The Practical Nursing Program is designed to provide learners with the knowledge, skills, judgments and attitudes to perform to the full range of competencies as identified by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).

The program provides a learning experience that is integrated, professional, collaborative and culturally sensitive with an aim to prepare graduates to care for individuals (and by extension, families of individuals) at multiple life stages and in a variety of practice settings.

Upon successful completion of the program, learners will be eligible to write the Regulatory Exam - Practical Nurse (REx-PN).

Admission Requirements

• Grade 12 graduation, or equivalent (General Educational Development, Adult Basic Education), or mature student status as defined by the educational institution.
• Math 11 Foundations with a minimum grade of 60% or equivalent.
  • or CMTN MATH 046 with a minimum grade of 60% and permission of the Coordinator of the Practical Nurse program.
• English Studies 12 with a minimum grade of 65% or English First Peoples 12 with a minimum grade of 65% or equivalent.
• Anatomy and Physiology 12 with a minimum grade of 60% or equivalent.

Notes for Admissions

• Human Anatomy and Physiology for Practical Nurses with a minimum grade of 65% must be achieved before taking Variations in Health I, Health Promotion I, Pharmacology I, Integrated Nursing Practice I and Consolidated Nursing Practice I (CPE I).

The following are to be completed prior to beginning CPE I:

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) as outlined in the Practice Education Guidelines (http://hspcanada.net/docs/PEG/1_6_Orientation_Students.pdf).
• Criminal record check under the terms of the Criminal Records Review Act and the Ministry of Justice process for educational institutions.
• Immunizations as outlined in the Practice Education Guidelines (http://www.hspcanada.net/docs/PEG/1_3_Immunization.pdf).
• Negative TB skin test or chest X-ray.

Those who do not meet the immunization requirements may be prohibited from attending practice education experiences, depending on the particular health authority, practice education site, organization, or agency policy.

English as an Additional Language

As English is the language of study in BC, learners must meet English language proficiency at an appropriate level to be accepted into the provincial Practical Nursing program. These requirements can be satisfied through three years of full-time, face-to-face secondary or post-secondary education at an accredited institution where English is the language of instruction and is also one of the country’s official languages. English as a Second Language/Additional Language courses are not included in this three-year calculation. Those not meeting this requirement must achieve scores identified in one of the two tests below:

1. International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with minimum scores of:

• Speaking: 7.0
• Listening: 7.0
• Reading: 6.5
• Writing: 6.5
• Overall Band Score: 7.0

1. Canadian English Language Benchmarks Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) with minimum scores of:

• Speaking: 8.0
• Listening: 9.0
• Reading: 8.0
• Writing: 7.0

In addition to meeting English language requirements for the Practical Nursing program, graduates must be able to demonstrate a level of proficiency required to be performance ready as a condition for registration and practice in British Columbia. See BCCNM’s website for details.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
LEVEL 1
PNUR 115	Professional Practice 1	1
PNUR 125	Professional Communication 1	1
PNUR 135	Variations in Health 1	1.5
PNUR 144	Health Promotion 1	1
PNUR 165	Pharmacology 1	1
PNUR 155	Integrated Nursing Practice 1	4.5
PNUR 175	Consolidated Practice Experience 1	3
LEVEL 2
PNUR 117	Professional Practice 2	0.5
PNUR 127	Professional Communications 2	1
PNUR 137	Variations in Health 2	1.5
PNUR 146	Health Promotion 2	1
PNUR 167	Pharmacology 2	1
PNUR 157	Integrated Nursing Practice 2	6
PNUR 177	Consolidated Practice Experience 2	4
LEVEL 3
PNUR 215	Professional Practice 3	2
PNUR 225	Professional Communication 3	2
PNUR 235	Variations in Health 3	2
PNUR 244	Health Promotion 3	1
PNUR 245	Integrated Nursing Practice 3	4
PNUR 275	Consolidated Practice Experience 3	2
LEVEL 4
PNUR 217	Professional Practice 4	1
PNUR 227	Professional Communication 4	1
PNUR 237	Variations in Health 4	1.5
PNUR 246	Health Promotion 4	1
PNUR 247	Integrated Nursing Practice 4	6
PNUR 277	Consolidated Practice Experience 4	6
PNUR 287	Transition to Preceptorship	1
PNUR 297	Preceptorship	6
Total Credits		64.5

Program fees