Registration with the College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC) is mandatory to practice as a registered nurse in the province of British Columbia. In accordance with the Rules under the Nurses (Registered) Act, each application is assessed individually to determine if the applicant meets the registration requirements outlined below.
Registered Nurse Full Registration Requirements
1. Completion of an approved nursing education program deemed equivalent to an approved basic nursing program in British Columbia. Basic nursing programs prepare nurses to be generalists, which include theory and clinical training in Adult Medicine and Surgery; Maternity and Obstetrics; Mental Health and Psychiatry; and Pediatrics.
2. Competence of practice based on graduation from an approved nursing program within five years or less; or minimum of 1125 hours accumulated over the previous five years or less; and successful writing of the Canadian Nurses Registration Examination.
3. Good Character based on references; no record of criminal charges or convictions; no record of nursing registration having been suspended, disciplined, or revoked; and no dishonesty or misrepresentation on application for nurse registration.
4. Fitness to engage in the practice of nursing based on satisfactory employment reference(s), registration in good standing in other jurisdictions, no health problems that impair ability to practice, and fluency in English.
Documents
The CRNBC registration application package containing detailed instructions and forms may be requested online through the CRNBC website at www.crnbc.ca, or by telephone at 604-736-7331, or in writing to CRNBC, 2855 Arbutus St, Vancouver, BC, V6G 3Y8. It is important that you provide your full mailing address at the time of your request. Application packages and forms will not be faxed or e-mailed.
Your application will be assessed by the CRNBC only upon receipt of all of the following documents:
1. Completed and notarized CRNBC Application Form
2. Assessment Fee
3. Proof of Identity - a photocopy of your birth certificate, or passport (passport must indicate birth name) showing date of birth and any current and former name(s) used by the applicant and indicated on application form. Photocopies of marriage certificates, and divorce certificates are accepted as proof of name changes.
4. Completed Professional Experience Record form and signed consent, authorizing CRNBC to request an employment reference.
5. Completed Criminal Record Consent Form - All applicants are required to complete and submit the Criminal Record Consent form (CRC) under the Criminal Records Review Act. The CRC form is provided in the CRNBC application package for those nurses registered in another Canadian jurisdiction and for BC student graduates. International nursing applicants who have never been registered in Canada will receive the CRC form with your CRNBC Assessment Letter.
6. Applicants registering for the first time in Canada, must request verifications of your registrations from the regulatory bodies from all jurisdictions where you have been previously registered. These verifications must be sent directly to CRNBC from the regulatory bodies.
7. Nurses educated outside of Canada must arrange to have the transcripts from all completed nursing programs sent directly from the Schools of Nursing to CRNBC. The CRNBC application package provides Transcript Request Forms for you to submit to your former educational institutions. Nurses already registered in another Canadian jurisdiction do not need to request nursing school transcripts.
8. If your native language or first language is not English you are required to meet the English Fluency Requirement by completing and successfully passing either the TOEFL and TSE English Fluency Test or IELTS (International English Language Testing Service). Detailed information regarding the English Fluency Requirement are available on the English Test Fact Sheet on the CRNBC website. You must arrange for the examination results to be sent directly to CRNBC from the Testing Agency. Photocopies are not acceptable.
9. If you have written the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination for registration in another Canadian province or territory, you must arrange for the examination results to be sent directly to CRNBC. Photocopies are not acceptable.
Only applications with all the requested documents and the assessment fee will be processed by the CRNBC. Applications received incomplete will be returned to the nurse resulting in processing delays.
The CRNBC registration process usually takes two to three months for nurses registered in another Canadian jurisdiction. Nurses who hold a current practicing membership in another Canadian jurisdiction are eligible to apply for an Interim Permit, which allows them to practice while completing the CRNBC registration process.
The registration process for non-Canadian registered nurses varies but on average takes eight months. Upon completion of your assessment, you will be informed of your eligibility to;
- write the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination
- practice nursing on an Interim Permit while waiting to write the exam and to receive the exam results.
Interim Permits
Candidates who have applied to CRNBC for registration or have applied for reinstatement may be eligible for an Interim Permit.
Nurses who hold a current practicing membership from another Canadian jurisdiction may apply for an interim permit at the same time they submit their CRNBC registration application by enclosing a photocopy of their current practicing membership. The processing time for this category of interim permit is approximately 10 working days.
Nurses who have never been registered in a Canadian jurisdiction must first be assessed by CRNBC for eligibility to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam and for eligibility for an Interim Permit. Nurses must at this time have a BC employer who is willing to hire them on an Interim Permit.
Interim Permits are issued for a minimum of three months to a maximum of ten months. Nurses who apply for an Interim Permit in order to work while waiting to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam and to receive the exam results have a fixed expiry date. Further information is available on the Interim Permit Fact Sheet on the CRNBC website.
Canadian Registered Nurse Examination
Nurses are required to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE) as a final requirement for registered nurse registration in British Columbia. The CRNE exam is offered in all Canadian Provinces and Territories with the exception of Quebec. The exam can only be written in Canada, and is offered four times per year; January, June, August, and October.
Once you have met all CRNBC registration requirements except the CRNE exam and have been informed by CRNBC that you are eligible to write the exam, you may be eligible to practice nursing with an CRNBC Interim Permit.
Nurses are eligible to write the CRNE exam three times. If unsuccessful after the second writing of the exam, nurses are required to provide evidence of completing remedial preparation before being allowed to write a third and final time.
For detailed exam information, please visit the CRNBC website at www.crnbc.ca.
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