Licensing and Registration

Nursing is a regulated profession in Canada, and to practise as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) in British Columbia (BC), you must be licensed/registered with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).



BCNM registers NPs in one of three streams of practice: family, adult, or pediatric, and all applicants are required to complete the appropriate written examination and complete the BC Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

To be eligible for NP registration in BC, you must have:

• Current RN registration or established eligibility for RN registration with BCCNM. An RN application and NP application can be submitted concurrently.
• Graduated from a BC recognized NP program or graduated from a NP program equivalent to a Master’s level nursing education program that prepares graduates with the competencies to practise as described in the Competencies Required for Nurse Practitioners in British Columbia.
• Successfully completed the written examination and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).
• Met the minimum practice hour requirement. The minimum hour requirement can be met by having completed one of the following in the past three years:
  • Graduated from a BC recognized NP education program or equivalent;
  • Engaged in the practice of nursing as an NP for at least a minimum of 900 hours in the stream in which you are seeking registration, as set out in the BCCNM Scope of Practice for Nurse Practitioners Standards, Limits and Conditions; or
  • Completed a clinical directed study through a BC-recognized NP program.