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Nurse in Practice Program

Last updated on March 10, 2025

BC’s primary care strategy delivers actions that support faster and improved access to health care for people who live throughout the province, through team-based care that includes recruitment of health-care professionals.

The Nurse in Practice program is designed to expand team-based primary care by integrating more nurses into family practices. Under this program, longitudinal primary practices that deliver longitudinal primary care to one or more panels of patients, or that provide focused primary care to priority populations, may be eligible for funding to hire a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN) to work as part of their core clinical team.

The Nurse in Practice program is designed to:

  • enable family doctors, nurse practitioners (NPs), registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to work to their optimal scope of practice 
  • increase capacity for larger patient panels, which means primary care providers can provide longitudinal care to more people looking for a family doctor or nurse practitioner 
  • support primary care provider and nurse satisfaction while providing care

For patients, that means:

  • more timely access to primary care services
  • improved follow-up care and care coordination
  • improved patient care quality and health outcomes​

The Nurse in Practice program was piloted in a number of communities in BC, after the Ministry of Health heard from primary care partners about the need for RNs and LPNs to strengthen team-based care.

For more information on the program and how to apply, please read the Nurse in Practice Program Guide.  

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How the Program Works

  • Eligible clinics can apply to the Ministry of Health for funding to hire a Registered Nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).
  • RNs and LPNs hired under the program support primary care by providing services such as triage and assessment of patients, health promotions, disease/injury prevention and care coordination. RNs and LPNs funded through the program will not complete clerical or medical office assistant work.
  • Employers determine the compensation package for their Nurse in Practice. The Ministry will provide block funding to the clinic for RNs and LPNs at a rate inclusive of salary, benefits and overhead. It is the responsibility of the clinic/participating providers to allocate the block funding as required. 
 

Which Clinics are Eligible

Eligible clinics will include:

  • Full eligibility is outlined in the Nurse in Practice Program Guide. There are two types of practices eligible to participate in the initial phase of the Nurse in Practice program:  

  1. Family doctor or nurse practitioner practices delivering longitudinal primary care to a full panel of patients.

  • These practices must meet specific panel size expectations to be considered a full panel. Full details of panel size expectations for longitudinal primary care clinics are outlined in the Nurse in Practice Program Guide.   

  • Longitudinal primary care clinics must be family doctor or nurse practitioner owned and operated, or operated by a not-for-profit society.   

  • Family doctors and nurse practitioners who are in the process of building their panels, such as new-to-practice primary care providers and those not yet operating at expected capacity, who have not yet met the minimum panel size requirements are not eligible in the initial phase. 

       2. Family doctors and nurse practitioners with focused primary care clinics who deliver primary care to priority populations may also be  eligible to receive funding under this program. 

  • These may include practices serving Indigenous Peoples, and/or providing maternity, elderly/frail, complex, sexual health and/or gender affirming care, etc.   
  • These clinics are not necessarily subject to the same panel size requirements as longitudinal primary care practices. See the Nurse in Practice Program Guide for more information. 
 

How to Apply

 

The timeline for response

  • We estimate that it will take approximately six to eight weeks for program applications to be reviewed. 
  • Delays can occur if an application is missing information or if the application is illegible. To minimize delays, review your application before applying to ensure that your clinic meets all eligibility requirements and is registered with BC Registry Services. 
 

Support for participating clinics and nurses 

To support clinics and nurses approved through the Nurse in Practice program, an education and support program is available through Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC, Doctors of BC and the Family Practice Services Committee. 

Organizations representing doctors and nurses: 

  • Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC – nnpbc.com 
    • Nurses & Nurse Practitioners has launched the Nursing Initiatives in Primary Care program to support all RNs and LPNs in the Nurse in Practice program. This program is designed to ensure RNs and LPNs in primary care thrive as autonomous, self-regulating professionals capable of enhancing the capacity and quality of care within primary care teams. Contact nipcteam@nnpbc.com for support or questions. 
  • Doctors of BC – Business Pathways support for doctors 
  • Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC) – Primary care system change 

How to plan for and support team-based care: 

  • Team Effectiveness Tool:  
  • Team-based Care Learning Pathway:  
  • Team Up! Team-Based Primary & Community Care in Action 
    • The Team Up! Network aims to connect individuals and teams, identify tools to apply to current work underway, and share experiences in team-based care across the province.  
    • Podcast https://teamuppod.com/  
    • Webinar https://vimeo.com/showcase/8042538  
  • Explore the library of curated resources to help support all members, at any stage, of a Team-Based care team. 
  • The Family Practice Services Committee’s (FPSC’s) Practice Support Program (PSP) coaches can provide additional support in the areas of leadership, conflict resolution, role clarity, communication, and team development. 
  • In addition, PSP coaches can facilitate the UBC Innovation Support Unit’s Team Mapping process, which is a great tool for understanding and optimizing role and scope. For information, visit https://fpscbc.ca/psp or email PSP at psp@doctorsofbc.ca. 

Integrating a Nurse into your Practice:  

Understanding Scopes of Practice: 

 

In 2018, the Ministry of Health launched a transformational team-based primary health-care strategy envisioned to increase patient attachment and access to quality, comprehensive, culturally safe, and person-centered primary care services throughout the province. The Nurse in Practice program is part of this work to expand access to team-based care for people living in B.C.

Read more about government’s work to expand access to primary-care providers and team-based care:

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