BC Health Regulators (BCHR) brings together three of British Columbia’s six health profession regulatory colleges and the regulatory college that oversees social workers.
The BCHR member colleges that currently operate under the Health Professions Act are:
- BC College of Nurses and Midwives
- College of Health and Care Professionals of BC
- College of Pharmacists of BC
The other BCHR member college currently operates under the Social Workers Act:
Collectively, the four colleges oversee 12 regulated health professionals and social work providers practising throughout B.C.
B.C.’s health profession regulatory colleges are legally responsible for ensuring that regulated health professionals provide health services in a qualified, safe, and ethical manner. A regulatory college’s legal obligation is to protect the public through the regulation of its registrants. Learn more about health regulation in BC.
In total, six regulatory colleges in B.C. currently operate under the Health Professions Act:
- BC College of Nurses and Midwives
- BC College of Oral Health Professionals
- College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC
- College of Health and Care Professionals of BC
- College of Pharmacists of BC
- College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC
On August 27, 2020, the BC Ministry of Health announced a plan to modernize and strengthen the province’s health regulatory system. This will include replacing the current Health Professions Act with the Health Professions and Occupations Act on April 1, 2026. Find out more about regulatory modernization in BC, and read the latest news on how health profession regulators are evolving.