NCAS is the Nursing Community Assessment Service.

We are the first stop along the registration pathway for many internationally educated nurses seeking to register in Canada. NCAS plays an important role for our regulatory partners: we provide education credential reviews, language proficiency reviews, and competency assessments to help regulators make evidence-based registration decisions. We work with regulators in six provinces: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador and Prince Edward Island. NCAS assesses internationally educated health practitioners seeking licensure in these provinces. 

Who can come to NCAS?

NCAS is for nurses who completed their health care education outside of Canada and want to register in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

NCAS also assesses health care assistants trained in other jurisdictions, health care professionals returning to practice after a period outside the profession, and those for whom employers may have requested a competency review. 

What is the IEN pathway?

NCAS and BCCNM launched the pathway in January 2023 as a new, streamlined and faster way to get registered in BC. It offers internationally educated nurses:

• More places to get your educational credential reports.
  
• New ways to meet the language proficiency requirements.
  
• A strong chance of having all your application and assessment fees waived.
  
• The opportunity to be assessed for education and competencies in three nursing professions at once, increasing the likelihood that you can start working faster.
  
• Here's a link to get you started​.

Regulators require different kinds of information to determine your eligibility for registration.

Requirements ensure that individuals who are granted registration can practice competently and safely in our health system.

NCAS helps to determine whether or not you meet those requirements. We review educational credentials and proof of language proficiency​ and also run a competency assessment that helps identify the strengths and gaps in your clinical skills and judgement. Regulators rely on NCAS in making their registration decisions. ​All this information together offers the regulator the best picture of an applicant. It helps these organizations determine whether applicants can practice safely, ethically, and competently in their chosen province.