Registration & Renewal
Thank you for your interest in practicing as a Registered Nurse or Nurse Practitioner in the Yukon. To do so, you must Register with the YRNA and obtain a current practice license. Below you will find information about current registration classes and fees, followed by drop-down boxes with instructions pertaining to all the necessary documents and forms you will need to provide, depending on your particular circumstances.
You may click this link at any point to begin your application with YRNA.
Any unanswered questions can be addressed by emailing us at: admin@yrna.ca
Registration Classes
Full Registration Class
The Full Registration Class is for Nurse Practitioners and Registered Nurses who have met all of the requirements for registration in the Yukon and who wish to provide nursing services in the Yukon on a regular and unrestricted basis. Once accepted for registration into the Full Registration class the person is eligible to apply for a practice license and is only permitted to practice once the license has been issued and or renewed. There are three License Types available to Full Registrants: full year (1 April - 31 March), half year (1 April - 30 September) and half year (1 October - 31 March).
Eligibility for Admission to the Full Registration Class requires an applicant to have graduated from a Board approved nursing education program, and successful completion of the YRNA Board approved registration examinations. Proof of identity, transcripts, verifications of registration from all current or previous registrations elsewhere in Canada (if applicable), Criminal Record Checks and employer references (if the applicant is registered and working elsewhere at the time of application) will also be required as part of the application process.
Non-Practising Registration Class
This registration class is useful for nurses who have left the Yukon nursing workforce temporarily but expect to return within a short period of time.
A person not currently engaged in the active practice of nursing in the Yukon may apply for registration under the Non-Practising Registration Class. Non-Practising registration may be upgraded to Full Registration at any time, providing all other requirements for that class of membership have been met.
If the person applying for Non-Practising registration is currently a Full Registrant with YRNA, little information beyond the application will be required. If the person is not already a YRNA registrant, refer to the Eligibility for Admission section for the Full Registration Class above for a description of what forms and information will be required.
Interim - Registration Class
There are two License Types available under the Interim Registration Class: The New Graduate License Type and the Internationally Educated Nurse License Type.
New Graduate License Type
New Graduate Licenses may be issued to recent graduates of Canadian nursing education programs approved by the YRNA who have not yet written their registration examination (NCLEX-RN for RNs or CNPE or equivalent for Nurse Practitioners) or who have written the examination and are waiting for their results.
To be considered a recent graduate, the applicant must have graduated within five years of the date of application for registration). Interim Registration - New Graduate licenses are issued with certain terms, limits, and conditions, including that the license holder may only practice under supervision of a Full RN or NP registrant.
See the Eligibility for Admission section for the Full Registration Class above for a description of what forms and information will be required.
The Internationally Educated Nurse License Type
An Internationally Educated Nurse is a person who obtained their training outside of Canada and who may have been registered and practiced nursing abroad. That person may wish to enter the Yukon nursing workforce and can apply to the YRNA for registration in the Interim Registration Class while completing or awaiting assessment and/or examination results. Depending on the results of their competency assessment an IEN License may be issued which will allow the person to practice under certain terms, limits, and conditions which will be determined on a case by case basis.
This is a pathway to initial licensure in Canada and transition to full licensure is dependent upon the results of your competency assessment(s).
See the Eligibility for Admission section for the Full Registration Class above for a description of what forms and information will be required.
Virtual License Class
The YRNA has entered into a number of recognition arrangements between the Yukon Government, YRNA, the relevant Health Authority and the nursing regulator in the other Canadian jurisdiction in which the Health Authority providing care is situated which allows for cost effective and timely registration for registered nurses and nurse practitioners who provide pre/post-procedure care or other specialty care not otherwise available to Yukon residents.
Nurses and Nurse Practitioners covered by such arrangements may apply for registration under the Virtual License Class. Registrants under this registration class usually apply for a Full Year License Type which will then allow them to practice under terms, limits and conditions which attach to the Virtual License Class. Generally, those terms limits and conditions stipulate that the person limit their practice only to the pre/post or specialty care provided by their Health Authority employer, that they do not provide in-person care to Yukon residents, and that they are not residents of the Yukon.
