Skip to main content

​The practice hours requirement

In order to maintain practising registration, RNs must practise a minimum of 1,125 hours within the five-year period immediately preceding each registration renewal. This requirement is one indicator that you are maintaining currency in practice. Practising RNs must keep a record of the number of hours they practised as an RN from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 each year.​ ​

Alternatives to 1,125 recognized registered nurse hou​​rs are: 

  • Successful completion of a registered nursing education program. 
  • Successful completion of a nursing re-entry program recognized by BCCNM
  • Successful completion of a supervised practice experience​ approved by BCCNM
  • Successful completion of an RN degree program​ — or be currently enrolled in a full-time program — leading to a degree in nursing recognized by BCCNM.
  • Completion of a recognized competency-based assessment and required coursework

Practice hours: Knowing what to count  

Nursing practice hours build upon entry-level competencies by applying them to clinical practice, education, administration, or research

You can count practic​​e hours if: 

Ways to acquire RN practice hours
  • Paid employment in an RN role
  • Self-employment in an RN role
  • Professional development activities, such as structured education (e.g., a workshop, course, or program of study) undertaken as part of your RN practice​
  • Regulatory college, nursing union* or nursing association work
  • Volunteer RN hours can be counted if the position is with an organization such as a children's camp, a special event or humanitarian organization and you are able to provide satisfactory evidence that the volunteer work completed meets the BCCNM Standards of Practice​.

*Nursing practice hours should not be confused with seniority hours in a union.
What CANNOT be counted
You can only count hours where you were engaged in nursing practice. You may NOT count:
  • Time absent from work for reasons such as sickness, vacation, maternity, education, disability, or another type of leave
  • Hours worked in a role that does not require RN registration (e.g., care aide, housekeeper, dietary aide, emergency medication technicial, practical nurse, registered psychiatric nurse)
  • On-call hours (but not actually working)
  • Hours working in a job predominantly selling products
  • Time spent caring for family members or friends/neighbours
  • Time spent in a learning capacity (e.g., a course or certificate program) that is not directly related to nursing practice​

Reporting practice hours

You will self-report your practice hours you accumulated during the previous calendar year on your registration renewal application. If a question arises as to whether the hours can be counted for the purpose of meeting BCCNM practice hours requirement, the decision will be made by the Registration Committee​.

Do you hold practising registration in more ​​than one nursing designation? 

You may only claim hours worked towards the designation that you are employed in. For example, if you hold RN and LPN registration but you are employed as an RN, you can only count those hours towards the RN practising registration.  ​

​​​​​