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This course is designed for registered nurses working, or planning to work, in remote communities throughout British Columbia. The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives(BCCNM) and the Provincial Government, under the Health Professions Act, require nurses in such settings to be certified. NURS 458-6 Remote Nursing Certified Practice, will prepare registered nurses for certification based on criteria specified by the BCCNM. For more information on Certified Practice, please visit the website  

What is Remote Nursing Practice?

Remote nursing practice is carried out in nursing stations in small, often First Nations or Inuit, communities many kilometres from the nearest hospital. Nurses in remote settings work autonomously within a prescribed scope of practice and collaboratively with physicians or nurse practitioners to provide primary care including treatment of acute illness or injury, health promotion, and illness prevention.

Course Description

NURS 458-6 focuses on the competencies required for Remote Nursing Certified Practice. Key content areas include: history and physical assessment, advanced clinical reasoning, informed judgment, and pharmacotherapeutics in the management of specified common and predictable health conditions. Management of a dispensary and medication dispensing functions are also included. Content and course evaluation are based on a body-systems approach and incorporate the BCCNM Decision Support Tools (DSTs) for Remote Nursing Certified Practice. An extended workshop focusing on nursing practice in remote communities is included. Upon successful completion of NURS 458-6 students may apply for BCCNM Remote Nursing Practice Certification.

Course Goal

The goal of NURS458-6 is to provide students with the knowledge and skills to practice safe, evidence-based care for populations in remote settings.

Course Objectives

At the culmination of NURS 458-6 students should be able to:

• Provide safe evidence based care to populations in remote settings;
• Practice client and community care through a lens of cultural competence and cultural safety;
• Promote capacity building by demonstrating a sensitivity to people living and working in remote areas;
• Understand the pathophysiology of BCCNM identified common and predictable health conditions managed by remote nurses;
• Conduct advanced history taking and physical examination using clinical reasoning and informed judgment to make a differential diagnoses within the scope of BCCNM approved DSTs;
• Conduct appropriate tests and interpret laboratory results;
• Understand the management of the dispensary as well as relevant pharmacology and dispensing functions for nurses working in remote settings;
• Intervene and manage common and predictable health conditions using pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments based on BCCNM approved DSTs;
• Consult with and refer clients at risk;
• Recognize adverse events and respond appropriately;
• Conduct discharge planning and client education;
• Document, evaluate, monitor, and follow-up client condition, and;
• Become eligible for Remote Nursing Practice Certification

Course Delivery

This is an online course delivered by distance education over an eighteen-week period. This course work culminates in a one week face-to-face practice workshop and examination.

Remote Nursing Certified Practice Synopsis