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Canadian applicant


The information on this page is for applicants applying for registered psychiatric nurse (RPN) registration who: 

  • Are currently (or have previously) been registered as an RPN in Alberta, Manitoba and/or Saskatchewan; or 
  • Have recently graduated from a Canadian psychiatric nursing program outside of British Columbia.
​​Additional information for new graduates
If you are a new graduate of a psychiatric nursing program elsewhere in Canada who has never held practising registration, you can apply as instructed in the “how to apply” section below. You will also have the following specific requirements and options:

Regulatory exam

  • If you have already written the RPNCE, we require a copy of your exam result. Your exam result must be sent directly to BCCNM from the nursing regulator in the province where you took the exam. Please contact the relevant nursing regulator to make this request.
  • If you have not successfuly completed a regulatory exam, you will need to take the RPNCE. We will email you instructions on how to apply for the exam after your application has been assessed.

Provisional registration

  • On your registration application, you'll be asked if you would like to be considered for provisional registration​.
  • Provisional registration is granted to eligible applicants who want to work while meeting their final registration requirements (such as passing the regulatory exam).
  • When all registration requirements are met, provisional registration is automatically converted to practising registration.​

How to apply

​​1. Apply for BCCNM registration

On the application you’ll be asked to provide:

  • Consent to a criminal record check;
  • Information English language proficiency​​;
  • Information related to your fitness to practice, character and nursing education;
  • Details about current or previously held registration in other all jurisdictions; 
  • D​etails about any other applications for registration in Canada or internationally.
2. Submit notarized identity documents
  • Have a lawyer or notary public notarize your identity documents​​ (two valid government issued IDs, i.e. driver's license or passport). One ID must include a picture.
  • Upload a scanned PDF of the notarized identity documents or submit them as photos (jpeg or png files) in the application or by email after your application is submitted.
3. ​Request verifications of registration and employment
4. BCCNM assessment
  • We will begin the assessment of your application once we have recieved your application fees and all required documents.
  • As we assess your application, we will send you updates by email and will let you know if we need more information to complete the assessment.
5. Registration decision/pay registration fee
  • Once we determine you have met all registration requirements, we will notify you by email.
  • If you are granted registration, you will be emailed instructions on how to pay your registration fee.
6. Confirm your registration status
  • Once you have paid your registration fee​, you will be sent an email confirming that you have been granted registration with BCCNM.
  • You will appear in the online directory​ once you are authorized to practice.
  • You must not practice as a nurse in B.C. until your status effective date.

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​​​​​​​​​​​Assessing your application

When we assess your application for registration, we consider the following:

​Good character​
Good character refers to a combination of personal qualities and traits, such as: ​

  • moral or ethical strength
  • Integrity, candour, empathy and honesty
  • An appreciation of the difference between right and wrong
  • The moral fibre to do that which is right and not to do that which is wrong

When determining whether you are of good character, we review:

  • The circumstances around any previous criminal charges and/or convictions, the results of your criminal record check, and any other information you wish to have considered related to the same, if applicable.
  • The completeness, correctness, and accuracy of the information you provided on the application form or in any communication with BCCNM.
  • Current or previous regulatory history, including any past investigation, resolution, and/or discipline.
  • Information related to current and/or previous employment.
  • Any history of unethical or dishonest behaviour
  • Information from an educational institution, if applicable. 
  • A self-reflection of the circumstances, learnings, and growth since the events, or actions taken, that indicate a possible lack of good character.
Fitness to practice nursing
Fitness to practice refers to the absence of any physical or mental ailment, emotional disturbance, or addiction that may impair your ability to practise. When determining whether you are fit to engage in nursing practice, we review:

  • Self-disclosure of a physical or mental ailment, an emotional disturbance, or an addiction that could impair your ability to practise.
  • Information from previous employer(s).
  • Information regarding any previous registration cancellation or voluntary relinquishment of registration.
  • Any current or past regulatory investigations.
  • Information regarding any current or previous limits and/or conditions placed on your practice.
  • Information from treating physician(s) or specialist(s) who can provide an opinion as to your current health status, any recommendations for safe entrance into the profession, and your fitness to practise nursing (we only request this information in certain circumstances).
Competence
There are a few ways of showing competence to practise, including successful completion of one of the following in the last five years:

  • Providing evidence of satisfactory nursing practice by meeting the required practice hours. 
  • Providing evidence of successful completion of a nursing education program recognized by BCCNM or another Canadian nursing regulatory body (either entry, re-entry, or refresher).
  • Completing a competency assessment by the Nursing Community Assessment Service (NCAS) and any additional education required by the Registration Committee following BCCNM review of the NCAS report.
  • Continuing education in nursing
If you have not practised as a nurse in the designation you are applying for or have not completed a BCCNM-recognized (or equivalent) nursing education program in the previous five years, you may be required to undergo an assessment of your current competence, and/or complete additional education and/or an examination to be eligible for registration.
English language proficiency
If English is not the primary language you use for reading, writing, listening, and speaking, you will be required to demonstrate your English language proficiency. If there is any indication during the assessment of your application your proficiency is not conducive to safe practice, we may require an English language test. When assessing your English language proficiency, we review:

  • Your first language
  • Language test results (if taken)
  • ​Information from your nursing education institution
  • Information from your employer(s)​
  • Additional evidence of English proficiency (i.e. references from regulated health professionals)

The movement of nursing professionals across Canada (labour mobility)

​If you are registered as an RPN or equivalent in another Canadian jurisdiction, you may be eligible for practising registration in B.C. in accordance with the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) and BCCNM’s bylaws.​

Eligibility
To be eligible for registration as a labour mobility applicant, you must meet the good character requirement for registration and other requirements set out in the BCCNM bylaws, including not being subject to practice limitations, restrictions, or conditions that do not apply generally to practising RPN registrants in B.C.
Required practice hours
CFTA allows a regulator to impose additional training, experience, examinations, or assessments as a condition of registration if the person has not practised the occupation for which they are seeking registration within a specified period of time, provided that any such measures are the same as, or substantially similar to, but no more onerous than, those imposed by the regulator on “its own workers” and the measure(s) imposed do not create a disguised restriction on labour mobility.

Pursuant to BCCNM’s Competence Policy, when determining whether to grant registration to an applicant with registration in another Canadian jurisdiction, the Registration Committee may presume an applicant is competent if the applicant has, in another province, completed 1,400 hours of practice, specific to the nursing designation applied for, within the five-year period immediately preceding the date of the application. This number of hours is identical to, and no more onerous than, the practice hours requirement for RPNs applying for renewal or reinstatement in B.C.
If required practice hours are not met
If a Canadian applicant has not practised 1,400 hours in another province in the scope of practice of the nursing designation applied for, within five years of the date of the application, the Applicant may be required to undergo a competency assessment and/or additional training, experience, or examinations to be eligible for registration in B.C. BCCNM will consider: the applicant’s nursing experience in other countries, how comparable the scope of practice and expectations of nursing in those jurisdictions is to the equivalent nursing designation in B.C., any gaps in practice, and any Canadian nursing experience the applicant has.​
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