This Access to Practical Nursing Program: B.C. Provincial Curriculum 2025 replaces the 2012 Access to Practical Nursing Program Provincial Curriculum Guide, 2nd Edition, revised 2017. The 2025 Access to Practical Nursing Program curriculum revisions, like the 2017 curriculum revisions, were guided by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) Entry-Level Competencies for Licensed Practical Nurses. The revisions were carried out by subject matter experts, guided by the steering committee, and approved by the Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. This Access to Practical Nursing Program curriculum was developed in conjunction with the Practical Nursing Program: B.C. Provincial Curriculum, which was also revised in 2025.

The Access to Practical Nursing Program is a full-time diploma that recognizes past education, training, and work experience of applicants to the Practical Nursing Program. Applicants who have achieved a certificate from a B.C. post-secondary institution in one of the following programs may be admitted to the Access to Practical Nursing Program:

• Health Care Assistant (HCA)
• Resident Care Attendant (RCA)
• A combined Home Support/Resident Care Attendant (HS/RCA)

Applicants with HCA, RCA, or HS/RCA certificates from post-secondary institutions that are not listed on the B.C. Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry will need to demonstrate their eligibility prior to admission.

This three-level program is 13 months of full-time study. The first level (Level A) combines Levels 1 and 2 of the Practical Nursing Program: B.C. Provincial Curriculum 2025, giving prior learning credits for knowledge and skills acquired in HCA, RCA, and HS/RCA certificate programs. The next two levels are the same as Levels 3 and 4 in the Practical Nursing Program: B.C. Provincial Curriculum 2025.

Supplement to the Provincial Curriculum

The Practical Nursing and Access to Practical Nursing Supplement to the Provincial Curricula 2025 (the Supplement) will be updated in 2026. The Supplement supports the delivery and assessment of required learning outcomes of the Practical Nursing Provincial Curriculum 2025. The Resource section in the Supplement includes:

• Suggested learning strategies and approaches to assessment
• References and resources for each course
• Guidelines for practice experience