Practical Nursing

Overview

“When you're a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.”
                                                                                                            Author Unknown

Caring for the sick, injured and disabled is more than a career; it’s a calling. And it’s one that can be yours if you combine your natural senses of compassion and commitment with specialized education in nursing.

The Practical Nursing Diploma Program at Stenberg College will provide you with the education you need to become a Practical Nurse in a variety of healthcare facilities. You’ll be taught by nursing educators who have nursing experience themselves, allowing them to share their real-life experiences for your benefit.

To learn more about entering the healthcare profession as a Practical Nurse, please read on...

Typical Job Duties

As a Practical Nurse, you’ll provide direct care under the supervision of a registered nurse, physician or other healthcare specialist. You’ll be a valued member of a primary healthcare team, qualified to:

  • Administer medication to patients and monitor their effectiveness
  • Assess and monitor patients in various healthcare settings
  • Document assessments and report progress
  • Assist in rehabilitation activities
  • Perform examinations in consultation with doctors, registered nurses and therapists
  • Provide nursing care in acute, geriatric and home care settings
  • Assist clients with activities of daily living
  • Educate patients regarding health-related issues
  • Advocate for clients

Potential Employers

Once you’ve graduated as a Practical Nurse, you could find work in a:

  • Public hospital
  • Long-term care facility
  • Public health facility like a veterans’ hospital
  • Centre for the developmentally disabled
  • Mental health facility
  • Home care agency

Top Reasons to Choose Stenberg

  1. Practical Nursing graduates are in great demand
  1. The Practical Nursing Program is recognized by the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of BC (CLPNBC); a process of annual reporting confirms program quality and maintenance of high standards.  Graduates are qualified to write the Canadian Practical Nursing Registration Examination (CPNRE).  Upon passing the CPNRE, you can register and become licensed through the College of Practical Nurses of BC (CLPNBC).
  1. You’ll be equipped with the knowledge and skills that are essential for a successful career in nursing and you’ll have flexibility in your career choice, from community health to acute care nursing.
  1. Instructors are qualified nurse educators with current nursing experience. This allows them to draw upon extensive work scenarios to give you real-world insights.
  1. Instructors genuinely care about their students’ career success.
  1. The program is regularly reviewed and updated in consultation with industry to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of employers.
  1. More than simply learning a set of technical skills, our programs inspire and enhance personal growth and development.  Stenberg College is committed to empowerment through education and ensures that students have the fundamental skills to excel in their program and to succeed in their life, both personally and professionally.
  1. In its commitment to student success, Stenberg College offers its students an unparalleled range of support services including free ESL programs, study and life skills coaching, typing tutorials and campus life events.  Speak to your Program Advisor for more details.
  1. Our Career and Graduate Services staff members organize industry presentations on a quarterly basis.  Recruiters come and speak directly to students prior to graduation.  We are committed to helping you find employment immediately upon graduation. 

Speak to your Program Advisor for more details.

Wages and Career Outlook

BC Work Futures (http://www.workfutures.bc.ca) is generally positive about the career prospects for nurses. However, it’s difficult to predict wages and career outlook with this field. Unlike other occupations, those in healthcare are driven by current government policy rather than the business cycle.

We suggest visiting the following sites to obtain more career information. NOTE: The related national occupation classification number—a system used to group jobs— for Practical Nursing is “3233.”

Please keep in mind that these figures are based on groupings of a large number of related jobs. Wages and career outlook may differ due to your education level, job location and the type of employer you work for.

Is this Program for You?

