Quality Assurance at BCCNM
BCCNM's Quality Assurance (QA) Program supports nurses and midwives to provide safe, competent, and ethical care throughout their careers. The program takes a lifelong learning approach, recognizing that learning needs change over time based on career stage, practice context, and level of responsibility.
The QA Program brings together
annual learning requirements, periodic assessments, and currency expectations set out in BCCNM bylaws and policies. Together, these requirements support continuing competence, professional accountability, and public safety.
Through reflection, assessment, and professional development, nurses and midwives demonstrate accountability for their practice and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Why quality assurance matters
Nurses and midwives are autonomous professionals with broad scopes of practice and significant responsibility. Ongoing learning, practice reflection, and performance feedback are essential to keeping pace with changes in health care, evidence, and the health system.
Quality assurance supports:
safe, competent, and ethical care
professional accountability and judgment
culturally safe, equitable, and anti‑racist practice
ongoing fitness to practise
public confidence in the nursing and midwifery professions
- Program goals
The Quality Assurance Program aims to:
set clear, fair, and evidence‑informed QA requirements
support continuing competence and lifelong learning
assess professional performance against BCCNM standards and competencies
provide guidance, tools, and feedback to support practice improvement
integrate quality assurance across health service delivery and education systems
- Professional responsibility and accountability
Participation in the QA Program is a professional responsibility and a condition of practising licensure. Through quality assurance activities, nurses and midwives demonstrate accountability for their own practice by engaging in:
reflection on practice and identification of learning needs
continuing professional development and evidence‑based practice
maintenance of physical, emotional, and psychological wellness
culturally safe, culturally humble, anti‑racist, and non‑discriminatory care