The BC Supreme Court (Vancouver Registry) on Sept. 26, 2022, granted BCCNM's request for a permanent injunction against former registrant Daniel Prasad of Port Alberni, B.C. Mr. Prasad had been using the reserved titles of “Registered Nurse" and “RN" when he was not a registrant of BCCNM. The permanent injunction prohibits Mr. Prasad from:
- using any of the titles "nurse", "registered nurse", "licensed graduate nurse", "nurse practitioner ", "licensed practical nurse" or “psychiatric nurse" (“Reserved Titles"), any abbreviation of the Reserved Titles, and any equivalent or abbreviation of any of the Reserved Titles in another language, to describe his work, in association with or as part of another title describing his work, or in association with a description of his work;
- using a description or abbreviation of a name or title, or an equivalent of a name or title in another language, in any manner that expresses or implies that he is a registrant or associated with the College
In addition, the court ordered Mr. Prasad to pay BCCNM special costs of the petition proceeding, the amount of which will be determined at a later date.
BCCNM's public protection role
A key purpose of regulation of health professionals is to protect the public. One aspect of regulation is
protecting professional titles—such as registered nurse—to ensure they are used appropriately.
Only individuals who have met the requirements for registration and, once registered, continue to meet the requirements for renewal, may use a
reserved title.
BCCNM encourages all employers, as well as any individual considering hiring a nurse, to check the
public register to ensure they are registered in good standing with BCCNM. If there are any doubts at all about the registration status of a nurse or midwife, employers and members of the public are urged direct an inquiry to the
BCCNM Registration department.
Individuals who do not meet the requirements are not permitted to use a reserved title. This legal restriction assures the public that anyone using one of the reserved nursing titles is entitled to practise nursing in British Columbia.
BCCNM takes the misuse of reserved titles very seriously and will not hesitate to use any of the following legal tools to protect the public:
- ensure no individual misuses their registered title or practises nursing or midwifery without current registration,
- restrain individuals from using any of the reserved titles when they are not lawfully allowed to do so, and
- restrain individuals from unauthorized practice of nursing and/or midwifery.
BCCNM is satisfied this outcome protects the public. We encourage employers, registrants or members of the public with concerns about use of title to
contact the college.