Location
Start Dates
- September 03, 2024
Duration
3Terms
Program Delivery
- In Class
Tuition & Fees
Domestic: CAD $11,340
We are no longer accepting applications for the Fall 2024 intake.
This program is intended strictly for nurses with prior nursing education from another country and is not open to international applicants
Program Description
The Practical Nurse Diploma - Internationally Educated Nurses emphasizes hands-on learning and prepares graduates to be work ready while providing high-quality nursing care. This program offers learners recognition of prior learning and professional practice while updating your knowledge and skills to meet the current College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA) practice standards and licensure requirements.
This advanced standing program is delivered in-class, blended, and online during the daytime and/or evenings at our downtown Calgary campus. Knowledge and experience are gained through learning theory, lab setting, and a variety of care facilities throughout the program.
Applicants must have prior international Registered Nurse (RN) licensure.
**The program has a heavy course load and to support better success in the program it is recommended learners complete the following courses through Open Studies prior to starting the program: ENGL1201 and ANAT1101.
After Graduation
When you graduate, you’ll be eligible to become licensed with the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta if you pass the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam.
There are many opportunities for continued studies after your graduate. A few of these are:
- Athabasca University: Post LPN Bachelor of Nursing Program
- Thompson Rivers UniversityOpen Learning Division: Bachelor of Health Science and Bachelor of General Studies
- University of Lethbridge: Post-Diploma Bachelor of Health Sciences, Public Health
Advanced Standing
Based on their prior nursing experience, all admitted learners will be granted Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) for the following five courses:
- NURS1401: Clinical 1 - Foundational
- NURS1202: Nursing Foundations 1
- NURS2501: Maternity Nursing
- NURS2502: Pediatric Nursing
- PSYC1201: Human Growth and Development Across the Lifespan
Mandatory Courses
Learners will proceed through the program as a cohort, completing the remaining courses in three terms. See "Course Listing" below. Courses will be delivered on a compressed timeline. All courses will have the full materials available online, but in-class time will be reduced as it is expected that learners will have ample grounding in the material because of their prior licensures and experience.
Related Links
Course Listings Request More Information Applying FAQ
Domestic Applicants
Welcome Centre
South Campus – Main Floor
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-1402
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
• Proof of international Registered Nurse (RN) licensure
• Proof of graduation from a recognized international Registered Nurse (RN) program
• Minimum final mark of 60% in English 30-1 or 70% in English 30-2 or equivalent
• Credit in Math 20-1 or a minimum final mark of 60% in Math 20-2 or equivalent
• Minimum final mark of 60% in Biology 30 or "C" in Bow Valley College Anatomy and Physiology (ANAT1101) or equivalent
Effective for Fall 2021, a minimum final mark of 60% in Biology 30 or 64% in ANAT1101 or equivalent will be required.
English Language Proficiency Requirements
- See English language proficiency requirements for details.
Pre-Clinical Requirements
Students who do not meet the following requirements before the first day of clinical will not be allowed to participate in clinical placements under any circumstances:
- You can ensure your CPR certification is up to date by taking FACP9101 Basic Life Support CPR (Healthcare provider level) through Continuing Education. You can see the current schedule and register online by clicking here. This certificate must be renewed every year.
- Bow Valley College requires that Practical Nurse learners have a current Police Information Check (PIC) with Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS). PICs are valid for the duration of the PN Program. Learners are responsible for informing the School of Health and Wellness if there are changes to their PICs during the PN Program. The Police Information Check must be dated no earlier than ninety (90) days prior to the start of the Practical Nurse program.
- To facilitate your Work Integrated Learning placement with our external partners Rubella vaccination is mandatory and proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is required for many of the sites. Failure to provide evidence of full COVID-19 vaccination will delay program completion. All other immunizations are highly recommended. Up-to-date immunizations are valid for the duration of the program.
- You will have an opportunity to get an N95 mask fitting, at our downtown campus, before you begin your first placement. You will be able to register for this course (SAFT9406 N95 Mask Fitting) through MyBVC (or your regional administrator) once your program begins.
Related Links
Course Listings Request More Information
Domestic Applicants
Welcome Centre
South Campus – Main Floor
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-1402
Employment Rate
93%
Training Related Employment Rate
91%
Based on 2019-2020 domestic and international students who self-reported finding employment or training-related employment within 6-12 months after graduating.
Term 1
Block 1
This comprehensive course introduces the structure of the human body and its relationship to the function and integration of the twelve body systems as well as how they work to maintain homeostasis. Learners will gain an in depth understanding of the organization of the human body from the chemical and cellular level to the tissues, organs and organ systems. This course will also facilitate understanding of the terminology associated with the human body.
This course focuses on knowledge essential to understanding nursing as a profession. The history and roles of nurses will be examined along with a review of influential nursing theorists and conceptual frameworks. Learners will discuss the nursing process and how it relates to providing individualized, culturally competent, person-centered care. Ethical and legal issues will be examined with emphasis on critical thinking and reflective practice.
This first-year composition course introduces learners to academic writing and critical thinking. They read and analyze sociopolitical, cultural, and gender issues in texts with an emphasis on experiences of people whose voices were historically silenced, particularly those of Indigenous communities in Canada. Learners develop strategies to communicate their own ideas and integrate them with those of others by quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing source material. Learners present their written assignments professionally according to APA formatting guidelines.
