Nurse practitioners in British Columbia

Every major health commission report or review of health services in the past decade has recommended an expanded scope of practice for nurses. Accordingly, every province and territory is developing and introducing legislation to formally support nurse practitioners (NPs) or has already done so. British Columbia is one of the last provinces/territories to pass legislation and fund education programs. In this article, the authors present the results of an environmental scan carried out at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Specifically, they sought to analyse the supports and barriers to NP practice and education in British Columbia.