Practical Nursing Certificate

Why Choose North Island College?

• Diverse experience. During your Practical Nurse Program practice experience, your first-hand interaction with patients, clients, and agencies in the North Island region will prove invaluable. You’ll be given the opportunity to pursue your practice experience in communities across Vancouver Island, from Port Alberni to Port Hardy. You’ll meet people and help patients from a broad range of areas and demographics, giving you a variety of invaluable experiences.
• A close-knit community of support. With only 16 to 20 students in each class, you’ll enjoy better access to teacher assistance and services than in larger institutions. Plus, you’ll have a team of supportive, highly qualified instructors to help you achieve success.
• High rate of success. Students are well-prepared for writing their provincial licensure exam and NIC graduates have a high success rate on the exam.
• Former students tell us. "This program not only effectively sets you up to become a practical nurse; it surrounds you with great instructors. And students that become your mentors, colleagues, and friends."

Program Highlights

NIC’s Practical Nursing program provides students with strong, entry-level knowledge and abilities, preparing them to be effective, responsible practitioners. As novice practical nurses, graduates of the program use a holistic approach and critical thinking to plan and implement care for their clients. They have strong communication skills and have learned the importance of being a collaborative member of the health care team.

By using case studies, role playing, and group assignments, students achieve a strong sense of professionalism. They are guided by the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of their provincial regulatory body, the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of BC (CLPNBC). NIC delivers the Practical Nursing Program over three semesters.

The first semester focuses on health promotion and prevention. The final three weeks of the first semester contain a community-focused practice experience. This practice experience is based in various communities in central and northern Vancouver Island.

The second semester focuses on gerontological content. Students conclude this semester with a six-week practice experience in a complex care facility.

The third and final semester has two components. The first component is dedicated to health promotion, prevention, and the management of health and disease in the acute care setting. Students conclude this component with a five-week practice experience in an acute care hospital. The second component is the final preceptorship. Preceptorship is approximately five weeks, or 160 hours, in length. During this experience, the student is partnered with a LPN and consolidates their learning as they gradually assume 100% of the LPN's workload.

Career Opportunities

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) are integral members of the health care team, providing nursing care for families and individuals of all ages. The provincial regulatory framework currently states that LPNs work "under the direction of a medical practitioner" or "under the supervision of an registered nurse". However, LPNs are regulated by the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of British Columbia (CLPNBC) and are responsible and accountable for their own nursing practice.

LPNs practice in a variety of settings including acute care hospitals, complex care facilities, community settings, rehabilitation centers, doctors' offices, clinics, and correctional facilities. LPNs have a broad scope of practice with many responsibilities, including medication administration, transcribing physicians’ orders, and working in a leadership role in residential care facilities. The complexity of client care is increasing for all nurses and there are many post-basic educational opportunities for LPNs. There continues to be a strong demand for LPNs in the province.
 

Seat Availability

The prospective Practical Nursing student, who has met all of the Admission Requirements, will be put on a waiting list for the next available seat in the program. Practical Nursing students who have failed to progress in the program can refer to subsection #2 under "Completion Requirements" for further information.

Students seeking to transfer into the program to complete their Practical Nursing certificate will be required to submit official transcripts of Practical Nursing courses completed at other educational institutions. As well, the transfer student will be required to sign a consent authorizing release of confidential information such as student transcripts and program related information including practice experience appraisals. Seat availability for transfer students will be determined by the program faculty. These requirements also apply to any Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students who wish to transfer to the Practical Nursing program.

A student who fails any course in the Practical Nursing program cannot progress in the program until the course is passed. If in repeating the course the student passes, then the student will re-enter the program at a subsequent offering of the same term in which the failure occurred providing there is an available seat. If in repeating the course, the student fails again, then the student will be removed entirely from the program and can only re-enter by going through the admission process and beginning at Term One.

A student who has already failed a course, repeated it and passed, re-entered the program and then fails another course will be removed entirely from the program and can only re-enter by going through the admission process and beginning at Term One.

Re-entering the program is dependent on an available seat and at the discretion of the Nursing department. Students who fail a required course may be asked to complete a learning assessment prior to being considered for re-admission. These regulations are important to the profession to ensure that graduates have the required skills and knowledge and are therefore deemed safe to practice.
 

