4 years at RDC collaborative with U of A

This program prepares you for entry-level nursing positions in any health care agency. You will be skilled in problem solving, critical thinking, clinical decision making, facilitating case management, coordinating and supervising the activities of interprofessional teams as well as promoting and maintaining good health and caring for the sick. A bachelor's degree is required for nursing positions. A degree also improves your chances for promotion.

The program begins with admission to RDC in Year 1 as a student in the University of Alberta Collaborative Baccalaureate Nursing Program with RDC. For the first three years you are registered as a RDC student. During Year 3 you apply for official admission to the University of Alberta for your fourth year. As long as you meet the criteria (see below), you continue at RDC to complete your 4th year.

After completing year 4, you will convocate from the U of A with a BScN. As a graduate, you will be eligible to write the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). This is required for license to practice in Alberta as a registered nurse (RN).

University of Alberta (at off-campus RDC site)

You will apply to the University of Alberta for admission to Year 4 of the University of Alberta Collaborative Baccalaureate Nursing Program with RDC as directed by the Nursing Department Staff. The University of Alberta will accept the completed first three years of the program as a block transfer. To be eligible to continue to fourth year, you must have completed all required 3rd year courses and have a minimum G.P.A. of 2.00.

The GPA calculation for Conditional Admission will be calculated according to one of the following:

• 25 high school credits from the following subjects: Biology 30, Chemistry 30 or Science 30, Math 30-1 or 30-2, ELA 30-1, and one 30-level subject from Group A, B, or C. If any of these courses are in progress at the transcript submission deadline, the 20-level in the subject will be used. (For the 2017-2018 year this will be 20 high school credits from the following subjects: Biology 30, Chemistry 30 or Science 30, Math 30-1 or 30-2, and ELA 30-1.)
• 18 post-secondary credits including all credits from the most-recently completed term plus the best grades from the next most recent term.
• Applicants with fewer than 18 post-secondary credits will have their GPA calculated using all post-secondary credits plus the credits from the most recent semester from high school using the best grade(s) from the following five subjects: Biology 30, Chemistry 30 or Science 30, Math 30-1 or 30-2, ELA 30-1 to reach 18 credits.

As of the 2017-2018 Academic Year, the GPA calculation for Conditional Admission will be calculated according to one of the following:

Note: Post-secondary credits will be used in the Conditional Admission GPA calculation before High School credits, regardless of when the post-secondary credits were taken. Post-secondary credits do NOT include any High School equivalents completed at a post-secondary institution (i.e. High School equivalents completed at RDC).

Transcript Deadline: March 1st

Related Link: Admission requirements for specific programs will often refer to Alberta Grade 12 course groups. Visit the Admissions page for detailed group descriptions.

1. Minimum average of 65% with no mark below 50% in:

1. Biology 30
2. Chemistry 30 or Science 30
3. ELA 30-1
4. Mathematics 30 (pure) or Mathematics 30-1 or 30-2
5. Subject from Group A, B, or C

Note: Bachelor of Science Nursing applicants will be offered admission on a competitive basis, based on GPA ranking.

Note: In addition to the program admission requirements applicants, whose first language is not English, must demonstrate English language proficiency.

Note: Applicants are required to have either a MAC or a PC laptop that meet the following specifications:
MAC Specs

• MacBook Air or MacBook Pro or higher
• Storage: 128 GB
• Processor: 1.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz) with 3MB shared L3
• cache (MacBook Air) or 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (MacBook Pro)
• Memory: 4GB of 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory

PC Specs

• i5 w/ 4GB of ram (lower end)
• i7 w/ 8GB of ram (higher end, also 4GB of RAM may be available)
• windows 7 or higher operating system

All laptops must have a web-camera and a microphone

Note: While not an admission requirement for the program, applicants are advised that they will be required to provide a Police Information Check (also known as a Criminal Record Check) including a Vulnerable Sector Check to most agencies where they will be placed for practicum experiences. The existence of police information or a criminal record may prevent practicum placement, program completion, professional licensure and therefore affect future employment prospects. It is the decision of each agency or institution to accept or reject a student for placement or observation experience based on the results of the police information check.

Note: Students with Study Permits that are admitted to a program that has a practicum or clinical placement in childcare, primary/secondary school teaching or health service field occupations must complete their Medical Authorization as required by Citizenship and Immigration Canada one month prior to the start of classes.

The goal of the collaborative program is to provide a comprehensive curricular approach to student learning that is learner centered and based on the development of discipline, profession, and practice components with mutual responsibility for teaching and learning by faculty and students. Year one of the program is a foundational year, years two to four build on this foundation. In addition, a 3 credit English course and six electives are part of the program.

Course Sequence

Note 1: In the winter of Year 2 students will be placed in sequence A or B for the remainder of the program.

Note 2: Electives - electives are those courses which transfer to the University of Alberta. At least one elective must be from behavioural or social sciences and one elective from INTD studies.

Nursing courses from other programs will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for prior learning. When challenge examinations are approved, you must do them in sequence, meeting the prerequisites for each course. Students who are transferring into the program or students that have been out of the clinical area for an extended period of time may be required to pass a competency screen prior to admission to the program.

With approval, BScN students have six years from the time of admission to complete requirements for the degree (U of A calendar, 2009/2010).