Application Process Overview

Key deadlines and requirements to guide you through the application processes for RPNCE eligibility and graduate psychiatric nurse registration are provided below. 

Our primary mode of communication with applicants is by email. Communications from RPNAS about the RPNCE and your license will be sent via email. Please provide a valid email address in your application form and check your email (including your junk folder) on a regular basis. A personal email address is recommended rather than work or educational program email addresses. 

All steps in the application process must be completed before eligibility for the exam and a license can be granted. This includes submission of an online application, payment of all fees, and submission of supporting documentation. When uploading documentation such as identity documents, please ensure that these are high quality pictures where photo, signature and identification numbers are clear.  

You must be eligible to sit the RPNCE before a GPN is granted and you are able to practice in Saskatchewan. You must have a valid registration with RPNAS in the GPN membership category to use the designation GPN. Successful completion of the RPNCE is a requirement for practicing registration as a registered psychiatric nurse (RPN). 

Assessment for eligibility for the RPNCE and a GPN registration requires RPNAS to open a file for you to begin your application process. We do not keep any documentation received before an application file has been opened. To be eligible, you must submit the following: 

– Application form
– Proof of identification
– Criminal Record Check – Vulnerable Sector Check (CRC-VSC)
– R-02 – Confirmation of Registration (if applicable) 
– R-06 – Program Completion Reference

If you do not submit your application and supporting documentation by deadlines, you will not be able to sit the exam at the next scheduled writing and will need to wait for the next available writing.

** Internationally educated nurses (IENs) may not be required to submit all documents. RPNAS will advise IENs of required documents.

Applying for the RPNCE

Application Form 

Submit an online application for exam eligibility. Access to the online application form will be provided 12-14 weeks in advance of the exam date. An account must be created to permit access to the Online Application for the RPNCE. 

Please read the online application form carefully and answer all of the questions thoroughly and honestly. 

Incomplete or missing answers will result in delays and complications. Applicants should be aware that  a legal declaration is being signed and the information provided in the application is complete and truthful. Providing incomplete or inaccurate information may result in an application being refused. 

Provision of correct legal name will be verified exactly as it appears on your photo identification. This identity document will be used to enter the exam writing centre. 

Questions when completing the online application form, may be directed to Registration Services at 306.586.4617 or via email at info@rpnas.com.

Accommodations

You will indicate your need for accommodations in your online application for the exam. Click here for forms and additional information. The deadline to submit an application and forms is 12 -14 weeks in advance of the exam date. RPNAS requires 12 weeks prior to the exam to assess and validate the need for Accommodations. Deadlines will not be extended for any reason. We recommend submitting an application well in advance to collect the necessary supporting documentation.  

Proof of Identity

RPNAS requires submission of two pieces of valid (not expired) government-issued identity documents. One copy must have a photo and signature, such as a driver’s license or passport. The other most acceptable proof of identity is a birth certificate. 

Acceptable forms of identification include a copy of: 

• – passport 
• – permanent resident card 
• – driver’s license 

Name changes are verified via marriage certificate/divorce decree/ or change of name certificate. 

RPNAS must receive an application form and identity documents in order to match information in the application with all other documents. Should RPNAS have any questions about identity during the assessment of an application, RPNAS will request clarification or resubmission of documentation. 

As per RPNAS bylaws, you are responsible for ensuring that RPNAS has all updated information pertaining to any change of name, address, telephone number(s), electronic mail address, or any registration information previously provided to the Registrar, within 30 days of the change. 

R-06 – Program Completion Reference

Documentation verifying an applicants character and successful completion of an entry-level RPN program is required. At the conclusion of a final practicum (in early December), an R-06 Program Completion Reference is to be sent to RPNAS. Your R-06 Program Completion form is available here. Complete Section A of the form and provide to one of the following persons for completion: Dean or Academic Chair or Program Head at Saskatchewan Polytechnic for Regina graduates and a faculty person designated by North West College Administration for North West College graduates. 

The form must be completed after an RPN program is completed. The form will not be accepted if it does not come directly from one of the above persons and/or it is submitted in advance of program completion and/or if it is not completed in full. 

Via Mail:
Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Saskatchewan (RPNAS)
#205 – 4401 Albert Street,
Regina, SK, S4S 6B6
Or 
Via email: info@rpnas.com

Click here for the R-06 Program Completion Reference form.

Criminal Record Check – Vulnerable Sector Check (CRC-VSC)

The CRC-VSC must be current within the last 6 months can be obtained from a local or municipal police service or from any Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment. 

CRC-VSCs will only be considered valid within 6 months from the date they are issued. After 6 months, a CRC-VSC is no longer valid and a new result is required. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that a CRC-VSC remains valid throughout the application process. 

Caution should be exercised when using agencies providing services for obtaining CRC-VSCs. RPNAS requires a VSC as part of the CRC. A CRC will not be accepted if the CRC is not accompanied by the VSC portion. This could result in a delay of your application being assessed and your name not being placed on the exam list to write the RPNCE.  

CRC-VSC’s may be returned directly to RPNAS via scan/email to info@rpnas.com. 

Applicants should retain the original CRC-VSC provided by the police service. Should RPNAS have any questions about a CRC-VSC during the assessment of an application, RPNAS will request clarification, resubmission of documentation or submission of the original document. 

R-02 – Confirmation of Registration

RPNAS requires evidence dated not more than 60 days before the date of application from each licensing authority in every jurisdiction where an applicant was entitled to practice a profession. This includes health and non-health professions from any jurisdiction in Canada and external to Canada. Your R-02 Confirmation of Registration form is available here. Complete Section A of the form and submit it to the appropriate regulatory authority/authorities. Copy the form if more than one form is required, i.e. an applicant holds a license with more than one regulatory authority in or outside Canada.  

Forms must be returned directly to RPNAS by regulatory authorities to the address below:

Via Mail:
Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Saskatchewan (RPNAS)
#205 – 4401 Albert Street,
Regina, SK, S4S 6B6
OR
Via email: info@rpnas.com

Click here for the R-02 Confirmation of Registration form.

Once all documentation is reviewed, an eligibility letter will be forwarded advising you of next steps in the exam process.  

Click here for information about the RPNCE. Critical dates and procedures are available at the end of this link.