ne hundred years ago, 68 nurses met in a church basement in New Westminster. Their goal was
to create a strong provincial association that could convince government to enact legislation
requiring nurses to be registered. How far we have come!
In 2012 we celebrate the evolution of nursing regulation in British Columbia, and what that has meant to
the women and men who choose to serve the public by providing competent and ethical nursing care, as
well as the generations of British Columbians who have benefited from that care.
It is a proud history.
From 1912 to 1934, the Graduate Nurses Association of British Columbia fought hard for the Registered
Nurses Act that established the statutory framework for the regulation of nursing in the province. Once
that was achieved, the focus turned to developing standards for nursing education to ensure students
received the appropriate education to qualify as registered nurses.
In 1935, legislation was revised to improve nursing education and the Graduate Nurses
Association of B.C. was renamed the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia.
For the next 45 years, initial and on-going education remained a priority, with labour
relations also becoming a major part of the Association’s work. This was the era
following the Second World War – a time of economic prosperity when salaries and
benefits were increasing, and Canadians were turning their attention to social welfare
issues such as pensions and the creation of a national health care insurance program.