to complete the self-assessment and developing learning plans.

It’s free to attend, but you must register in advance.

All registrants of the CRNA are required to renew their permits on an annual basis and employers have a responsibility to ensure that their employees have active practice permits.

Renewal Dates

Renewal will open on Aug. 1, 2026, and close on Sept. 30, 2026. Permits that are successfully renewed during this time will be valid for the upcoming practice year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2026, to Sept. 30, 2027. 

The Managing Your Practice page is a great source of information for registrants looking to renew their permit, return to practice, switch to the non-practising register or become a nurse practitioner.

Permit Checks

Employers are responsible for ensuring their employees have an active practice permit with the CRNA. Individuals who do not complete their renewal application by Sept. 30 will not be entitled to practise on Oct. 1. Employers can easily verify the permit statuses of their employees at any time using the CRNA’s Nurse Verification Tool for Employers.

Permit Fee Information

The CRNA’s Council will approve permit fees for the 2026-2027 practice year in June. The information will be sent to registrants and the information will be posted on the Fees page of our website no later than June 19, 2026.