Practical Nurse, Diploma

Program Information
Credential: 
Diploma
Duration: 

2 years full-time

Delivery: 
Main Campus (For 2017-2018 - also Blended Delivery at Rocky Mountain House and Stettler)
Program Cost Estimates: 

Contact Information

Contact Name: 
Jennifer Cross
Contact Title: 
Associate Dean
Contact Phone: 
403.342.3400 OR 1.888.732.4630
Contact Email: 
inquire@rdc.ab.ca

Department Information

For more information visit the Nursing Department, under Academic Departments.

The Program

This program delivered over two academic years prepares the graduate to become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) following graduation and successful completion of the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam. As a LPN, the graduate will provide nursing care in a variety of health care settings, such as hospitals, the community and other health care agencies.

Program Admission Features

The Practical Nurse program recognizes the need to facilitate access to post-secondary education for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners.  In order to facilitate greater participation of Aboriginal learners the Practical Nurse program has designated two seats for applicants who are Status Indian/First Nations, Non-status Indian/First Nations, Metis or Inuit.  Should no Aboriginal applicants apply and meet the admission requirements for the designated seats, they will be released after June 1st of each year to qualified applicants on the waitlist if one exists for the program.

In accordance with the Constitution Act, 1982, Part II, Section 35(2) the applicant must meet the definition of Aboriginal as an Indian, Inuit, or Métis person of Canada, or a person who is accepted by one of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada as a member of their community.

Aboriginal applicants must meet the admission requirements for the program as outlined in the Academic Calendar and qualify for a designated seat by:

  • Self-identifying as an Aboriginal applicant on the Application for Admission.
  • Providing proof of Aboriginal ancestry.

Proof of Aboriginal ancestry (one of the following):

  • Certified copy of a Status or Treaty card, Metis membership card, Nunavut Trust Certificate card, roll number or any other proof accepted by Inuit communities.
  • Proof that an ancestor’s name has been entered in: the Indian Register according to the Indian Act, band list of an individual band or the Inuit roll.
  • Written confirmation of Aboriginal ancestry from Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.
  • Statutory Declaration by an applicant attesting to Aboriginal ancestry with supporting documentation.

Other forms of proof may also be considered at the discretion of the Registrar.

Application Deadline

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

  • 25 high school credits from the following subjects: ELA 30-1, Biology 30 and the best grade from one of Math 30-1, Math 30-2, Math 30 Applied, Math 20-1, or Math 20-2 plus the best grades from the most recently completed semester until 25 credits has been reached. If any of the specified courses are in progress at the transcript submission deadline, the previous level in the subject will be used.
  • 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 best grades from the most recent semester from high school until 18 credits are achieved.

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

Requirements
Admission Requirements: 

In order to be admitted to the program the student must meet the following academic requirements:

  • 60% in ELA 30-1
  • 60% in Biology 30
  • 50% in Math 30-1 or 30-2 OR 60% in Math 30 Applied or 20-1 OR 70% in Math 20-2

Note: Practical Nurse applicants will be offered admission on a competitive basis with 50% of seats allocated on the basis of academic achievement, GPA ranking, and the remaining 50% of seats allocated on a first come first qualified basis.

Note: Aboriginal applicants to the Practical Nurse program, go to Program Admission Features above for more information.

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

Other Requirements: 

Immunization to be completed prior to program start date.

In addition to the above requirements the student must provide evidence of current CPR certification at the Health Care Provider Level. You must recertify each year.

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 called 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 prohibit practicum placement, program completion, and professional licensure and therefore affect future employment prospects. It is the decision of each practicum agency to accept or reject a student for placement 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.

Graduation Requirements: 

You must pass all required courses and achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.

Program Content
Year 1 Course Descriptions

Fall Term:

INTP 102 Health care Anatomy & Physiology
INTP 104 Healthcare Communication I
PN 251 Professional Leadership I
PN 252 Nursing Foundations I
PN 253 Health Promotion I
PN 254 Pharmacology I
PN 257 Practical Experience I: Healthy Adults

Winter Term:

PN 258 Professional Leadership II
PN 259 Nursing Foundations II
PN 260 Health Promotion II
PN 261 Pharmacology II
PN 262 Pathophysiology
PN 263 Practical Experience II: Residential Care

Spring Term:

ENGL 219 Essay Composition and Critical Reading
One 3 credit Liberal Arts/ Arts/ Humanities/ Science or Social Science Elective

Fall Term

PN 251

Frame the Practical Nursing profession in the context of legislation; professional standards; code of ethics; and practice expectations. Explore the history of nursing and the evolution of Practical Nursing within the Canadian health care system. Introduce the philosophy and the elements of the Red Deer College PN Conceptual Framework.

PN 252

Introduce the nursing principles fundamental to safe; competent practice. Explore holistic care concepts. Use evidence based theory to demonstrate nursing knowledge and skills. Reflect on own attitudes; behaviours and judgments to guide learning interactions.

PN 253

Introduce concepts of health including prevention; promotion; determinants and inequalities. Begin exploration of common growth and development theories. Identify principles of teaching and learning.

PN 254

Introduce common pharmacological terminology and resources. Explore guiding legislation; drug standards and safety principles. Identify the PN role in medication administration. Develop skills in drug calculations.

