British Columbia’s regulated health professions provide care for patients and clients in a variety of settings, including hospitals, other health care facilities, and the community.
When choosing a health professional, especially in community settings, you can ask them if they are registered with a regulatory college. You will also find a public register of registered professionals on each college website.
Registered health professional titles
Health professionals in BC must also be a college registrant to use certain “protected” professional titles, e.g., “nurse”, “registered massage therapist”, “dentist”, or “dietitian”.
When an unregistered and unqualified practitioner is using the title of a regulated health professional in BC, it is considered to be unlawful practice.
BC’s regulatory colleges take any reports of unlawful practice very seriously, following up and taking appropriate action if necessary.
On August 27, 2020, the BC Ministry of Health announced a plan to modernize and strengthen the province’s health regulatory system. Find out more about regulatory modernization in BC, and read the latest news on how health profession regulators are evolving.