Courtesy License Class
Registration in the Courtesy License Class is designed for applicants who wish to practice in the Yukon for no more than 30 days at a time and to provide care that falls outside the normal Yukon health care system or as part of the instructional faculty providing education or training to Yukon registered nurses. A time limited license stipulating terms, limits and conditions of practice may then be issued under the Courtesy License Class.
Confirmation of practice dates/settings is required from an approved Yukon-based Government or Corporate health care entity.
Applicants wishing to register under the Courtesy License Class and to obtain a license to practice in the Yukon are encouraged to contact the YRNA office for more information on this category of registration, including what documents and forms are required.
Student License Class
This class of registration is for students in Registered Nursing or Nurse Practitioner programs who are participating in education or work placement in the Yukon. A time-limited license to practice under special terms, limits, and conditions may be issued to applicants under the Student Registration Class. A person who has registered under this registration class and who has been issued a license will only be able to practice under direct supervision of a Yukon registered RN, NP or MD. Other terms, limits and conditions may be applied depending on the education stream and site placement.
Recent Canadian Graduates Not Yet Registered in Canada
BACKGOUND INFORMATION
The requirements for registration with YRNA are set out primarily in the Regulations under the Registered Nurses Profession Act. The two key requirements are (1) graduation from a nursing education program approved by the Board; and (2) passing a Board approved registration examination.
RN Applicants
The registration examination for RN applicants primarily recognized in Canada is the NCLEX-RN. A recent graduate from a Board approved nursing education program may apply for Interim Registration with the YRNA. Once the application is accepted, the YRNA will issue an "authorization to test" which will allow the person to write the NCLEX-RN exam. An person registered with an Interim Registration will be issued a "New Graduate" license which will allow them to practice under supervision while waiting to write the NCLEX-RN exam or while waiting for the results of their exam. Examination results will be sent directly to YNRA. When YRNA receives notification of successful completion of the examination, the Interim Registration will be converted to a Full Registration.
If you are a recent graduate from a Board approved nursing education program and have already written the NCLEX-RN exam but do not yet have your results, you can also apply for Interim Registration with YRNA and for a New Graduate License. Assuming you meet all other application criteria, you will be elligible to practice under supervision with that license until such time as we receive confirmation that you have passed the NCLEX-RN examination, after which your registration will be converted to a Full Registration and a new license will be issued.
NP Applicants
The process for NP applicants essentially mirrors that for RN applicants - the difference being the registration exam. The NP registration examination primarily recognized by YRNA is the Canadian Nurse Practitioner Examination (CNPE).
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please read and follow each step carefully.
Applications are submitted electronically through the YRNA's online portal. A link to the portal is embedded in the description for Step 2 below. Please make sure you fill out every section of the portal and upload all required forms.
It is an offense to knowingly provide inaccurate or untrue information. Doing so will result in revocation of your license and reference to relevant authorities.
Review the information on this site to ensure you are eligible for registration.
Start your YRNA profile and begin applying for registration here. During the Profile creation and application process you will be prompted to complete each of the steps below.
Identity verification. Two copies of government issued ID will be required. At least one copy must have a recent photograph. If not providing copies of your ID in person at the YRNA office, you will need to get your ID documents notarised and then upload the notarized copies on the portal.
Please contact our office in confidence if for any reason you do not have safe access to your primary identification documents so that we can discuss alternatives.
The system will ask you to provide all previous names, if any of your names have changed since birth. If that is the case, you must also upload documentation showing evidence of each change.
YRNA requires official transcripts from a YRNA approved nursing education program. Please apply to your nursing program and have them send official transcripts directly to YRNA.
YRNA requires a Criminal Record Check (CRC) which must be uploaded by the applicant or sent directly from the RCMP/Police authority to YRNA. You will need to check with your local police authority on where to obtain the CRC. Given that there may be a delay between the time you apply for the CRC and our receipt of the report, please upload a copy of the confirmation of application/receipt from the police authority. We will be able to process your application with this information and an Iterim Registration may be issued while we wait. If a previous employer (within 5 years from date of application) has required a CRC, you may wish to ask them to send us a copy of that document which we will accept as proof of CRC.
