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"Point in Time" Regulation Content

Health Professions Act

Nurses (Registered) and Nurse Practitioners Regulation

B.C. Reg. 284/2008

NOTE: Links below go to regulation content as it was prior to the changes made on the effective date. (PIT covers changes made from September 19, 2009 to "current to" date of the regulation.)
SECTIONEFFECTIVE DATE
Section 1 December 3, 2015
July 26, 2016
September 4, 2018
April 6, 2023
Section 2 September 4, 2018
September 1, 2020
Section 5.1 September 4, 2018
Section 6 October 26, 2009
December 3, 2015
Section 7 July 1, 2010
December 3, 2015
Section 8 December 3, 2015
September 4, 2018
April 6, 2023
Section 9 December 3, 2015
July 26, 2016
April 6, 2023
Section 9.1 September 1, 2020
Section 10 October 30, 2009
March 31, 2010
Section 11 July 26, 2016

 Section 1 definitions of "compound", "health professional", "nursing", "order", "prescribe" and "substance" BEFORE amended by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

"compound" means

(a) in sections 6 (1) (k) (i) and (l) (i) and 7 (1) (f) (i), to mix a drug with one or more other ingredients, and

(b) in section 6 (1) (m), to mix 2 or more ingredients;

"health professional" means

(a) a person who is authorized under an enactment to practice dentistry, medicine, midwifery, naturopathic medicine or podiatry in British Columbia, or

(b) a nurse practitioner;

"nursing" means the health profession in which a person provides the following services:

(a) health care for the promotion, maintenance and restoration of health, and

(b) prevention, treatment and palliation of illness and injury, primarily by

(i) assessment of health status,

(ii) planning and implementation of interventions, and

(iii) coordination of health services;

"order" means an instruction or authorization given by any method by a health professional for a registrant to provide a service that includes the performance of an activity described in section 7 (1) to or for a named individual, if the health professional has assessed that individual, and includes

(a) an instruction or authorization regarding the time or times at which the service is to be initiated by a registrant, and

(b) this instruction or authorization if it incorporates by reference, in whole or in part and with any changes the health professional considers necessary or appropriate, a guideline, protocol or other recorded description of a course of action or decision-making process to be used by a registrant in providing the service to or for a specified class of individuals;

"prescribe" means to issue a prescription as defined in the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act;

"substance" includes air and water but excludes a drug specified in Schedule I, IA, II or IV of the Drug Schedules Regulation, B.C. Reg. 9/98.

 Section 1 definition of "nurse practitioner" BEFORE repealed by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

"nurse practitioner" means a registrant who is authorized under the bylaws to practise nursing as a nurse practitioner;

 Section 1 definitions of "certified practice registrant", "Drug Schedules Regulation", "issue" and "wearable hearing instrument" were added by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

 Section 1, definition of "medical assistance in dying" was added by BC Reg B.C. Reg. 201/2016, effective July 26, 2016.

 Section 1, definition of "nursing", paragraph (c) was added by BC Reg B.C. Reg. 201/2016, effective July 26, 2016.

 Section 1 definition of "registrant" was added by BC Reg 93/2018, effective September 4, 2018.

 Section 1 definition of "certified practice registrant" BEFORE amended by BC Reg 100/2023, effective April 6, 2023.

"certified practice registrant" means a registrant who has successfully completed a certification program as described in section 8 (2) (b) (ii);

 Section 2 BEFORE re-enacted by BC Reg 93/2018, effective September 4, 2018.

College name

2   The name "College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia" is the name of the college established under section 15 (1) of the Act for nursing.

 Section 2 BEFORE amended by BC Reg 167/2020, effective September 1, 2020.

College name

2   The name of the college responsible for carrying out the objects of the Act in respect of nursing is "British Columbia College of Nursing Professionals".

[en. B.C. Reg. 93/2018, Sch. 2, s. 2.]

 Section 5.1 (2) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 93/2018, effective September 4, 2018.

(2) The college is authorized to establish, under section 19 (1) (i) of the Act, a class of provisional registrants, for the purposes of section 20 (4.3) of the Act.

 Section 6 (1) (l) (iv) (E) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 250/2009, effective October 26, 2009.

(E)  hypoglycemia, or

 Section 6 (1) (l) (iv) (G) was added by BC Reg 250/2009, effective October 26, 2009.

 Section 6 (1) (b), (h), (k) and (l) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

(b) for the purpose of wound care, including suturing of skin lacerations, perform a procedure on tissue below the dermis or below the surface of a mucous membrane;

(h) for the purposes of assessment or ameliorating or resolving a condition identified through the making of a nursing diagnosis, put into the external ear canal, up to the eardrum,

(i) air that is under pressure created by the use of an otoscope, or

(ii) water that is under pressure equal to or less than the pressure created by the use of an ear bulb syringe;

(k) in respect of a drug specified in Schedule II of the Drug Schedules Regulation,

(i) compound the drug,

(ii) dispense the drug, or

(iii) administer the drug by any method;

(l) in respect of a drug specified in Schedule I of the Drug Schedules Regulation,

(i) compound the drug,

(ii) dispense the drug, or

(iii) administer the drug by any method

for the purposes of

(iv) treating

(A) anaphylaxis,

(B) cardiac dysrhythmia,

(C) opiate overdose,

(D) respiratory distress in a known asthmatic,

(E) hypoglycemia,

(F) post-partum hemorrhage, or

(G) conditions that are symptomatic of influenza-like illness, or

(v) preventing disease using immunoprophylactic agents and post-exposure chemoprophylactic agents;

 Section 6 (1) (g.1) and (j.01) were added by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

 Section 6 (2) BEFORE repealed by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

(2) Section 7 (2) does not apply to the provision by a registrant of a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1).

 Section 7 (1) (e.1) was added by BC Reg 213/2010, effective July 1, 2010.

 Section 7 (1) (d) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

(d) put into the external ear canal, up to the ear drum, a substance that is under pressure;

 Section 7 (2) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

(2) A registrant may provide a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1) only if

(a) the registrant provides the service for the purpose of complying with an order, and

(b) at the time of the provision of the service by the registrant

(i) the health professional who gives the order is authorized under an enactment to provide the service, and

(ii) the registrant is authorized under the Act to provide the service.

 Section 7( 1) (a.1) and (3) were added by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

 Section 8 (1) (a) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

(a) perform an activity described in section 7 (1), except compound, dispense or administer a drug specified in Schedule IA of the Drug Schedules Regulation, B.C. Reg. 9/98;

 Section 8 (2) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

(2) Section 7 (2) does not apply to the provision by a registrant of a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1) (a), if the registrant is certified in respect of that service as described in subsection (3).

 Section 8 (1) (a.1) was added by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

 Section 8 (3) BEFORE repealed by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

(3) A registrant may provide a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1) only if, before providing the service, the registrant has successfully completed a certification program established, required or approved under the bylaws to ensure that registrants are qualified and competent to provide that service in the practice setting in which it is to be provided by the registrant.

 Section 8 (2) (part) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 93/2018, effective September 4, 2018.

(2) A registrant may provide a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1) (a) or (a.1) only as follows:

 Section 8 (1) (a.2) was added by BC Reg 100/2023, effective April 6, 2023.

 Section 8 (2) (part) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 100/2023, effective April 6, 2023.

(2) A registrant may provide a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1) only as follows:

 Section 8 (2) (b) (i) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 100/2023, effective April 6, 2023.

(i) in accordance with an order as described in section 7 (2) (b), or

 Section 8 (4) was added by BC Reg 100/2023, effective April 6, 2023.

 Section 9 (1), (2) and (4) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 226/2015, effective December 3, 2015.

(1) A nurse practitioner in the course of practising nursing may do any of the following:

(a) perform an activity described in section 7 (1), except compound, dispense or administer a drug specified in Schedule IA of the Drug Schedules Regulation;

(b) provide or perform an activity described in section 8 (1) (b);

(c) set or cast a closed simple fracture of a bone, or reduce a dislocation of a joint,

(d) apply X-rays for diagnostic or imaging purposes, except X-rays for computerized axial tomography;

(e) give an order to apply one or more of the following forms of energy:

(i) ultrasound for diagnostic or imaging purposes, including any application of ultrasound to a fetus;

(ii) X-rays, for diagnostic or imaging purposes, including X-rays for the purpose of computerized axial tomography;

(iii) laser for the purpose of destroying tissue;

(f) prescribe or give an order to compound, dispense or administer by any method a drug specified in Schedule I or II of the Drug Schedules Regulation, B.C. Reg. 9/98;

(g) if nutrition is administered by enteral instillation or parenteral instillation, select ingredients for a therapeutic diet.

(2) Section 7 (2) or 8 (3) does not apply to the provision by a nurse practitioner of a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1) (a) or (b).

(4) A registrant may provide a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1) (c) to (f) only if the registrant is a nurse practitioner.

 Section 9 (1) (a) BEFORE amended by BC Reg B.C. Reg. 201/2016, effective July 26, 2016.

(a) perform an activity described in section 7 (1) (a), (b) to (e.1), (g) or (h) or 8 (1) (a.1) or (b);

 Section 9 (1) (a) BEFORE amended by BC Reg B.C. Reg. 100/2023, effective April 6, 2023.

(a) perform an activity described in section 7 (1) (a) or (b) to (h) or 8 (1) (a.1) or (b);

 Section 9 (4) BEFORE amended by BC Reg B.C. Reg. 100/2023, effective April 6, 2023.

(4) A registrant may provide a service that includes the performance of an activity described in subsection (1) (c) to (e), (f) (ii), (f) (iii) in respect of X-rays for the purpose of computerized axial tomography, (f) (iv), (g) in respect of prescribing a drug specified in Schedule IA of the Drug Schedules Regulation, or (h) only if the registrant is a nurse practitioner.

 Section 9.1 was enacted by BC Reg 167/2020, effective September 1, 2020.

 Section 10 (2) BEFORE amended by BC Reg 255/2009, effective October 30, 2009.

(2)  This section is repealed on October 31, 2009.

 Section 10 BEFORE self-repeal by BC Reg 284/2008, effective March 31, 2010.

 Transitional (certified practices)

10  (1)  Despite sections 7 and 8, a registrant in the course of practising nursing who has not successfully completed a certification program described in section 8 (3) may provide or perform an activity described in section 8 (1) if

(a) the registrant is an employee,

(b) it is a condition of the registrant's employment that the registrant be authorized by the college to practise nursing,

(c) the activity is performed in the course of fulfilling the registrant's employment duties, and

(d) the registrant's employer

(i)  required, on August 19, 2005, the activity to be performed by a registrant in the course of fulfilling a registrant's employment duties, or

(ii)  declared to the minister, on or before September 18, 2005, an intention to require the activity be performed by a registrant in the course of fulfilling the registrant's employment duties.

(2)  This section is repealed on March 31, 2010.

[am. B.C. Regs. 157/2009, s. 13; 255/2009.]

 Section 11 was enacted by BC Reg B.C. Reg. 201/2016, effective July 26, 2016.