The province has announced that nurses in Ontario will soon have the authority to prescribe birth control.

Ontario’s health minister revealed on Monday that registered nurses in the province will gain the autonomy to prescribe certain medications, including birth control, starting in January 2024. The expansion of their prescribing abilities will be facilitated through additional training and certification courses.

These courses will empower nurses to prescribe medications for smoking cessation, travel-related conditions like malaria and traveler’s diarrhea, as well as administer flu shots and COVID-19 vaccines. The development of these certification programs will be subject to approval by the Council of the College of Nurses of Ontario.

“We are making it easier for health care professionals to work to the full extent of their training and expertise, while providing people with more convenient access to care closer to home,” Health Minister Sylvia Jones said at the announcement.

When questioned about the timeline for patients in Ontario to receive these prescriptions from registered nurses, a ministry spokesperson reiterated that the training programs are currently in the development phase. In an email statement, the spokesperson mentioned that further details regarding the duration of the training will be provided once it becomes available.

Doris Grinspun, the CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, an organization that has advocated for nurses to have prescribing authority for an extended period, expressed wholehearted support for the initiative, stating that the association welcomes the move with enthusiasm.