YRNA requires successful completion of a registration examination. As noted above RNs are required to write and pass the NCLEX-RN examinations. NPs generally are required to write and pass the CNPE. If you are an NP and have written and passed a different NP examination, contact us at the office for further information.
If you have already applied to write the exam, have written the exam and are waiting for your results, you will need to request a verification of registration from the jurisdiction through which you applied to write the exam. Please contact that jurisdiction and arrange for the verification to be sent directly to us.
If you have not applied to write the exam, please do so by visiting the NCLEX website at: www.nclex.com. In your exam application process on that site, you can indicate YRNA as your authorizing jurisdiction. Please then send an email to admin@yrna.ca to let us know that you have applied to write the exam. We monitor the NCLEX administration website on our end routinely as well.
You will need to provide proof of completion of Yukon University's YFN101 course. More information on this course can be found through Yukon University's website or here. As an alternative, YRNA will also accept KDFN's in-person Indigenous People's Workshop.
The system has a built in payment processing facility through which you will be able to pay the application fee and the registration fee for the registration class applicable to you. You are able to pay online or request an invoice for payment at a later date. Please note that acceptance of fee payment by us does not mean that your registration has been accepted and a license to practice issued. You are only entitled to practice once all steps in the process have been completed and you get official authorization from us to begin practice.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Yukon offers many mentorship opportunities for nurses and nurse practitioners. Living and nursing in the Yukon can offer great opportunities to build on skills and training offered in nursing education programs and develop a greater understanding of the possibilities of the RN or NP role. The territory usually has a variety of openings for various nursing positions.
For nursing positions with the Yukon Government please visit https://yukon.ca.
For nursing positions with the Yukon Hospital Corporation, please visit https://yukonhospitals.ca/yukon-hospital-corporation/careers/career-opportunities.
Many nursing positions are also posted at https://yuwin.ca
EDUCATION FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The Department of Health and Social Services, Yukon Government offers a nursing bursary fund to individuals interested in nursing education. More information on this funding opportunity is at http://www.hss.gov.yk.ca/nursingbursary.php
RNs or NPs Currently Registered Elsewhere in Canada
QUALIFICATION FOR REGISTRATION
The requirements for registration with YRNA are set out primarily in the Regulations under the Registered Nurses Profession Act. The two main requirements are (1) graduation from a nursing education program recognized by the YRNA; and (2) passing the registration examination. If you are already registered and licensed elsewhere in Canada, that/those jurisdiction(s) will have determined your qualifications and will provide us with some of this information when they send the required Verifications of Registration as outlined in the steps below.
CURRENCY OF PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS
YRNA requires all registrants to meet currency of practice as part of the quality assurance measures to ensure continuing competency. To meet currency requirements, RNs must, within the immediate five years prior to application have:
Worked at least 1,125 hours; or
Graduated from a basic nursing program; or
Completed a post-basic nursing degree; or
Completed an approved nurse refresher program.
Applicants for Nurse Practitioner registration/licensure must, within the past three year period, have:
Practiced for 900 hours as a nurse practitioner in any jurisdiction; or
Successfully completed a nursing education program to qualify as a nurse practitioner.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please read and follow each step carefully.
Applications are submitted electronically through the YRNA's online portal. A link to the portal is embedded in the description for Step 2 below. Please make sure you fill out every section of the portal and upload all required forms.
It is an offense to knowingly provide inaccurate or untrue information. Doing so will result in revocation of your license and reference to relevant authorities.
Review the information on this site to ensure you are eligible for registration.
Start your YRNA profile and begin applying for registration here. During the Profile creation and application process you will be prompted to complete each of the steps below.
Identity verification. Two copies of government issued ID will be required. At least one copy must have a recent photograph. If not providing copies of your ID in person at the YRNA office, you will need to get your ID documents notarised and then upload the notarized copies on the portal.
Please contact our office in confidence if for any reason you do not have safe access to your primary identification documents so that we can discuss alternatives.
The system will ask you to provide all previous names, if any of your names have changed since birth. If that is the case, you must also upload documentation showing evidence of each change.
The online registration portal will prompt you to contact each of the regulatory bodies in which you are currently registered, or have been registered with in the past, to request that they send a verification of current registration and license status to us. The procedure will differ slightly in each jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions have their own forms which you may have to fill out or they may use to send information to us directly. Others will require that you fill out our YRNA Verification of Registration Request form and send it to them.
