Practical Nursing – Flex Program (weekend delivery)

Program Overview

As a practical nurse, you will combine your knowledge, skills and judgement to provide safe, competent, ethical nursing care to meet the unique needs of all patients throughout the continuum of care.

Admission Requirements

Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or Mature Student Status
Grade 12 English (C or U) (minimum 60 per cent)
Grade 12 mathematics (C, M or U) (minimum 65 per cent)
Grade 11 or 12 biology (C, M or U)
Grade 11 or 12 chemistry (C, M or U)

Note: this program has additional recommended requirements. Please visit the Admission Requirements tab for further information.

View All Requirements

Tuition

Year one domestic: $3,985 (CAD)

View Full Costs

Semester 1 Courses

View All Courses

Clinical Placement

Anatomy

Helping Others

Intakes and Availability

Date	Domestic Availability	International Availability
May 2021	Closed
September 2021	Waitlisted	Closed
January 2022	Open
May 2022	Open

Career Options

WHAT YOU COULD BE:

As a registered practical nurse you can be employed as a bedside specialist or in a leadership position in a variety of agencies.

View all Career Options

Program Details

Approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO), the Practical Nursing program teaches the skills and attitudes necessary to practice as a safe, competent and professional practical nurse. Using the concept of caring as the basis of nursing, you will develop knowledge, skills and judgment in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care across the lifespan as they experience various health challenges. A particular focus is placed on the ability to communicate in a caring and therapeutic manner.

With a strong emphasis on practical hands-on experience, you will apply theory gained in the classroom and simulated lab practice to environments including:

Community
Long-term care
Maternal/child
Mental health

Upon completion of your program, you must successfully complete the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination to become a registered practical nurse (RPN) in Ontario and a member of the .*

*Please note: in Ontario the following conditions are laid out by the Nursing Act to be registered as a practical nurse. These conditions may impact your ability to register with CNO as an RPN post-graduation.

To register as a RPN in Ontario you must:

Be fluent in written and spoken English or French
Have evidence of your suitability to practice as an RPN in Ontario including not suffering from a physical or mental condition/illness, which may affect your ability to practice nursing
Have a good character including providing a Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) Criminal Reference Synopsis as part of the registration process. Please note: if your CPIC synopsis is not clear, CNO may determine that you are not eligible for registration
Not be subject to proceedings with respect to professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity in nursing or another health profession in Ontario
Pass the CPNRE
Provide proof of Canadian citizenship, landed immigrant status or authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

Program approval status

In accordance with the mandate of the CNO to communicate Practical Nursing program approval status with current and prospective students please note that:

The Practical Nurse Diploma Program at Durham College is currently approved (Category 1) by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). Current graduates from this program are eligible to apply for registration as a registered practical nurse in Ontario.

To register as an RPN in Ontario you must meet the CNO requirements

FORMAT

This program follows an alternative delivery format. The delivery will cover the same material as the traditional weekday program. Due to the delivery format, there is limited availability of services on campus during class hours.

Please note: as the material is being taught over consecutive terms the program will be very rigorous and demanding.

The program has an intake each semester (September, January and May) that runs for 75 continuous weeks at the Oshawa campus. The weekly format may be as follows:

Fridays: 5 to 10 p.m.
Saturdays: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sundays: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Six hours of online work throughout the week

Program Learning Outcomes

Communicate therapeutically with clients and members of the health care team.
Assess clients across the life span, in a systematic and holistic manner.
Plan safe and competent nursing care, based upon a thorough analysis of available data and evidence-informed practice guidelines.
Select and perform nursing interventions using clinical judgment, in collaboration with the client and, where appropriate, the health care team, that promote health and well-being, prevent disease and injury, maintain and/or restore health, promote rehabilitation, and/or provide palliation.
Evaluate the outcomes resulting from all interventions in the nurse-client interaction and modify the plan of care as required.
Act equitably and justly with clients and members of the health care team.
Adapt to a variety of health care settings, using different leadership skills and styles as appropriate to each setting.
Contribute to creating a healthy and safe work environment in a variety of health care settings.
Practice in a self-regulated, professional and ethical manner, complying with relevant legislation and with the standards of both the regulatory body and the practice setting to provide safe and competent client care.

Admission Requirements

Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or Mature Student Status
Grade 12 English (C or U) (minimum 60 per cent)
Grade 12 mathematics (C, M or U) (minimum 65 per cent)
Grade 11 or 12 biology (C, M or U)
Grade 11 or 12 chemistry (C, M or U)

Courses

The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program. Your program of study can be found on MyCampus.

