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Standards

For registered psychiatric nurses

Practice and ethics standards set out requirements related to specific aspects of nurses’ practice. They link with other standards, policies, and bylaws of the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives an​d all legislation relevant to nursing pr​​actice. ​​Nurses practise in a culturally safe manner, respecting Indigenous Peoples and diverse communities, and work to eliminate discrimination and systemic barriers in health care.​​​​​​


Effective April 1, 2026, all ethics and practice standards, and any amendments to​ them, are made a bylaw under the authority of the Health Professions and Occupations Act, B.C.  

​​Ethics standards​​

Standard Title​
LEARNING​ Resources Bylaw In-force

​​Regis​​​tered Psychiatric Nurses: Code of Ethics

View​​ | Dow​nload PDF​​​​ [3 pages | 943 KB]​​​​​​​​

  • ​N/A
​​April 1, 2026​

​Regis​​tered Psychiatric Nurses: Professional Standards

Vi​ew​ | Dow​nload PDF​​​​ [5 pages | 1,288 KB]​​​​​​​​​​​​


​April 1, 2026

​Nurses & Midwives: Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultur​al Humility, and Anti-Racism ​​

View | Dow​nload PDF​​​ [4 pages | 529 KB]​​​​

​​April 1, 2026

Nurses: Boundaries in the Nurse-Client Relationship

View | Download PDF [5 pages | 166 KB]​​​

April 1, 2026

Nurses: Conflict​​ of Interest

View | Download PDF [3 pages | 95 KB]

April 1, 2026

Nurses: Co​​​nsent​

View | Download PDF [3 pages | 991 KB]​

April 1, 2026​

Nurses: Duty to Provide​​ Care

View | Download PDF [3 pages | 968 KB]

April 1, 2026

Nurses: Duty to Re​port

View | Download ​PDF [2 pages | 639 KB]

April 1, 2026

Practice standards​

Standard Title
LEARNING​ Resources
Bylaw In-force

Regis​​tered Psychiatric Nurses: ​Acting by Giving Client-s​​pec​​ific Orders

View​ | Download PDF [3 pag​es | 1,043 KB]​​​

  • ​​​N/A
​​​April 1, 2026​​

Regis​​tered Psychiatric Nurses: ​​Acting Under Client-specific Orders 

View​Download PDF [8 pages | 1,907 KB]​ 

​​​April 1, 2026​

Regis​​tered Psychiatric Nurses: ​​Acting Within Autonomous Scope of Practice 

View​Download PDF [12 pages | 2,950 KB]​

​​​April 1, 2026​

​Regis​​tered Psychiatric ​Nurses: Medical Assistance in Dying ​

View​ | Download PDF [3 pag​es | 968 KB]​​​ 

​​​April 1, 2026​

Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses: Screening and Diagnostic Tests & Imaging​​  

View | Download​ PDF [4 pages | 1,177 KB]​​

​​​April 1, 2026​

Nurses: Preventing Transmission of Communicable Diseases

View​ | Download PDF [5 pages | 1114 KB]


​​​April 1, 2026​

Nurses: Delegation to Unregulated Care Providers 

Vie​w | Download PDF [2 pages | 730 KB​]

​​​April 1, 2026​

Nurses: Document​​ation

Vie​w | Download PDF [3 pages | 955 KB]

​​​April 1, 2026​

Nurses: Medica​​tion ​

View​ | ​Download PDF [12 pages | 278 KB]

​​​April 1, 2026​

Nurses: Privacy and Confidentiality​

View | Download PDF [5 pages | 537 KB]

​​​April 1, 2026​

Nurses: Regulatory Supervision of Stude​​nts

View | Download PDF [3 pages | 300 KB]


​​​April 1, 2026​

Nurses: Us​​e of Title 

View | Download PDF [10 pages | 205 KB]


​​​April 1, 2026​

​​​Employed Student Licensees

View | Download PDF [4 pages | 1074 KB]​

  • ​N/A
​​​April 1, 2026​

Certified Registered Psychiatric Nurses: Opioid Use Disorder​​​

View​ | ​Download PD​F [6 pages | 1,790 KB]​​​​​

​​April 1, 2026​

​​Certified Registered Psychiatric ​Nurses: Prescribing

View​ | ​Download PDF [4 pages | 1,119 KB]​​​​

​​April 1, 2026

​​​Need help or support?​

For further guidance on understanding and applying the standards of practice, contact our team by completing the Standards Support intake form.​

900 – 200 Granville St
Vancouver, BC  V6C 1S4
Canada

info@bccnm​.ca
604.742.6200​
​Toll-free 1.866.880.7101 (within Canada only) ​


We acknowledge the rights and title of the First Nations on whose collective unceded territories encompass the land base colonially known as British Columbia. We give specific thanks to the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking peoples the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh-ulh Sníchim speaking Peoples the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), on whose unceded territories BCCNM’s office is located. We also give thanks for the medicines of these territories and recognize that laws, governance, and health systems tied to these lands and waters have existed here for over 9000 years.

We also acknowledge the unique and distinct rights, including rights to health and wellness, of First Nations, Inuit​ and Métis peoples from elsewhere in Canada who now live in British Columbia. As leaders in the settler health system, we acknowledge our responsibilities to these rights under international, national, and provincial law.​