Scope of Practice

Scope of practice refers to a range of activities that nurses have the legislated authority to perform. This authority is defined in legislation, namely the Health Professions and Occupations Act, the Nurses and Midwives Regulation, and the Regulated Health Practitioners Regulation.

It forms part of the controls on practice and is a key element of nursing regulation.

BCCNM until recently maintained a lengthy “scope of practice" document for RPNs. In 2025, in preparation for the Health Professions and Occupations Act, this document was converted into practice and ethics sta​ndards, and learning resources.

We invite you to learn more:

• Scope of practice for RP​Ns
• Controls on practice
• Practice and e​thics standards
• Learning res​ources

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. ​​​​