About NCAS
Who We Are
NCAS is the Nursing Community Assessment Service. We help British Columbia (BC), and Maritime Canada nurse regulators decide if potential health care applicants are ready to practice.
What is NCAS
We evaluate the educational credentials, language proficiency and competencies of internationally educated nurses (IENs) looking to practice in BC and the Maritimes. Regulators use our assessment and other evidence you've given to decide if candidates are ready to practice safely, ethically, and competently in our province's health care system.
Professions We Assess
NCAS performs competency assessments for four nursing professions. You may be assessed for one or more of these roles simultaneously:
- Health care Assistants (HCA)
- Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN)
- Registered Nurses (RN)
- Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPN)
When you go through NCAS, you are having your educational credentials, language skills, and nursing competencies assessed for all three of those professions: HCA, RN and LPN. We share our report with the regulator and registry. They will help you understand what you need to do to if you want to start practicing in any of those professions.
Our Partners
In British Columbia, we accept candidate referrals from the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry and the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
In Saskatchewan, we accept candidate referrals from the Registered Psychiatric Nurse Association of Saskatchewan.
In Maritime Canada, we accept candidate referrals from the Nova Scotia College of Nursing (NSCN), the College of Registered Nurses of Prince Edward Island (CRNPEI), and the Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB).
Our History
NCAS was born of the collaborative efforts of the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry, the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), and the Government of BC's Ministry of Health. BCCNM is currently acting as the operator of NCAS.
The Ministry of Health provided foundational support during the pilot phase of NCAS and continues to fund NCAS as it transitions toward full operations and sustainability.
What's the NCAS advantage?
NCAS is the only competency assessment service that allows an applicant to have their skills and competencies assessed for up to three different health care roles at once! Through NCAS, a registered nurse can be assessed for competency as a licensed practical nurse and a health care assistant simultaneously. In assessing your competency for multiple professions at once, the triple-track or dual-track assessment can expand your career options and help you find work faster in your province of choice.
** Please note that triple-track (RN/LPN/HCA) is available in British Columbia only; dual-track (RN/LPN) is available in Nova Scotia only.
What happens after NCAS?
Once you complete your NCAS assessment, we will send you and your referring organization a report on the results, highlighting competency strengths and gaps. The results will be available within 60 days. Regulators and the registry use these results, along with other information they have obtained from you, to help them make their registration decisions. It is important to note that NCAS does not make registration decisions.