Location
Start Dates
Duration
5Terms
Course Delivery
- Blended
Tuition & Fees
Domestic: CAD $14,399
Program Description
The Practical Nurse Online Diploma program for Rural Alberta is a comprehensive and flexible program designed to equip individuals with the knowledge, skills, and competencies to work as LPNs in rural health care settings. This program is specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of students residing in rural areas of Alberta, providing accessible education and training opportunities that may otherwise be limited. This unique offering has been developed to meet the health care needs of Albertans in the face of critical nursing shortages and has been designed to accommodate the flexibility required by students living in rural communities
Mode of Delivery:
This program is designed to deliver theoretical courses in an asynchronous format on-line, allowing students to access coursework and participate in learning activities from the comfort of their own homes or any other location with internet connectivity. Students will attend foundational lab courses in a specialized residency at Bow Valley College in Calgary and all clinical placements will occur in rural communities throughout Alberta.
Domestic Applicants
Welcome Centre
South Campus – Main Floor
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-1402
Admission Requirements
Preference will be given to those residing in rural areas in Alberta.
Academic requirements
- 60% or higher in English 30-1 or 70% in English 30-2 or the equivalent
- Credit in Math 20-1 or a minimum final mark of 60% in Math 20-2 or the equivalent
- Minimum final mark of 60% in Biology 30 or 64% in Anatomy and Physiology (ANAT1101) at Bow Valley College or equivalent
English proficiency requirements
- See English Language proficiency requirements for details
Transfer credits
If you are a health care aide care provider, you can get credit for a limited number of courses. Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is another option if you have worked in a related health care field and believe that you have the understanding of a particular course.
If you have a 64% or higher in equivalent anatomy training, you can request a Transfer Credit Form to the Registrar's Office. It must be submitted one month before the first day of classes.
Preparing for Clinical Placements
It is highly recommended that you participate in New Student Orientation as important information will be discussed and you will have an opportunity to ask questions. Documents required for clinical placements will be requested after you start the program and before you start your first clinical.
Documentation required prior to your first clinical placement:
- Police Information Check (PIC), with Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS), should be requested no sooner than 90 days prior to the start of your program.
- To facilitate your Work Integrated Learning placement with our external partners Rubella vaccination is mandatory and proof of full COVID-19 vaccination is required for many of the sites. Failure to provide evidence of full COVID-19 vaccination will delay program completion. All other immunizations are highly recommended. Up-to-date immunizations are valid for the duration of the program.
- You can ensure your CPR certification is up to date by taking FACP9101 Basic Life Support CPR (Healthcare provider level) through Continuing Education. You can see the current schedule and register online by clicking here. This certificate must be renewed every year.
- You will have an opportunity to get an N95 mask fitting, at our downtown campus, before you begin your first placement. You will be able to register for this course (SAFT9406 N95 Mask Fitting) through MyBVC (or your regional administrator) once your program begins.
Transferability
Transfer opportunities are available to a variety of institutions. Transfer credits are reviewed and accepted on an individual basis by the institution to which you apply. See our most current transfer agreements here.
Related Links
Course Listings Request More Information
Domestic Applicants
Welcome Centre
South Campus – Main Floor
info@bowvalleycollege.ca
403-410-1402
Term 1
Required CoursesCredit
This comprehensive course introduces the structure of the human body and its relationship to the function and integration of the twelve body systems as well as how they work to maintain homeostasis. Learners will gain an in depth understanding of the organization of the human body from the chemical and cellular level to the tissues, organs and organ systems. This course will also facilitate understanding of the terminology associated with the human body.
This course focuses on knowledge essential to understanding nursing as a profession. The history and roles of nurses will be examined along with a review of influential nursing theorists and conceptual frameworks. Learners will discuss the nursing process and how it relates to providing individualized, culturally competent, person-centered care. Ethical and legal issues will be examined with emphasis on critical thinking and reflective practice.
This course provides a foundation for the principles underlying nursing actions and decision-making required to plan and provide safe, holistic person-centered care to individuals requiring assistance with basic needs. Nursing competencies introduced in the classroom are practiced and assessed in the nursing laboratory.
The ability to perform dosage calculations correctly is essential to safe nursing practice. This course provides an overview of mathematical concepts and operations foundational to medication administration. The course includes a review of basic mathematics followed by an examination of measurement systems; document use and medication orders; oral and parenteral medication calculations; and calculations regarding solutions and intravenous infusions. Proficiency in this course underpins safe nursing practice.
Through practice and reflection, learners nuture personal and professional relationships using interpersonal communication skills. With a focus on other-oriented communication, learners demonstrate how inequities and power dynamics influence relationships.
This first-year composition course introduces learners to academic writing and critical thinking. They read and analyze sociopolitical, cultural, and gender issues in texts with an emphasis on experiences of people whose voices were historically silenced, particularly those of Indigenous communities in Canada. Learners develop strategies to communicate their own ideas and integrate them with those of others by quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing source material. Learners present their written assignments professionally according to APA formatting guidelines.