It is if you:

  • Find it rewarding to care for people who are ill, injured or disabled
  • Can combine compassion with professionalism
  • Are interested in healthcare sciences
  • Would enjoy working in a hospital or resident care setting
  • Have good critical thinking skills

Program Admission Requirements

  • Completion of Grade 12 or equivalent
  • Grade 12 Biology (minimum grade C)
  • Grade 12 English (minimum grade C)
    • Students completing the English requirement at a high school in a country other than Canada and who have English as a second language, must complete an acceptable English Assessment – IELTS, TOEFL, CELBAN or an ICES Evaluation
  • Grade 10 Math (minimum grade C)
  • Grade 12 equivalent score on the Canadian Adult Achievement Test Level D: reading comprehension and mathematics
  • Successful completion of a short written essay
  • Passing Verbal Test of English, if English is a second language
  • Passing entrance interview
  • Final selection interview with PN Instructor

Additional Program Requirements
Students must provide the following to their Program Advisor prior to program start:

  • Acceptable criminal record check
  • Acceptable medical examination report
  • Negative TB test report or a clear chest X-ray
  • Immunizations as required by industry at time of application 

Duration and FINANCING

Duration: 51weeks, including practice education and preceptorship

Financing: You could be eligible for HRDC funding, government student loans and other financing options; the Stenberg College Financial Aid Officer will be happy to provide further assistance.  

Additional Certification

The program also includes the following essential industry-related training and certification:

First Aid & CPR Level One:  You’ll receive certificates in both basic first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
WHMIS trainers provide information about materials in the workplace that can be hazardous, such as cleaning agents, compressed gases and flammable materials. Becoming WHMIS certified will demonstrate that you are able to identify hazardous materials and handle them properly. 

FOODSAFE Level 1
You’ll learn how to prepare food in a way that protects people from injury or illness. Some of the topics covered are food-borne diseases, personal hygiene, and safe procedures for storing.

Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
For your protection, you’ll learn how to deal with people who are disruptive or out of control, using verbal techniques for de-escalating conflict and restraint techniques when physical intervention is necessary.  

Program Courses

TERM ONE

Orientation and Student Success Skills
This course will provide a comprehensive orientation to Stenberg College and the program you have enrolled in.  As with all new things, there will be some challenges to overcome; however, with this course, you will become familiar with your new environment and the resources available for your use.  You will gain effective learning and study strategies and will participate in life skills exercises that teach communication, accountability, teamwork, self-awareness and build understanding of the impact you have on others.

Anatomy & Physiology 100
It’s essential that a beginning practical nursing student develop a thorough understanding of the concepts of anatomy and physiology. This course gives an overview of the structure and function of 10 body systems. It also explores various health promotion strategies that work toward optimal function of these systems.

Healing 100
This course focuses on the experience of healing people of all ages with chronic challenges and/or disabilities. It integrates theory and concepts of normal anatomy and physiology and health as they relate to healing. A variety of activities will be offered to enable you to examine the role of the Practical Nurse in promoting health and healing others. Pharmacology is also covered in this course. 

Health 100
Health 100 will introduce you to the concept of health as a dynamic, non-static process, rather than as a goal. Viewed within the context of Canadian society, health is seen as a holistic process on which our daily choices have a significant impact. The integration of body, mind and spirit will be examined in order to develop an appreciation of the idea that everything we do, think, feel or believe has an impact on our state of health. As you’ll learn, health is comprised of many dimensions, and each impacts our well-being. Health promotion will be examined throughout the course.

Human Relationships 100
This course discusses caring as the essence of human relationships and therapeutic communication across the lifespan.  It uses an experiential and self-reflective approach to develop one’s self-awareness and increased understanding of how one’s interpersonal style impacts on others and how others affect you. In this course, you discuss concepts such as the helping relationship, communication styles, group process and how to adapt communication for people with different abilities.

Nursing Arts 100
The focus of this course is the development of basic practical nursing skills in promoting health and healing when caring for clients in the community, home and continuing care settings. Classroom and laboratory components will help you acquire the basic knowledge and skills of nursing assessment of health and environment, promotion of independence, activity, comfort and personal care. This course is intended to help you integrate theory from other courses with selected clients. Organizational skills, safety practices, and therapeutic communication are underlying themes for Nursing Arts 100.

Professional Relations 100
In this course, you’ll be introduced to the evolution and position of practical nursing as a profession within the healthcare system. It focuses on the legal, ethical and philosophical bases for practice. The Practical Nurse’s role, the interdisciplinary team, partnership, delegation, reporting and documenting will all be discussed. This course also explores reflective writing, reflective practice and critical thinking skills.