The online registration portal will also prompt you to arrange for your current or most recent employer to send us a reference. To do this you must use our Employer Reference Request Form. It is a fillable form which both you and your most recent employer will fill out. The form must be sent to us by the employer directly. Please note, that the person filling out the form must be an employer, manager or supervisor who has worked directly with or directly supervised you in your clinical practice. Administrative staff from an employment or placement agency do not qualify.
YRNA requires a Criminal Record Check (CRC) which must be uploaded by the applicant or sent directly from the RCMP/Police authority to YRNA. You will need to check with your local police authority on where to obtain the CRC. Given that there may be a delay between the time you apply for the CRC and our receipt of the report, please upload a copy of the confirmation of application/receipt from the police authority. We will be able to process your application with this information and an Iterim Registration may be issued while we wait. If a previous employer (within 5 years from date of application) has required a CRC, you may wish to ask them to send us a copy of that document which we will accept as proof of CRC.
You will need to provide proof of completion of Yukon University's YFN101 course. More information on this course can be found through Yukon University's website or here. As an alternative, YRNA will also accept KDFN's in-person Indigenous People's Workshop.
The system has a built in payment processing facility through which you will be able to pay the application fee and the registration fee for the registration class applicable to you. You are able to pay online or request an invoice for payment at a later date. Please note that acceptance of fee payment by us does not mean that your registration has been accepted and a license to practice issued. You are only entitled to practice once all steps in the process have been completed and you get official authorization from us to begin practice.
Courtesy Registrations
BACKGROUND
Courtesy Registration is intended to provide Yukon registration to eligible Registered Nurse or Nurse Practitioners participating in short term, special projects that fall outside conventional Yukon Health system requirements. Such registrations will be issues only for anticipated projects with a specified location, purpose, and duration up to a maximum term of 30 consecutive days. (NOTE: YRNA registration in emergency/disaster situations would be through another mechanism).
CRITERIA AND ELIGIBLITY
To qualify for Courtesy Registration, an applicant must meet all criteria for practising registration. The decision to issue a Courtesy Permit will be made on a case by case basis by the Registrar.
PERMIT DURATION AND CONDITIONS
Each Courtesy Permit will be limited to a specified location, purpose, and duration up to a maximum term of 30 consecutive days.
Conditions limiting practice under each permit will be specified by the Registrar and based on the purpose, location, and duration of the special project in question.
COURTESY REGISTRATION FEES
The Courtesy Registration fee for the current year is found on the YRNA Fee Schedule. All new applicants must also pay the new applicant processing fee.
A Courtesy Permit holder may upgrade to Full Registration provided all registration requirements are met, by applying and paying for an annual or half year license (we will charge the fee difference between what was paid for Courtesy Registration and what is owed for an annual or half year license). Requests to convert from Courtesy Registration to Full Registration must be made before the Courtesy Registration expires. If not, the application will be treated as a new registration application and additional fees and procedures will be required.
HOW TO APPLY FOR COURTESY REGISTRATION
Please read and follow each step carefully.
Applications are submitted electronically through the YRNA's online portal. A link to the portal is embedded in the description for Step 2 below. Please make sure you fill out every section of the portal and upload all required forms.
It is an offense to knowingly provide inaccurate or untrue information. Doing so will result in revocation of your license and reference to relevant authorities.
Review the information on this site to ensure you are eligible for registration.
Start your YRNA profile and begin applying for registration here. During the Profile creation and application process you will be prompted to complete each of the steps below.
Identity verification. Two copies of government issued ID will be required. At least one copy must have a recent photograph. If not providing copies of your ID in person at the YRNA office, you will need to get your ID documents notarised and then upload the notarized copies on the portal.
Please contact our office in confidence if for any reason you do not have safe access to your primary identification documents so that we can discuss alternatives.
The system will ask you to provide all previous names, if any of your names have changed since birth. If that is the case, you must also upload documentation showing evidence of each change.
