Safe Prescribing for Registered Nurses with Certified Practice Course

Who should take this course?

To take this course, you must either:

  • Have active practicing licensure with BCCNM as a registered nurse (RN) with certified practice in STI, Contraceptive Management, RN First Call, Remote Nursing; or
  • Currently be enroled in a certified practice course with a named education provider for any of: STI, Contraceptive Management, RN First Call, Remote Nursing. 

Course description

This course provides RNs with the knowledge and skills to apply safe prescribing practices aligned with the Certified Practice Competencies for prescribing as well as the BCCNM Standards for certified practice nurses to prescribe medications.

Course delivery and goals

You will progress asynchronously through a series of 10 modules though you can move in and out of modules at any time to review material or connect your learning between topics. The end of each module has “knowledge check” questions as review. The course will take approximately 8-10 hours to complete.

There are a range of medications discussed in this course to help demonstrate important considerations for prescribing, and they are not all medications that RNs with certified practice can prescribe. Please refer to the decision support tools (DSTs) for your certified practice area(s) to know what medications RN (C)s can prescribe.

There is a section with resources for prescribers separate from the modules. Please review the resources so that you might download or bookmark any you find relevant to your practice.

To successfully complete the course, you will answer a randomized set of multiple-choice questions after finishing all the modules; you must achieve 80% to pass. You may repeat the quiz and/or re-visit the modules for additional review if you are not successful on the first attempt.

Evaluation of course and certificate

Your response to 3 course evaluation questions is required after the quiz is complete, and a certificate of course completion is generated for your records. You do not need to submit this to BCCNM.

To apply for prescribing authority, go to the BCCNM RN Certified Application page and complete the application form (Form 62), indicating in Part A that you are applying for BCCNM prescribing authority.

Register for the course

If you have further questions, please email us at rncpadvising@unbc.ca.