Requirements
Practical Nursing Access for Health Care Assistants
Admission requirements
When you apply you'll need:
- grade 12 graduation or equivalent;
- to submit proof of a letter grade of “C+” or higher in English 12, or EFP 12, or ENGL 092 & ENGL 094; or ENGL 092 & ENGL 096; or ENGL 103 & ENGL 104; or ENGL 103 & ENGL 106; or ENGL 140; or ELD 092 & ELD 094; or ELD 097; or assessment;
- to submit proof of a letter grade of “C+” or higher in in Principles of Math 10, or Foundations of Math & Pre-calculus 10, or MATH 034; or or assessment;
- to submit proof of a letter grade of “C+” or higher in Biology 12, or BIOL 103.
- to submit proof of a Health Care Assistant or Resident Care Assistant certificate from a British Columbia public College;**
- to submit proof (such as an employer letter of reference) of 850 hours of satisfactory HCA/RCA work experience within the last 5 years.
The Practical Nursing program is currently under review and the information found here represents the anticipated changes. Final details will be posted by the spring of 2012. The exception to this is PNUR 101 - it is required regardless of when students apply. Please see below for more information.
When you apply you'll need:
- grade 12 graduation or equivalent;
- to submit proof of a letter grade of “C+” or higher in English 12, or EFP 12, or ENGL 092 & ENGL 094; or ENGL 092 & ENGL 096; or ENGL 103 & ENGL 104; or ENGL 103 & ENGL 106; or ENGL 140; or ELD 092 & ELD 094; or ELD 097; or assessment;
- to submit proof of a letter grade of “C” or higher in in Principles of Math 11, or Math 11 Foundations, or MATH 137 or MATH 072 and MATH 073 or assessment;
- to submit proof of a letter grade of “C+” or higher in PNUR 101;*
- to submit proof of a Health Care Assistant or Resident Care Assistant certificate from a British Columbia public College; **
- to submit proof (such as an employer letter of reference) of 850 hours of satisfactory HCA/RCA work experience within the last 5 years; and,
- Applicants with English as an additional language must meet the language requirements set by CLPNBC (2011), and be successful in one of the following:
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - Academic Version with minimum scores of:
- Overall Band Score: 7.5
- Speaking: 7.5
- Listening: 8
- Reading: 7
- Writing: 7.5
- Canadian English Language Benchmarks Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) with minimum scores of:
- Speaking: 8
- Listening: 10
- Reading: 8
- Writing: 7
If you’re missing some prerequisites, don’t worry! Alternative secondary school prerequisites and general upgrading are available right here at Camosun College. There are many options for you to consider:
*Note: PNUR 101 requires a “C” or higher in Biology 12
**Note that Long Term Care Aid or Continuing Care Assistant graduates will first need to upgrade their certificates to RCA/HCA level.
**If your credential is NOT from a BC public post-secondary institution, you need to have your credential & competency assessed for equivalency to Camosun College's HCA program.
We strongly recommend you have basic computer literacy including experience with keyboarding and email skills prior to entering the program.
Participation requirements
- You'll be required to attend an orientation on the first day of class;
- A TB test is compulsory. TB testing must be done within 3 months of the practicum start and you must provide documentation of this prior to the start of the first clinical placement. Hepatitis B and flu vaccinations are highly recommended and are available at local health clinics or through a physician;
- You must have a Criminal Record Check done prior to the Practicum. Any Criminal Record Checks done outside of the College will NOT be accepted and will result in additional cost to the student. The process of applying for the appropriate Criminal Record Checks will be explained during your Program orientation period (usually within the first 2 weeks). The College will then supply you with a reference number for the check to be done and will advise you on which forms to complete.
- Current Standard First Aid with CPR Level C is required prior to the first clinical placement. It is valid for 1 year and must be kept current throughout program. The student will be responsible for the cost of this certification.
First Aid, CPR Information, Standard First Aid and CPR Level C can be obtained from St. John Ambulance, Red Cross, HeartSafe and community and recreation centres.
The work environment in which you'll be employed requires demanding lifting and moving techniques and extensive hand washing. If you have back, neck, or arm injury or serious skin disorders such as psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis or latex allergy you should consider carefully before making an application to this program.
Clinical placements and a preceptorship are mandatory components of this program. Clinical placements include day and evening shifts, and if necessary, may include weekends. Clinical placements and the preceptorship are arranged at local agencies.
Completion requirements
All theory courses must be passed with a minimum 65% (“C+”) to progress into clinical placement. All clinical placements must be passed to progress into the next semester, into the final preceptorship and to obtain a certificate in Practical Nursing.
Upon completion of the program, you’ll be eligible to write the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam, required for licensure in BC.