Important Practice Placement Information

Student practice experiences in health agencies are essential to the Practical Nursing program. Students will be placed in a variety of community agencies that have services and resources to support the health of different age groups. Complex care facilities provide residential care and support for a primarily older adult population, and acute care hospitals offer care to clients with episodic health events. While the majority of practice placements are located in NIC campus communities, it may be necessary to utilize agencies in other Vancouver Island communities. Students may be scheduled to attend practice experiences in other communities and must arrange their own transportation and assume related costs. During the final Preceptorship component students may be required to work 8 and/or 12 hour shifts, including days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

Admission Requirements

1. Provincial English 12, NIC ENG 060, ENG 098, or equivalent with a C or better, or successful assessment testing.
2. Biology 12, or NIC BIO 060, or equivalent completed within 10 years with a C or better.
3. C in Principles of Math 11, or Foundations 11, or Pre-calculus 11, or Applications of Math 12, or A&W 12, or NIC MAT 053, or successful assessment testing.
4. A completed Practical Nursing Intake Package.

Before Classes Begin

Once accepted to the program, but before classes begin, students will be required to:

1. Hold a current CPR level C (HRT 011) certificate or equivalent and have completed a Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS) course. A photocopy of these certificates must be presented to the faculty on the first day of classes. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain their CPR Level C certification throughout the program.
2. Submit a completed Immunization Form.  This immunization form should be validated by the public health nurse at your local health unit.  This form must be presented to the faculty on the first day of class.
3. Submit a Criminal Record Check permission form so that the college can get your Criminal Record Check done. This form will be sent to you when you are offered a seat in the program.
4. Complete the Practical Nursing program intake process, which includes a compulsory orientation seminar, a math evaluation,  and individual appointments as required.

To Be Successful

A number of abilities and skills are required to be successful in the Practical Nursing program. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• An ability to communicate clearly in English, both spoken and written.
• Students will be required to access online resources and to submit typewritten essays and assignments. In the practice setting students may use electronic documentation. As a result, basic computer literacy is an essential skill, and students must have internet access and an email address.
• Accurate math calculations are critical for safe nursing practice. Students will be required to complete a math evaluation once they are qualified for admission. The intention of the evaluation is to assist students to identify their learning needs early and to seek remedial assistance in order to position themselves for success in the math components of the nursing program. The goal for the math evaluation is to achieve 90% and opportunities to rewrite will be provided with the intention of helping students improve their marks. Students will not be denied admission to the program if they do not achieve the 90% but it is strongly recommended they obtain remedial help immediately.
• It is an expectation of the Practical Nursing program that students demonstrate responsible, accountable behaviour in terms of maintaining a pattern of regular attendance, and establishing effective working relationships with student colleagues and faculty. Students are required to adhere to the CLPNBC Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. Failure to adhere to these standards may result in the student being required to leave the program.
• An interest in caring and providing service to an ethnically and culturally diverse clientele of people spanning all age groups
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills in the context of their collaborative relationships with clients, instructors, student peers, and multidisciplinary health care team members.
• Critical thinking skills. When providing care to clients the student must demonstrate responsible, safe and ethical behaviour and make informed, considered judgments.
• An ability to work independently and as a member of a health care team.
• The ability to carry out complex skill sequences of 15 or more steps that require psychomotor ability. These skills will include but not be limited to the preparation and administration of medication to clients, wound management, and basic and specialized personal care skills and comfort measures.
• The capacity to maintain their own mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being while working in a rewarding but often stressful working environment.
• Access to personal transportation is recommended for the PNP 161, 162, 163, and 173, the Practice Experience and Preceptorship components. Students who are not able to provide their own transport may have difficulty meeting the requirements of these courses.

Program Requirements

Term 1: Health Promotion and Prevention in Community Care

• PNP-101 Human Anatomy & Physiology
• PNP-111 Professional Growth
• PNP-121 Health I
• PNP-131 Healing I
• PNP-141 Human Relationships I
• PNP-151 Nursing Arts/Clinical I
• PNP-161 Practice Experience I

Term 2: Gerontology

• PNP-122 Health II
• PNP-132 Healing II
• PNP-142 Human Relationships II
• PNP-152 Nursing Arts/Clinical II
• PNP-162 Practice Experience II

Term 3: Acute Care

• PNP-113 Professional Issues
• PNP-123 Health III
• PNP-133 Healing III
• PNP-153 Nursing Arts/Clinical III
• PNP-163 Practice Experience III
• PNP-173 Preceptorship 

Completion Requirements

1. In order to receive credit students must:
   a. Achieve 60% or better in each course
   b. Maintain a cumulative average of 65% or better
   c. Pass each Practice Experience. 
2. Students must complete the program within 3 years of entry to Year One.