Semester 4

Semester 5

Courses and course descriptions are subject to change. Please note that as a result of COVID-19 the 2020-21 program of study may be modified to accommodate program delivery changes. Students should refer to their timetable for the most up-to-date course information.

Costs

Career Options

WHAT YOU COULD BE:

As a registered practical nurse you can be employed as a bedside specialist or in a leadership position in a variety of agencies.

WHERE YOU COULD WORK:

Community service agencies
Long-term care facilities
Hospitals
Industry, clinic or physician’s offices
Psychiatric and acute care hospitals

Practicum

Practicum allows students to apply their learning with a variety of clinically supervised practicum experiences that are designed to prepare you to function as a graduate in diverse settings. Placements are located at various local hospitals and agencies throughout Durham Region and at times, in the immediate surrounding areas. Students are responsible for their transportation to and from their practicum placement. Please note that hospital placement will begin as early as 06:00 hours. Placements take place on Saturdays or Sundays in 12-hour shifts with the exception of consolidation where students are expected to be available to follow the preceptor’s schedule. Students are responsible for their transportation to and from their practicum placement.

PRE-PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Please note: There are costs associated with Electronic Student Permit Checking (ESPC), immunizations, lab tests and certifications. Be sure to keep all of your receipts for income tax purposes. These costs include:

Service fees for Verified, our documentation collection and ESPC verification partner.
Costs to complete mandatory immunizations, lab tests, and certifications.

It is required that students have completed the ESPC with Verified to be eligible for the field placement component of this program. You must (at your expense) provide:

A clear and current Criminal Reference Check (CRC) with Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS). If you cannot provide a clear CRC with VSS, you may not be accepted for placement by a field placement agency. A CRC with VSS must be obtained from your local police station. You will be required to obtain additional CRCs with VSS prior to each placement term to meet field placement agency requirements.
Current Level-C cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and mask fit testing from a recognized provider.
Entry immunization form completed by a health-care provider.

Links:

Program Transfer, Degree Completion and Additional Credentials

Qualified graduates may apply to take the Durham College’s Addictions and Mental Health and Communicative Disorders Assistant graduate certificates.

Durham College also offers degree completion opportunities with a number of Canadian and international institutions. Sample diploma-to-degree opportunities include:

Please visit our pathways page to learn more about how you can transfer your credits towards a degree.

Laptop Requirements

SUGGESTED MINIMUM LAPTOP SPECIFICATIONS:

A laptop is strongly recommended for this program. Most students tend to use Windows-based computers. Some prefer to use an Apple (Mac) device. Either platform can work within the School of Health and Community Services Practical Nursing program.

Here are suggested minimum hardware specifications recommended for your DC related computer activities like DC Connect and the Virtual Classroom:

	WINDOWS PC	MAC
Operating System	Windows 7 or 10 64-bit (Pro edition is preferred) Windows 7 must be at version Service Pack 1 (current updates) Windows 10 must have the latest updates installed	Mac OS 10.12 or higher
Processor Type	Core i5 or Higher Processor	Core i5 U or Higher Processor
Memory	Minimum 8GB RAM	Minimum 8GB RAM
Hard Drive	Minimum 250GB	Minimum 250GB
Graphics Card	Intel Integrated Graphics or better	Intel Integrated Graphics or better
Wireless Network Card	Optional	Optional
Virus Protection	An up to date Antivirus client is required. (Note Windows 10 has built-in Windows Defender)	An up to date Antivirus client is required.
Additional requirements	If required to do any on-site presentations, note that Durham College projectors support VGA and HDMI connections. If your machine does not have a supported display connector, you may be required to obtain an adapter. Webcam is needed	If required to do any on-site presentations, note that Durham College projectors support VGA and HDMI connections. If your machine does not have a supported display connector, you may be required to obtain an adapter. Webcam is needed

Practical Nursing – Flex Program (weekend delivery)

Program Overview

Admission Requirements

Tuition

Semester 1 Courses

Intakes and Availability

Career Options

WHAT YOU COULD BE:

Program Details

FORMAT

Program Learning Outcomes

Admission Requirements

Recommended

Courses

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3

Semester 4

Semester 5

Costs

Career Options

WHAT YOU COULD BE:

WHERE YOU COULD WORK:

Practicum

PRE-PLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS

Program Transfer, Degree Completion and Additional Credentials

Laptop Requirements

SUGGESTED MINIMUM LAPTOP SPECIFICATIONS:

Helpful Resources

Have a Question? Attend a Program Information Webinar

Financial Aid Information

Graduate Employment Report [PDF]

Have a Question?
Attend a Program Information Webinar