Practice Education 100 – Community
You’ll complete a practice education experience in a community setting, allowing you to integrate theory from Semester 1 into practice. You’ll have learning experiences in mental health or community living programs, rehabilitation facilities, adult day care programs, or other organizations that deliver care in the community. 

TERM TWO

Healing 200
This course will introduce you to gerontology, gerontological nursing, and the legal and ethical considerations related to caring for the older adult. It will also examine age-related diseases in all body systems including psychogeriatric disorders and associated nursing interventions. Also included are concepts, issues and skills related to geropharmacology and documentation.

Health 200
Society is bombarded with a variety of myths, stereotypes, and prejudices related to aging. To give you a more factual picture of aging, we’ll explore the process and theories of aging. In particular, we’ll examine the demographic profile of the older adult, along with issues such as the aging family, personal adjustments required of the aging individual and community resources available for the aging person. Health promotion and wellness in the older adult is a major theme of this course.

Human Relationships 200
Building on what you learned in Human Relationships 100, this course will focus on leadership, group process, and communicating with those with special needs (cognitive, hearing, aphasia, vision, developmental, etc.) across the lifespan.

Nursing Arts 200
This course, a follow-up to Nursing Arts 100, will further your understanding of practical nursing skills when it comes to the promotion of health and healing with aging clients, whether they be in a community, home or continuing care setting.

Practice Education 200 – Geriatric
This supervised clinical experience will teach you how to integrate theory from Semester 2 with practice in the care of the older adult. Some examples of learning environments: extended care, intermediate care, or special care/psychogeriatric facilities.

TERM THREE

Healing 300
This course emphasizes the promotion of healing of individuals who enter the healthcare system with disruptions to one or more body systems. Management of their care requires the Practical Nurse to have a holistic view of the body. In addition, he or she must have an understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and the appropriate nursing interventions to plan and deliver care for clients with acute or chronic conditions/diseases.

Nursing Arts 300
Nursing Arts 300 emphasizes the development of nursing skills in the promotion of health and healing when caring for individuals who require acute nursing interventions. Building on the theory and practice from 1 & 2, a nursing process approach to the management of care will be reinforced while integrating new knowledge and technical skills relevant in an acute care setting.

The focus of this course is on performing accurate, comprehensive nursing assessments and using the nursing process to determine care for clients requiring acute care across the lifespan. Opportunities for client teaching and learning will be stressed. The laboratory setting, as well as the hospital setting, will provide you with the opportunity to integrate theory and practice.

Health 300
The promotion of health for individuals in acute care is the focus of this course. Health promotion programs will be examined. The role of the Practical Nurse in supporting and assisting clients in acquiring information will be explored to include the maternal and child client group. The responsibilities of accurate reporting and documenting will be discussed, along with the need to understand the collaboration between various health sectors in order to ease the transition when clients enter or leave acute care. Opportunities for client teaching and learning will be emphasized.

Professional Growth 300
This course is designed to prepare you for the role of a licensed Practical Nurse. It will deal with your role as an advocate and partner. Issues such as Standards of Practice and professional and union affiliations in practical nursing will be discussed, as will issues such as being an effective team member, change theory and lifelong learning.

Practice Education 300 – Acute Care
You’ll have the opportunity to integrate and apply theory and learned skills with practice in providing care for acutely ill individuals across the lifespan.
Emphasis will be on the role of Practical Nurse as a patient advocate and as a collaborative member of the healthcare team.

Preceptorship
This placement will facilitate your transition from Student Nurse to Practical Nurse graduate. You’ll work closely with a nurse preceptor who will act as your teacher and mentor, encouraging you to apply insight, critical thinking skills and self-awareness in the reality of a work setting.

Career Search Strategies
This course focuses on developing professional job search techniques, including; learning styles, leadership styles and success strategies.  You will learn how to effectively complete application forms, create cover letters and resumes, build skills and confidence for job interviews, and research labour market trends; all tasks related to getting and keeping a job.