The ability to perform dosage calculations correctly is essential to safe nursing practice. This course provides an overview of mathematical concepts and operations foundational to medication administration. The course includes a review of basic mathematics followed by an examination of measurement systems; document use and medication orders; oral and parenteral medication calculations; and calculations regarding solutions and intravenous infusions. Proficiency in this course underpins safe nursing practice.
Block 2
This comprehensive course introduces the structure of the human body and its relationship to the function and integration of the twelve body systems as well as how they work to maintain homeostasis. Learners will gain an in depth understanding of the organization of the human body from the chemical and cellular level to the tissues, organs and organ systems. This course will also facilitate understanding of the terminology associated with the human body.
This first-year composition course introduces learners to academic writing and critical thinking. They read and analyze sociopolitical, cultural, and gender issues in texts with an emphasis on experiences of people whose voices were historically silenced, particularly those of Indigenous communities in Canada. Learners develop strategies to communicate their own ideas and integrate them with those of others by quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing source material. Learners present their written assignments professionally according to APA formatting guidelines.
Holistic interdisciplinary care is emphasized within the framework of professional nursing. Focus is on the principles underlying nursing actions and decision making required for planning and providing safe nursing care to patients using a body system approach. Nursing competencies introduced in the classroom are practiced and assessed in the nursing laboratory.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
Focus on physical, psychosocial and cultural health assessment of the adult population. Emphasis falls on differentiating normal from abnormal findings and the significance of the findings. A nursing lab component requires learners to demonstrate competence in adult health assessments.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
Term 2
Block 1
Holistic interdisciplinary nursing care and skills are emphasized within the framework of the nursing process. Focus is on the principles underlying nursing knowledge required to care for clients in the medical/surgical environment. Nursing competencies introduced in the classroom are practiced and assessed in the nursing laboratory.
Pre-requisites: NURS1102, NURS1103, NURS1201, NURS1203, and NURS1504
The pharmacokinetics of medications, the rationale for their use and the expected results of therapy are discussed, along with the development of critical thinking skills to assess the need for, and patient response to medication. Practical nurse competencies, the scope of practice and legal responsibilities are also emphasized.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
The knowledge of pathophysiology is related to the causes, treatment, and usual courses of illness. Learners are provided with a body systems approach to common health care issues, focusing on physiological changes that occur with alterations in biological health.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
In this course, learners will gain knowledge and skills needed to provide high quality, relational care for the older adult. Learners will focus on meeting the complex physical, emotional, and cognitive needs for this diverse population by examining best practices in the field of elder care. Through a holistic and person centered approach, this course examines the experience of aging, common challenges in older adulthood, and nursing care interventions aimed at maintaining or restoring optimal health and functioning.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
Block 2
Critical thinking and reflective practice are emphasized within the framework of the nursing process. Learners will provide holistic care and plan for a client with complex health care issues to transition back into the community. Learners will also develop skills and competencies in interdisciplinary and primary health care models.
Pre-requisites: NURS1401, NURS2204, NURS2501, NURS2502, and PSYC1201
Term 3
Block 1
Through practice and reflection, learners nuture personal and professional relationships using interpersonal communication skills. With a focus on other-oriented communication, learners demonstrate how inequities and power dynamics influence relationships.
Aging, while an individual experience, is also an experience that is heavily influenced by social structures and social processes. Using the sociological perspective, this course explores contemporary aging by examining choices and experiences that transcend the individual and incorporate larger social groups and processes. In doing so, learners build a foundation in sociological concepts and theories to apply this knowledge to age-related issues. Learners consider demographic factors leading to population aging; the role of social structures and processes in shaping experiences of physical aging; as well as aging in relation to health systems, retirement, social engagement, and family in Canadian society.
Learners are provided an introduction to the assessment, treatments, and nursing interventions for patients with psychiatric and mental health issues. Basic mental health concepts, therapeutic relationships, and assessment strategies are applied within the context of the nursing process, and legal and ethical practices.
Pre-requisites: NURS1401
Learners explore nursing roles and activities in varied practice settings within the community. The frameworks of population health, levels of prevention, primary health care, and determinants of health are used to identify populations at risk and formulate community health promotion strategies.
Pre-requisites: NURS1401, NURS2204, NURS2501, NURS2502, and PSYC1201
In this course, critical thinking and reflective practice will be emphasized as learners return to the acute care setting to provide holistic care and plan for transition back into the community for clients with complex health care needs. This experience will be used to consolidate knowledge and skills and move toward independent nursing practice.
Pre-requisites: NURS2402 and NURS2503
Block 2
In this course, learners bring forward nursing knowledge to examine current trends and issues in nursing practice. Underpinned in entry-level competencies for Licensed Practical Nurses, learners explore the roles of the Practical Nurse as a collaborative member of a heath care team, a leader, an advocate and a novice researcher.
Learners will work in health care settings and have opportunities to apply knowledge, perform skills, and critically think in a variety of practical situations. They will also have the opportunity to use evidence-informed practice to consolidate knowledge and nursing competencies, as well as apply critical thinking strategies in situations that challenge and nurture a novice nurse.