We are Psychiatric Nursing students of BC. We are asking the Ministry of Health to approve a by-law change for the CRPNBC to allow us the right to work as student nurses.

The Employed Student Nurse (ESN) program is a vital program used by health authorities across the province which employs student nurses in their latter years of schooling in hospitals and health care facilities. This program helps provide students with invaluable opportunities, experience and confidence in our nursing roles before we transition into the workforce.

Currently, students enrolled in the Psychiatric Nursing have been denied the right to apply for the ESN program. Under our regulating body, the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC (CRPNBC), there is no process which registers Psychiatric Nursing students who become employed under ESN. In order to standardize safety measures, health authorities prefer that CRPNBC develop a process to register students who will partake in ESN. CRPNBC are open and willing to begin this change and improve standards; however, CRPNBC require approval to change their by-laws from the Ministry of Health. Unfortunately, after repeated and persistent requests to the Ministry, CRPNBC is being denied. The impact? Psychiatric Nursing students are not able to register and we are not able to gain employment through ESN.

We are asking for signatures to support our cause to send to the Ministry of Health and hope they will hear our voice! We are asking the Ministry of Health to approve the change to allow CRPNBC to change their by-laws to have Psychiatric Nursing students registered. This will standardize safety measures, accountability and best of all, give us as students, the right to work under the ESN program.

Thanks for your support!