Effective April 1, 2026, BCCNM will discontinue the non-practising class of registration for nurses and midwives. As of that date, current non-practicing registrants will become “former licensees."
We're making this change to focus on our public protection mandate and only regulate individuals who are currently practising nursing or midwifery. Discontinuing non-practising registration is also enabled by the incoming
Health Professions and Occupations Act, which does not require a non-practising registration class.
We have contacted current non-practising registrants about this change and have provided them with information about their options. To prepare for next year's transition, BCCNM is taking the following steps:
Updating our guidance on use of title: Former nursing registrants can refer to themselves as a “former nurse" or “retired nurse," and former midwives can refer to themselves as a “former midwife" or “retired midwife," provided the description is accurate and isn't used to imply authorization to practice.
Committee membership: In the new
BCCNM Bylaws taking effect on April 1, 2026, only practising BCCNM registrants are eligible for committee membership.
We appreciate that registrants may hold non-practising registration for a variety of reasons, including maintaining a connection to their profession. We encourage current non-practising registrants to explore membership and engagement in their professional association:
Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC or
Midwives Association of BC.
BCCNM newsletter
Former registrants won't automatically be sent the BCCNM newsletter every month. We encourage you to subscribe to the newsletter by emailing
newsletter@bccnm.ca.