PN 257

Integrate and apply the knowledge; skills; and professional attributes achieved through the learning from previous courses to an experiential setting. The experience will focus on interacting with a healthy adult. Co-requisite: PN 251; 252; 253; 254; INTP 102;104

INTP 102

Explore basic biological structures and functions of the human body using a systems approach. Develop understanding of the significance of interrelationships between systems. Consider specific applications relevant to various health disciplines. Use of medical terminology will be empahsized.

INTP 104

Develop verbal and non-verbal communication and active listening skills relative to professional health care relationships and situations. Interprofessional collaboration is introduced by identifying roles; team functioning; leadership; communication; conflict resolution; and client centered care.

Winter Term

PN 258

Examine and explain influences on professional practice within interprofessional teams and diverse health care settings. Through knowledge; self-reflection and effective communication; the health care professional will develop professional roles and responsibilities in the provision of safe; ethical client care. Leadership knowledge; skills; attitudes and behaviors will be introduced. Prerequisites: PN 251 and INTP 102

PN 259

Integrate and build on foundational knowledge; skills; attitudes; behaviors and judgments. Develop competent and safe nursing care for clients who live in residential care. Common health and wellness challenges; as well as chronic health challenges related to aging will be introduced. Prerequisite: PN 252 Co-requisites: PN 261; 262

PN 260

Explore how persons living in residential care adapt to alterations in health. Explore health promotion principles and apply principles of teaching and learning. Growth and development theories of gerontology; mental health and palliative care will be introduced. Prerequisite: PN 253

PN 261

Integrate and demonstrate the safe preparation and administration of medication; by various routes using the nursing process. Accurate medication calculations will be demonstrated. Gerontology considerations will be explored. Prerequisite: PN 254 Corequisite: PN 259

PN 262

Explore common body responses to disease. Introduce microbiology concepts. Pathophysiology as related to chronic disorders commonly associated with adults and aging will be examined. Prerequisite: INTP 102

PN 263

Introduce nursing practice and care in residential care settings. Prerequisites: PN 258; 259; 260; 261; 262

Spring Term

ENGL 219

The focus is on formal preparation for university level essay writing and the skills related to critical reading; interpretation; and argument. Prerequisite: ELA 30-1 or English 095 NOTE: Credit will not be granted for both ENGL 219 and ENGL 210.

Year 2 Course Descriptions

Fall Term:

INTP 201 Interprofessional Leadership
PN 265 Nursing Foundations III and Lab
PN 266 Health Promotion III
PN 267 Pharmacology III
PN 268 Practical Experience III: Acute Care

Winter Term:

PN 269 Professional Leadership IV
PN 270 Nursing Foundations IV
PN 271 Health Promotion IV
PN 272 Practical Experience IV: Family Centered Care
PN 275 Practical Experience V: Comprehensive Practicum

Fall Term

PN 265

Develop the skills; knowledge; attitudes; behaviors and judgments necessary for a Practical Nurse to competently and professionally practice in the acute care setting. Prerequisite: PN 263 Co-requisite: PN 267

PN 266

Evaluate growth; development; and tasks of young and middle adulthood. Apply teaching and learning principles to health promotion by collaborating with clients and families in the acute care health setting. Prerequisite: PN 260

PN 267

Analyze knowledge; theory; legal and ethical responsibilities informing Practical Nurse practice in the safe administration; maintenance; and evaluation of intravenous medications and solutions promoting optimal client outcomes. Prerequisite: PN 263 Corequisite: PN 265

PN 268

Examine professional knowledge; accountability; safety; collaboration; and competence in own nursing practice to provide ethical nursing care of diverse clients and families in acute care health settings. Prerequisites: PN 265; 266; 267; INTP 201

Winter Term

PN 269

Develop and apply leadership skills using an inter-professional approach. Prepare for the transition from student to Licensed Practical Nurse. Prerequisite: PN 268 Corequisite: PN 272

PN 270

Explore the knowledge skills; attitudes; behaviors; and judgments necessary to competently provide safe nursing care for pediatric and maternity clients and families in acute care and community care settings. Explore health and wellness challenges for pediatric and maternity clients. Prerequisite: PN 268 Corequisite: PN 272

PN 271

Explore the Practical Nurse role related to the interrelationship between individuals; family; and the community. Health considerations for maternal/child; pediatrics; and families will be explored. Normal growth and development from conception to adolescence will be addressed; as will family and community roles and fuctions. Prerequisite: PN 266 Corequisite: PN 272

PN 272

Integrate pediatrics and maternity practice and care within family and community contexts. Prerequisite: PN 268 Co-requisites: PN 269; 270; 271

PN 273

Demonstrate integration and consolidation of knowledge; skills; attitudes; behaviors; and judgments within the context of focused LPN practice settings. Become an autonomous practitioner; ready to enter the practice setting. Prerequisites: PN 269; 270; 271; 272

PN 274

Demonstrate integration and cosolidation of knowledge; skills; attitudes; behaviors; and judgments within the context of comprehensive LPN practice settings. Become an autonomous practitioner; ready to enter the practice setting. Prerequisites: PN 269; 270; 271; 272

Recognition of Prior Learning/Experience

Nursing courses from other programs will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for prior learning. Students who are transferring into the program or students who 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.