Clinical Competence Assessment (CCA)

The Clinical Competence Assessment (CCA) is an examination that assesses nursing knowledge and practice. It evaluates your practice against the Entry-Level Competencies for Registered Nurses in Manitoba. These are the minimum level of competencies required for entry-level registered nurses in a variety of practice settings.

A nursing student works on setting an IV drip onto a pole.

Overview

The CCA is an opportunity for you to demonstrate how your knowledge and practice matches what is expected of registered nurses to deliver safe and competent care. All registered nurses must have demonstrated that they can meet the entry-level competencies.

Location and duration

The CCA is completed over four days and is conducted at the Clinical Competence Assessment Centre at the University of Manitoba:

College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Helen Glass Centre for Nursing, 89 Curry Place
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

Areas of nursing assessed

  • You may be asked to complete assessments in any or all of the following areas:

    • Ambulatory care
    • Community health
    • Emergency care
    • Geriatrics
    • Medical
    • Mental health
    • Obstetrics
    • Palliative care
    • Pediatric and adolescent health
    • Surgical

  • The assessment is made up these components:

    • Written diagnostic exam
    • Clinical Judgment Scenarios (CJS)
    • Chart review and development of a nursing care plan
    • Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
    • Self-assessment

Please review the Candidate Guide for a description of each of these components.

Preparing for the assessment

The CCA looks at entry-level competencies; it does not look at expert levels of nursing practice. Even if you have practiced in a highly specialized area, your knowledge and practice is being compared to entry-level competencies. You will likely need to refresh your entry-level knowledge before you take the CCA.

How to apply for the CCA

You must be referred by the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM).

You will receive a letter of referral and in that letter will be information on how to schedule your appointment.

Internationally educated nurses

If you are an internationally educated nurse looking to be a registered nurse in Canada, you begin your application through the National Nursing Assessment Service. After the NNA has received all required documents from you and has reviewed your file, they forward it to the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba. The CRNM reviews the file and determines which components of the CCA you must complete.

Canadian educated nurses

If you are a nurse educated in Canada, the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba identifies the need for a CCA and sends the referral form to the Assessment Centre. The CRNM determines which components of the assessment you must complete.

CCA payment

Please complete and submit the online form.

Clinical Competency Assessment payment form

Resources

Contact us

For more information about the Clinical Competence Assessment, please contact our team at nurscomp@umanitoba.ca.