The online registration portal will prompt you to contact each of the regulatory bodies in which you are currently registered, or have been registered with in the past, to request that they send a verification of current registration and license status to us. The procedure will differ slightly in each jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions have their own forms which you may have to fill out or they may use to send information to us directly. Others will require that you fill out our YRNA Verification of Registration Request form and send it to them.
The online registration portal will also prompt you to arrange for your current or most recent employer to send us a reference. To do this you must use our Employer Reference Request Form. It is a fillable form which both you and your most recent employer will fill out. The form must be sent to us by the employer directly. Please note, that the person filling out the form must be an employer, manager or supervisor who has worked directly with or directly supervised you in your clinical practice. Administrative staff from an employment or placement agency do not qualify.
Given the nature of Courtesy Registrations, a Criminal Record Check is not required.
You will need to provide proof of completion of Yukon University's YFN101 course. More information on this course can be found through Yukon University's website or here. As an alternative, YRNA will also accept KDFN's in-person Indigenous People's Workshop.
The system has a built in payment processing facility through which you will be able to pay the application fee and the registration fee for the registration class applicable to you. You are able to pay online or request an invoice for payment at a later date. Please note that acceptance of fee payment by us does not mean that your registration has been accepted and a license to practice issued. You are only entitled to practice once all steps in the process have been completed and you get official authorization from us to begin practice.
Internationally Educated RN/NP Not Yet Registered in Canada
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please read and follow each step carefully.
Applications are submitted electronically through the YRNA's online portal. A link to the portal is embedded in the description for Step 2 below. Please make sure you fill out every section of the portal and upload all required forms.
It is an offense to knowingly provide inaccurate or untrue information. Doing so will result in revocation of your license and reference to relevant authorities.
Review the information on this site to ensure you are eligible for registration.
Start your YRNA profile and begin applying for registration here. During the Profile creation and application process you will be prompted to complete each of the steps below.
Identity verification. Two copies of government issued ID will be required. At least one copy must have a recent photograph. If not providing copies of your ID in person at the YRNA office, you will need to get your ID documents notarised and then upload the notarized copies on the portal.
Please contact our office in confidence if for any reason you do not have safe access to your primary identification documents so that we can discuss alternatives.
The system will ask you to provide all previous names, if any of your names have changed since birth. If that is the case, you must also upload documentation showing evidence of each change.
YRNA requires that internationally educated nurses undergo competency assessment. YRNA works in collaboration with the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) and INSPIRE to administer the competency assessment process. As part of that process, INSPIRE will also coordinate your credential verification and English language proficiency assessments.
To begin your process, please visit the INSPIRE website at https://www.inspireassessments.org/british-columbia/.
Even though you are actually applying for a license in the Yukon, for now, you will need to choose the option “I am seeking a license in British Columbia.” The INSPIRE website is undergoing modifications that will remove this requirement in the future, but is needed for now.
Very Important: Send us an email at YRNA at admin@yrna.ca to notify us that you intend to seek licensure with YRNA.
We will confirm your application with INSPIRE and British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives.
Once you have gone through the assessment processes BCCNM will send us a report assessing your eligibility for registration.
Please note: YRNA is not responsible for any incurred fees during this process.
YRNA requires a Criminal Record Check (CRC) which must be uploaded by the applicant or sent directly from the RCMP/Police authority to YRNA. You will need to check with your local police authority on where to obtain the CRC. Given that there may be a delay between the time you apply for the CRC and our receipt of the report, please upload a copy of the confirmation of application/receipt from the police authority. We will be able to process your application with this information and an Iterim Registration may be issued while we wait. If a previous employer (within 5 years from date of application) has required a CRC, you may wish to ask them to send us a copy of that document which we will accept as proof of CRC.
You will need to provide proof of completion of Yukon University's YFN101 course. More information on this course can be found through Yukon University's website or here. As an alternative, YRNA will also accept KDFN's in-person Indigenous People's Workshop.
The system has a built in payment processing facility through which you will be able to pay the application fee and the registration fee for the registration class applicable to you. You are able to pay online or request an invoice for payment at a later date. Please note that acceptance of fee payment by us does not mean that your registration has been accepted and a license to practice issued. You are only entitled to practice once all steps in the process have been completed and you get official authorization from us to begin practice.