Changes to nurse practitioner licensure in BC

The nurse practitioner (NP) profession has changed since the 1960s, when NPs first started practising in Canada. Over the years, NP education, scope, and practice expectations have evolved inconsistently in Canadian provinces and territories. Since 2018, nursing regulators (except Quebec) have been part of a collaborative effort to consistently regulate NPs. Implementing a new regulatory framework creates consistent expectations and understanding of NP practice in Canada, and enables NPs to respond to the health systems complex and growing needs.

What is changing

All NPs are being transitioned to a general class of licensure. The most significant changes are the removal of population-specific classifications from BCCNM’s directory and NP titles: 

• Effective immediately, the BCCNM directory will no longer list the practice stream (i.e. adult, family, or pediatric). All NP licensees will be displayed as “practising NP.”
• When using NP professional titles, licensees do not need to include a stream of practice. Authorized titles for Practising NP licensees are “nurse practitioner,” “NP,” “registered nurse practitioner,” “RN-NP,” “registered nurse,” “RN,” or “nurse.”

What this means for all NPs in B.C.

• There is no action required to transition you to the general NP class. No additional education, examinations or training are required.
• You can continue to practice with their current patients as you always have, and the professional expectations that guide NP practice will continue to apply.
• You will continue to assess and practice within your own level of competence and meet the Ethics and Practice Standards.​​
  

What this means for NPs who practice with adult or pediatric populations

The transition to a general NP class will mean more choice for NPs whose education and practice experience focused on adults or children.

• NPs who practice with adults or children can continue to work with the specialized populations as they do today. You are not required to work with all patient populations.
• You have the option to seek out education or training to build competence to practice with other populations.
• If you decide to expand your practice to other patient populations, you will not be required to take the CNPLE. However, you will be accountable for reflecting on your practice to ensure you have competence to provide safe, competent care for the setting and patient population. If you identify gaps, you are expected to seek out education and/or training to develop the competencies required.
• You can include development goals relevant to expanding their competencies beyond their original education and practice experience when completing your quality assurance requirements.
• If you have questions about the Standards of Practice, including scope of practice, you can request a consultation with the BCCNM Standards Support team.