Nurse practitioners (NP) were first regulated in B.C. in 2005. NPs must meet advanced requirements to register as NPs and use the NP title. These nursing professionals are educated in a master's program.
Nurse practitioners:
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are primary care providers
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are regulated for reasons of public safety and to support a sustainable health care system
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bring the nursing focus of teaching, counseling and support to the diagnostic and treatment they provide
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work in many practice settings and within a flexible regulatory system that provides strong educational preparation, rigorous registration requirements, and rigorous practice oversight
In B.C. there are three 'streams' that NPs can be registered in:
- family — infants to older adults
- adult — adults and older adults
- pediatrics — infants to adolescents