Saskatchewan · College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan

How to respond to a CRNS complaint

5 min readLast updated 14 July 2026

The thing that should change how you act: in Saskatchewan the Investigation Committee can resolve your complaint outright — with no further action, a caution, or an education programme — without it ever reaching a public hearing. Almost everything that determines which of those you get is decided on the material you put in front of it.

Before you write your response: contact the Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) and your union. Do not respond, apologise, or explain to the College until you have taken advice. Do not contact the complainant, and never add to or amend the chart after the fact — a late entry does more damage than the gap it was meant to fill.

A note for midwives

One point before anything else, because it decides which process applies to you. The CRNS regulates Registered Nurses (RN), Nurse Practitioners (NP), Registered Nurses (Additional Authorized Practice) (RN(AAP)), Graduate Nurse Practitioners (GNP) and Graduate Nurses (GN). It does not regulate midwives. Registered midwives in Saskatchewan are regulated by the Saskatchewan College of Midwives (SCM) under The Midwifery Act, which has its own Registrar, its own complaints route and its own bylaws. If you are a registered midwife, the guidance below describes the CRNS process and does not apply to you — contact the SCM Registrar. The principles of responding well, however, travel across both.

Who regulates you, and on what grounds

Nursing in Saskatchewan is regulated by the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan (CRNS) under The Registered Nurses Act, 1988 (c. R-12.2) and the CRNS bylaws. The Act requires the College to have an independent, fair and unbiased investigation and discipline process, and gives it jurisdiction over registrants licensed to practise as RNs, NPs, RN(AAP)s, GNPs and GNs.

There are two distinct grounds, and the difference matters more than most nurses realise:

Professional misconduct — conduct falling below the profession’s standards: dishonesty, boundary breaches, medication diversion, falsified records, abusive behaviour.
Professional incompetence — a lack of knowledge, skill or judgement in your practice. No dishonesty is alleged; the concern is capability.

A complaint can allege one, the other, or both. They are answered differently: a misconduct allegation is met with an account and, where warranted, candour and insight; an incompetence allegation is met with evidence of learning, supervision and demonstrated competence.

How a complaint reaches you

Complaints to the CRNS must be in writing, and the Professional Conduct team handles them. The College will notify you and send you a copy of the complaint, and ask you to respond. That is the moment the clock starts.

Complaints do not only come from patients and families. Two routes catch nurses out:

Employers must report a “termination with cause”. If you are dismissed for cause, the CRNS will hear about it — whether or not a patient ever complained.
Nurses have a duty to report other nurses. Sections 25 and 26 of the Act require RNs to report concerns about the professional incompetence or misconduct of colleagues. Your co-workers are obliged to raise concerns, and failing to do so is itself a problem for them.

Your written response is evidence

Your response goes into the file the Investigation Committee — an independent panel of Registered Nurses and public representatives — will read when it decides the outcome. It is not a letter to be got out of the way. Some principles:

Answer each allegation, in order, plainly. Say what you did and why, at the time, on the information you had.
Anchor it to the record. The chart is the spine of your answer. Where documentation is thin, say so honestly — do not reconstruct from memory as though it had been written down.
Separate the two grounds. If the allegation is really about capability, do not answer it as though your integrity were being attacked, and vice versa.
Never mislead the College. Honesty problems are treated far more severely than the clinical failing that prompted the complaint, and they are much harder to remediate.
Show what you have already changed. This is the single most underused move — and, as our remediation guide explains, the Investigation Committee has outcomes available precisely for nurses who have engaged.

How complaints are prioritised

An Investigator reviews the complaint, may contact the complainant for more detail, and prioritises it by the risk to the public and the date it was received. This is worth knowing: the pace at which your matter moves is not a signal about its merits. A long silence is not good news, and a fast one is not bad news.

Where a complaint can end

The Investigation Committee has a wide menu of outcomes — from no further action, through mediation, a caution, a required education programme, an agreement, or conditions on your licence — up to a referral to the Discipline Committee for a public hearing. Our investigation guide sets out each of them, and what makes the difference between them.

Key takeaways

The CRNS regulates RNs, NPs, RN(AAP)s, GNPs and GNs under The Registered Nurses Act, 1988. Midwives are regulated separately by the Saskatchewan College of Midwives.
There are two grounds — professional misconduct and professional incompetence — and they must be answered differently.
Complaints must be in writing; the CRNS sends you a copy and asks you to respond. Your response is evidence read by the Investigation Committee.
Employers must report a termination with cause, and nurses have a statutory duty to report other nurses (ss.25–26).
The Investigation Committee can close, caution, require education, impose conditions, or refer to a public hearing — it decides on the material before it.
Contact CNPS and your union before responding. Complaints are prioritised by risk to the public, so timing tells you nothing about merit.

Related CPD courses

Structured CPD you can complete and evidence while your matter is live.

Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally How to engage with a regulator without making the position worse — structure, tone and what not to say. Documentation for Healthcare Professionals The chart is the spine of your defence. How to record care that withstands later scrutiny. Ethics and Ethical Standards for Nurses and Midwives The ethical standards a nursing regulator measures conduct against, and how they are applied in practice. Effective Communication for Healthcare Professionals Communication breakdowns underlie a large share of complaints; this addresses the habits that prevent them.

These are independent CPD courses. They are not approved or accredited by the CRNS, they do not satisfy any specific education or remediation programme the Investigation Committee may require (the CRNS specifies those), and no course can guarantee an outcome.

Continue reading

What happens during a CRNS investigation?→ Remediation and reflection for Saskatchewan nurses and midwives→

Frequently asked questions

Does the CRNS regulate midwives?

No. The CRNS regulates RNs, NPs, RN(AAP)s, GNPs and GNs. Registered midwives in Saskatchewan are regulated by the Saskatchewan College of Midwives under The Midwifery Act, which has its own Registrar and complaints process.

Will I be told what the complaint says?

Yes. The CRNS notifies the nurse of the complaint and provides a copy of it, and asks the nurse to respond. That written response goes to the Investigation Committee.

What is the difference between misconduct and incompetence?

Professional misconduct is conduct falling below the profession’s standards, such as dishonesty or boundary breaches. Professional incompetence concerns a lack of knowledge, skill or judgement. A complaint may allege either or both, and each calls for a different response.

Can my employer report me even if no patient complains?

Yes. Employers are required to report a termination with cause of an RN, and nurses themselves have a duty under sections 25 and 26 of the Act to report concerns about a colleague’s competence or conduct.

Who should I call first?

The Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) and your union, before you respond to the College. Take legal advice before sending any written account.

Does a slow process mean my case is serious?

No. Complaints are prioritised by the risk to the public and the date received, so pace is not a signal about the merits of your case either way.

This guide concerns the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan (CRNS) and is general information only — it is not legal advice and does not create any relationship of advice or representation. If you have received a complaint, a request from an investigator, or a notice of hearing, contact the Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) and your union without delay, and take advice from a lawyer experienced in Saskatchewan nursing regulatory matters before you respond. The CRNS regulates RNs, NPs, RN(AAP)s, GNPs and GNs; registered midwives in Saskatchewan are regulated separately by the Saskatchewan College of Midwives under The Midwifery Act. Healthcare Ethics Courses is an independent CPD provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the CRNS or the SCM. Last updated 14 July 2026.