Term 2
Required CoursesCredit
The pharmacokinetics of medications, the rationale for their use and the expected results of therapy are discussed, along with the development of critical thinking skills to assess the need for, and patient response to medication. Practical nurse competencies, the scope of practice and legal responsibilities are also emphasized.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
The knowledge of pathophysiology is related to the causes, treatment, and usual courses of illness. Learners are provided with a body systems approach to common health care issues, focusing on physiological changes that occur with alterations in biological health.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
Focus on physical, psychosocial and cultural health assessment of the adult population. Emphasis falls on differentiating normal from abnormal findings and the significance of the findings. A nursing lab component requires learners to demonstrate competence in adult health assessments.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
In this course, learners will gain knowledge and skills needed to provide high quality, relational care for the older adult. Learners will focus on meeting the complex physical, emotional, and cognitive needs for this diverse population by examining best practices in the field of elder care. Through a holistic and person centered approach, this course examines the experience of aging, common challenges in older adulthood, and nursing care interventions aimed at maintaining or restoring optimal health and functioning.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
Holistic interdisciplinary care is emphasized within the framework of professional nursing. Focus is on the principles underlying nursing actions and decision making required for planning and providing safe nursing care to patients using a body system approach. Nursing competencies introduced in the classroom are practiced and assessed in the nursing laboratory.
Pre-requisites: ANAT1101, COMM1101, ENGL1201, NURS1101, NURS1202, and NURS1301
Term 3
Required CoursesCredit
Learners will implement research skills to provide safe, organized nursing care focusing on activities of daily living, medication administration, and health assessments in a continuing care setting. Working with a variety of health team members and communicating with individuals in care and staff will be a focus.
Pre-requisites: NURS1102, NURS1103, NURS1201, NURS1203, and NURS1504
This course provides a comprehensive overview of human growth and development and typical behavioural responses throughout the lifespan. You will analyze human development across four domains: physical, cognitive, social, and emotional. Emphasis is placed upon the stages of development and their linkage to common events occurring during these stages.
Family-centered introduction to the needs and nursing care of childbearing families. Community resources and client teaching needs are addressed. Learning will be focused on the care of the mother and infant during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and the postpartum period within the context of the family.
Pre-requisites: NURS1102, NURS1103, NURS1201, NURS1203, and NURS1504
This course is a family-centered introduction to the needs and nursing care of child rearing families. Community resources and client teaching are addressed. Learners will be provided an introduction to common health issues of children and related nursing care using a body system approach.
Pre-requisites: NURS1102, NURS1103, NURS1201, NURS1203, and NURS1504
Holistic interdisciplinary nursing care and skills are emphasized within the framework of the nursing process. Focus is on the principles underlying nursing knowledge required to care for clients in the medical/surgical environment. Nursing competencies introduced in the classroom are practiced and assessed in the nursing laboratory.
Pre-requisites: NURS1102, NURS1103, NURS1201, NURS1203, and NURS1504
Term 4
Required CoursesCredit
Learners explore nursing roles and activities in varied practice settings within the community. The frameworks of population health, levels of prevention, primary health care, and determinants of health are used to identify populations at risk and formulate community health promotion strategies.
Pre-requisites: NURS1401, NURS2204, NURS2501, NURS2502, and PSYC1201
Learners are provided an introduction to the assessment, treatments, and nursing interventions for patients with psychiatric and mental health issues. Basic mental health concepts, therapeutic relationships, and assessment strategies are applied within the context of the nursing process, and legal and ethical practices.
Pre-requisites: NURS1401
Aging, while an individual experience, is also an experience that is heavily influenced by social structures and social processes. Using the sociological perspective, this course explores contemporary aging by examining choices and experiences that transcend the individual and incorporate larger social groups and processes. In doing so, learners build a foundation in sociological concepts and theories to apply this knowledge to age-related issues. Learners consider demographic factors leading to population aging; the role of social structures and processes in shaping experiences of physical aging; as well as aging in relation to health systems, retirement, social engagement, and family in Canadian society.
Critical thinking and reflective practice are emphasized within the framework of the nursing process. Learners will provide holistic care and plan for a client with complex health care issues to transition back into the community. Learners will also develop skills and competencies in interdisciplinary and primary health care models.
Pre-requisites: NURS1401, NURS2204, NURS2501, NURS2502, and PSYC1201
Term 5
Required CoursesCredit
In this course, learners bring forward nursing knowledge to examine current trends and issues in nursing practice. Underpinned in entry-level competencies for Licensed Practical Nurses, learners explore the roles of the Practical Nurse as a collaborative member of a heath care team, a leader, an advocate and a novice researcher.
In this course, critical thinking and reflective practice will be emphasized as learners return to the acute care setting to provide holistic care and plan for transition back into the community for clients with complex health care needs. This experience will be used to consolidate knowledge and skills and move toward independent nursing practice.
Pre-requisites: NURS2402 and NURS2503
Learners will work in health care settings and have opportunities to apply knowledge, perform skills, and critically think in a variety of practical situations. They will also have the opportunity to use evidence-informed practice to consolidate knowledge and nursing competencies, as well as apply critical thinking strategies in situations that challenge and nurture a novice nurse.
Program FAQs
LPNs are essential members of the rural Alberta nursing team. Their skills, knowledge, and dedication contribute to providing accessible and quality healthcare services to individuals and communities in remote and underserved areas. LPNs play a vital role in bridging the health care gap and ensuring that rural residents receive the care and support they need to maintain their health and well-being.
Upon successful completion of the Practical Nurse Online Diploma program, graduates are eligible to write the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE) to become LPNs. This certification enables graduates to pursue fulfilling career opportunities in various health care settings, including hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and community health agencies.
The program offers a range of support services and resources to assist students throughout their learning journey. These include access to online instructors, virtual classrooms, discussion forums, and online libraries. Additionally, academic advisors and student support staff are available to provide guidance, answer questions, and offer help, fostering a supportive learning environment. Travel funds may be available to support students attending the required residency for foundational lab courses.
To ensure hands-on experience, the program includes a clinical practicum component. Students will be placed in health care facilities in rural communities throughout Alberta, allowing them to apply their theoretical knowledge in a supervised, real-world setting. The clinical practicum provides invaluable practical experience and helps bridge the gap between theory and practice.
