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 or licensed practical nurse to work as part of their core clinical team.
The Nurse in Practice program is designed to:
- Allow family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses to work to their full scope of practice
- Increase capacity for larger patient panels, which means primary care providers can provide longitudinal care to more people
- Support primary care provider and nurse satisfaction while providing care
How the Program Works
- Eligible clinics can apply to the Ministry of Health for funding to hire a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse
- Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses under the program support primary care by providing services as triage and assessment of patients, health promotions, disease/injury prevention and care coordination
- Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses funded through the program will not complete clerical-type or medical office assistant work
Eligible clinics will include:
- Longitudinal primary care practices that are family physician or nurse practitioner owned and operated, or alternatively, operated by a not-for-profit society
- Focused on primary care clinics owned and operated by a family physician or nurse practitioner, or alternatively, operated by a not-for-profit society, and serving priority populations (e.g., Indigenous peoples, maternity care, elderly, sexual health and/or gender affirming care, complex care, and mental health and substance use)
- Clinical practices currently employing their own registered nurses or licensed practical nurses
How to Apply
- Read through the Application Guide
- Using the guide, clinics are to determine if they can meet the program requirements
- Gather the required information to complete the program application form
- Download the fillable Nurse in Practice application form
- Fill out the form and email it to the Nurse in Practice program: nurseinpractice@gov.bc.ca.
Timeline
- It will take approximately six weeks for applications to be reviewed by the Ministry of Health
- Applications will be assessed on a quarterly basis. It is important you double check that your clinic meets all eligibility requirements in order to efficiently move through the approval process
- The Ministry of Health will contact you within eight weeks as to the status of your application
Deadlines for the 2024-25 fiscal year are: April 1, 2024; July 1, 2024; October 1, 2024; January 1, 2025.
