How do I Become a Nurse Practitioner in British Columbia (BC)?

Sep 2

how to become a nurse practitioner in british columbia (BC)

The path to becoming a nurse practitioner (NP) will be unique to you. For those of you thinking of pursing a career as an NP, I hope to provide some guidance. If you want a general overview on how to become an NP in Canada, I suggest you read this post. If you plan on pursuing an NP career in BC, I will delineate what this journey might look like.

If you’re thinking of becoming an NP, I highly recommend this read to get you prepared.
You can also join the NP reasoning community (free & paid options) to get you ready for your career as an NP - LEARN MORE.

Type of Nurse Practitioner (NP) Programs in BC:

Family Nurse Practitioner programs, also known as primary health care nurse practitioner programs.

What is a primary health care NP?

Primary health care NPs are registered nurses with extended scope of practice. We have the ability to provide primary health care functions in health promotion, disease and injury prevention, rehabilitation, treatment, and other services. We can diagnose and treat acute illnesses and injuries, care for patients with chronic disease, prescribe medications, and order and interpret the results of diagnostic tests. NPs work autonomously and within interdisciplinary teams and serve to compliment (not replace) other professions.

Just like there are controlled acts authorized to RNs and RPNs, there are controlled acts authorized to NPs, some of which include diagnosing, ordering and interpreting tests, prescribing medications, performing certain procedures like setting or casting a fracture of a bone or dislocation of a joint. See more information on scope practice in BC here.

As an NP working in family medicine, I see patients for acute illness (e.g. ear pain), chronic disease (e.g. managing diabetes), preventive care (e.g. cancer screening including pap tests). I perform procedures (e.g. skin biopsies), provide motivational interviewing (e.g. for smoking cessation), and palliative care – and the list goes on! It’s a challenging career with high reward, as it has enabled me to grow professionally and personally.

Want to kick-start your NP journey? NP Reasoning curates the top guideline updates, clinical approaches & diagnostic pearls to help you make confident decisions with your patients.
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What Nurse Practitioner (NP) Programs are Available in BC?

University of British Columbia (UBC)
University of Victoria (U Vic)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU - located in Kamloops, BC)
University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC - Prince George Campus)

Let’s break down some important facts about each program.

University of British Columbia (UBC) Nurse Practitioner Program

UBC offers a masters of nursing - nurse practitioner program (MN-NP).
Prepares students to apply for registration as a family nurse practitioner in BC.
It is a 2 year full-time program. There is no online program currently.
Mode of delivery: in person at UBC Vancouver
Program structure: 9 credits of graduate theory courses, up to 44 credits of primary health care theory and practice training, and a 3-credit culminating scholarly project. There are 6 terms total (4 months per term).
The program takes care of finding placements for you, ideally family medicine placements with nurse practitioner or physician preceptors
What are the courses? a combination of masters & nurse practitioner courses:
- Masters courses: e.g. theoretical foundation of nursing practice, research and evidence-based practice, methods in nursing science, health promotion in practice
- NP courses: e.g. pathophysiological processes for nurse practitioners, advanced health assessment across the life span, pharmacology and therapeutics in primary care, clinical procedures in primary care
Academic requirements:
- GPA 76% (B+)
- English language test: for applicants outside of Canada
- Reference letters: minimum of 2
- Statement of interest
- Cirriculum vitae
- Transcripts from all post-secondary study
Other requirements:
- Bachelor of Nursing degree, registration with the British Columbia College of Nurses or Midwives or other provincial registration within Canada
- RN experience: recent full-time experience within the last 5 years of applying (no minimum, but successful applicants often have several years RN experience)
NP program website
NP program structure
FAQ’s

2. University of Victoria Nurse Practitioner (NP) Program

University of Victoria offers a masters of nursing - nurse practitioner program (MN-NP).
Prepares students to apply for registration as a family nurse practitioner in BC.
It is a 2 year full-time program.
Mode of delivery: online with a mandatory practicum
Program structure: course-based with hands-on clinical component in BC
Academic requirements:
- GPA 76% (B+)
- Reference letters: minimum of 2
- Statement of interest
- Cirriculum vitae
- Transcripts from all post-secondary study

Other requirements:
- Bachelor of Nursing degree, registration with the British Columbia College of Nurses or Midwives or other provincial registration within Canada
- RN experience: recent full-time experience within the last 5 years of applying (no minimum, but successful applicants often have several years RN experience)
University of Victoria MN-NP website

3. Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Nurse Practitioner (NP) program

