BCCNM is adjusting the practice hours requirement for nursing professionals to provide more flexibility for applicants and registrants.
What’s changing
Effective immediately, nursing professionals can meet the practice hours requirement by:
1. Demonstrating sufficient recent practice over the last two years.
OR
2. Practising the
total minimum hours for their profession over
a five-year period (three years for NPs)
Summary of practice hours requirement
The minumum number of hours required to meet the practice hour requirement for each profession is listed below.
Profession
|
Option 1 - new! |
OPTION 2
|
|---|
Licensed practical nurse
| 450 hours in preceding 2 years
| 1,125 hours in preceding 5 years
|
Nurse practitioner
| 300 hours in preceding 1 year
| 900 hours in preceding 3 years
|
Registered nurse
| 450 hours in preceding 2 years
| 1,125 hours in preceding 5 years
|
Registered psychiatric nurse
| 560 hours in preceding 2 years
| 1,400 hours in preceding 5 years
|
The case for change
BCCNM has identified the need for more flexibility in meeting the practice hours requirement to prevent it becoming an unintentional barrier for registrants. While most registrants can meet the requirement incrementally over time (currency), there are some who cannot; for example, a registered nurse who takes an extended parental leave could be practising regularly for two years with no practice concerns could still be at risk of not meeting the total five-year practice hours requirement. Introducing an option to demonstrate continued competence through sufficient recent practice removes this barrier.
Learn more
To learn more about these changes, and learn more about existing alternatives for meeting the practice hours requirement, please check the practice hours page by nursing profession: