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Provisional registration may be granted to eligible applicants who want to work while meeting their outstanding registration requirements. If you are granted provisional registration, you will be assigned specific conditions you must meet to be eligible for practising registration. When these conditions are met, your provisional registration is automatically converted to practising registration.

If you are not planning to practice nursing before gaining full registration, you do not need provisional registration.​​

How t​o apply​​ 

There is no separate application for provisional registration. You will be asked if you want to be considered for provisional registration when you complete your application for practising registration​.

What you need to k​​no​w​

Eligibility
To qualify for provisional registration, an applicant must have applied to take, or be awaiting the results of, the nurse examination and have met all the other requirements for practising registration.
Responsibilities and privileges
Provisional registrants must satisfy BCCNM's Professional Standards​​, Scope of Practice Standards​, and Practice Standards and all conditions placed on their registration.
Use of title
Individuals with provisional registration may call themselves a “licensed practical nurse (provisional)" or "LPN (provisional)." Check the Use of Title pra​ctice standard​ ​for more information.
​Possible conditions on practice​
  • That you must write​ and pass the written entry-to-practice registration examination.

  • Provisional registrants may be supervised by a licensed practical nurse, registered nurse or nurse practitioner that holds registratio​​n with BCCNM. This requirement only applies to provisional registrants who have a condition on their registration that requires their practice to be monitored/supervised.​

Registration renewal​
Converting to practising registration​

Upon meeting all assigned conditions, yo​​ur registration will automatically be converted to practising registration.

Provisional registration and nur​sing exa​​m

If you pass

We will notify you of your exam results and any outstanding requirements for registration. If you have met all requirements and have provisional registration, your provisional registration will automatically be converted to practising registration. This can be verified online using the nurse verification tool instantly.

If you fail once

You can continue working on provisional registration after one exam fail. You’ll be eligible to write the exam again in 45 days from the date of the first attempt. It is your responsibility to inform all of your current or prospective employers of your unsuccessful exam result and updated provisional registration conditions.

If you fail twice

If you fail the exam a second time, you are no longer eligible for provisional registration and will not be considered for registration until you pass the exam. Your provisional registration will expire six to eight weeks after being notified of your second failure.​​​​​​​