UBC offers a masters of nursing - nurse practitioner program (MN-NP).
Prepares students to apply for registration as a family nurse practitioner in BC. You can also choose to focus your studies on areas of interest - e.g. Indigenous health or seniors care.
Program completion in 2 or 3 years.
Mode of delivery: combined on-campus and virtual delivery methods
Program structure: students can choose to complete the program in 2 years, or 3 years. Students who have not completed core masters of nursing courses prior to the start of the MN-NP program must take the MN courses.
What are the courses? a combination of masters courses and nurse practitioner courses:
- Masters courses: e.g. Research in Healthcare, Leadership and Managing Change in Healthcare
- NP courses: Advanced pathophysiology, Clinical reasoning in advanced health assessment, advanced pharmacotherapeutics
Academic requirements:
- GPA 73% (B) based on the most recent 60 credits of post-secondary education
- Reference letters: minimum of 2 (clinical references)
- Statement of interest
- Cirriculum vitae
- Transcripts from all post-secondary study
- Undergraduate or graduate statistics course with minimum grade of C+
Other requirements:
- Bachelor of Nursing degree, registration with the British Columbia College of Nurses or Midwives or other provincial registration within Canada
- RN experience: minimum 2 years full time (3600 hours) RN experience in the last 5 years
15 students are accepted every year currently
TRU NP program website

4. University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) Nurse Practitioner (NP) program

UNBC offers a masters of nursing - nurse practitioner program (MN-NP).
Prepares students to apply for registration as a family nurse practitioner in BC.
It is a 2 year full-time program. There is no online program currently.
Mode of delivery: some courses are virtual, and others require in-person attendance
Program structure: a minimum of 51 credit hours of MScN and NP courses + a final project completes the degree
What are the courses? a combination of masters courses and nurse practitioner courses:
- Masters courses: e.g. Leadership in healthcare and practice, health program planning, community development, and evaluation
- NP courses: e.g. pathophysiology, health assessment and diagnostic reasoning, nurse practitioner professional practice, pharmacological management and therapeutic interventions
Academic requirements:
- An academic transcript showing undergraduate courses in nursing theory, health assessment, community health nursing, and research
- Reference letters: minimum of 2
- Assessment reports from a health professional from a recent practice setting
- Statement of interest
- Cirriculum vitae
- Transcripts from all post-secondary study
Other requirements:
- Bachelor of Nursing degree, registration with the British Columbia College of Nurses or Midwives or other provincial registration within Canada
- RN experience: 2 years full-time experience
UNBC NP program website
UNBC Program structure

For admission, all NP programs in BC require you to have a BScN degree, RN registration, and a minimum of 2 years full time RN experience.

Can I work while I’m completing the NP program?

This depends on many factors. One should weigh personal responsibilities, work-life balance, completing the program full-time versus part-time. In general, it’s possible to work while enrolled in the program, but this is up to your comfort level. Personally, I completed the full-time post-masters NP certificate and did not work. The course content, paired with clinical rotations were very intensive, and I was able to immerse myself in the program and get the most out of it. That being said, circumstances differ, and you need to do what works best for you. It’s important to highlight that regardless of the program, it is a steep learning curve and lots of the learning is self directed. If you are seriously considering this next step in your career, our post on how to prepare for NP school will be helpful.

Is there an Online Nurse Practitioner Program?

Athabasca University (based out of Alberta - but people out province can apply) offers a Master of Nursing nurse practitioner degree online program available. It is a 33-credit online graduate program, that prepares students to work in primary health care settings. You can take up to 5 years to complete the program. Students are responsible for arranging their own clinical placements. You can read this post if you want to learn more about online programs in Canada.

Where can I work as a primary health care nurse practitioner?

You can generally work in any area. This degree will give you the most flexibility (compared with acute care or pediatric NP programs). Primary health care NPs work in community settings (e.g. clinics, community health centers, long-term care homes), hospital settings (e.g. emergency departments, inpatient units) – basically everywhere. The NP role is forever evolving in our health care system. Job descriptions, responsibilities, and scope do vary significantly depending on where you land a job.

Key Take home Points:

Do your research on NP programs.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to university admissions offices to ask questions about the program or admission process.
Talk with nurse practitioners who have been through this process already.
Think about what you want out of your career (Do you want a serious challenge with career growth potential?)
The NP program (and career in general!) is intense and will probably be the steepest learning curve of your life. Don’t let this intimidate you – check out our newsletter to kick-start your NP journey.