Health Sciences
ufv.ca/healthThe UFV Practical Nursing program is designed to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and professional values necessary to function within the scope of practice of a Licensed Practical Nurse. The program will prepare graduates for employment in selected health care settings within hospitals, long-term care facilities, and the community.
Graduates will be eligible to write the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam (CPNRE). The UFV Practical Nursing program is based on the provincial Practical Nursing (PN) curriculum. The PN curriculum provides students with experiences that promote the development of holistic nursing care with a particular focus on the care of individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and adults experiencing acute and chronic illness.
The UFV Practical Nursing program is a 19-month full-time program delivered over two years. The program is comprised of four semesters followed by a preceptorship experience. Program courses are delivered in a variety of formats such as group work, multi-media approaches, lecture, lab simulation, and skill mastery. Clinical experiences include placements in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and selected community agencies. The clinical experiences encompass supervised practice, preceptorship, and observational experiences.
Classroom experiences may include evening scheduling. Clinical experiences may include extended work days, evening and night shifts, and weekends.
The Practical Nursing program is demanding. Students will not have time to work either full-time or part-time. Effective time-management skills, computer skills, and study skills are critical to success.
Note: The LPN Access to the BSN program provides an opportunity for Licensed Practical Nurses to bridge into the BSN program.
Note: Students may also present English 12, English Literature 12, English 12 First Peoples, AP English, IB English A (standard level or higher level), or out-of-province equivalent.
Note: Courses equivalent to the Practical Nursing Human Anatomy and Physiology course (PNUR 147) are available from other public post-secondary institutions. Please check with the School of Health Studies to ensure the course is transferable.
Students who do not meet these requirements might consider Qualifying Studies.
Applications are accepted on a continuous basis throughout the year for entrance to the Fall semester only. Qualified applicants are considered for the next intake in which there is space. Applications completed by February 28 are considered for the Fall intake. See Continuous application process for more information.
Note: Proof of prerequisites must be attached to the application. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent directly to UFV from the originating institution; see the Transfer Credit section for details.
Once all these forms and academic documents have been received by the Office of the Registrar, the application will be forwarded to the Practical Nursing program."Complete applicant" status does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Students will be rated based on the points achieved on the applicant rating form. Points will be given for academic performance on prerequisite courses, application essay, work/volunteer experience, references, and the personal interview.
The highest score that can be achieved by an applicant is 30.
Applicants with the highest number of points will be given priority for program seats. If points achieved are equal, remaining seats will be awarded according to the date of "complete" application status.
See the Fees and Other Costs section. Program textbooks are estimated at $1,500. Uniforms, instruments, supplies, and parking will total approximately $800.
UFV has a comprehensive financial assistance program including scholarships, loans, and bursaries. Details are available from Financial Aid and Awards.
The Practical Nursing diploma is 19 months in duration and is completed in a full-time capacity.
All Practical Nursing classes are located on the Chilliwack campus. Clinical experiences occur at a variety of agencies throughout the Fraser Health Authority.
Course | Title | Credits |
PNUR 140 | Health Promotion I | 2 |
PNUR 141 | Variations in Health I | 2.5 |
PNUR 142 | Professional Communication I | 2 |
PNUR 143 | Professional Practice I | 1.5 |
PNUR 144 | Integrated Nursing Practice | 4.5 |
PNUR 145 | Pharmacology I | 2 |
PNUR 146 | Consolidated Practice Experience I (see Note) | 2 |
Note: PNUR 146 begins after the completion of other Semester I courses.
Course | Title | Credits |
PNUR 150 | Health Promotion II | 2 |
PNUR 151 | Variations in Health II | 3 |
PNUR 152 | Professional Communication II | 2 |
PNUR 153 | Professional Practice II | 1 |
PNUR 154 | Integrated Nursing Practice II | 5 |
PNUR 155 | Pharmacology II | 2 |
PNUR 156 | Consolidated Practice Experience II (see Note) | 3 |
Note: PNUR 156 begins after the completion of other Semester II courses.
Course | Title | Credits |
PNUR 240 | Health Promotion III | 2.5 |
PNUR 241 | Variations in Health III | 3 |
PNUR 242 | Professional Communication III | 1 |
PNUR 243 | Professional Practice III | 1 |
PNUR 244 | Integrated Nursing Practice III | 4 |
PNUR 246 | Consolidated Practice Experience III (see Note) | 2 |
Note: PNUR 246 begins after the completion of other Semester III courses.
Course | Title | Credits |
PNUR 250 | Health Promotion IV | 1.5 |
PNUR 251 | Variations in Health IV | 3 |
PNUR 252 | Professional Communications IV | 1 |
PNUR 253 | Professional Practice IV | 1 |
PNUR 254 | Integrated Nursing Practice IV | 5 |
PNUR 256 | Consolidated Practice Experience IV (see Note) | 5 |
PNUR 257 | Transition to Preceptorship (see Note) | 2 |
PNUR 258 | Preceptorship (see Note) | 4.5 |
Note: PNUR 256 begins after the completion of all other Semester IV courses. PNUR 257 and PNUR 258 begin after successful completion of PNUR 256.
The Practical Nursing courses for each semester are prerequisites for the coursework in the next semester. Due to the integrated nature of the nursing courses, progression from one semester to the next requires concurrent completion of the nursing courses. All students must receive a passing grade of 65% (GPA of 2.33) or better in each of the practical nursing courses in order to proceed in the program. Students must also receive a Pass (CR) in the practical nursing clinical course experiences.
The Practical Nursing courses in each semester are closely related to each other and are considered co-requisites. Failure of one Practical Nursing course may necessitate the re-taking of all co-requisites courses.
Each student in the program will also receive a UFV Practical Nursing Student Guidelines and Policies manual, which further explains the program's continuance requirements and policies.
Students enrolled in undergraduate courses (courses numbered 100 or higher) must maintain an undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 to remain enrolled in Good Academic Standing at UFV. Students in Good Academic Standing will have no registration limits placed on them. Failure to meet the minimum CGPA requirement will result in restrictions on registration and may eventually lead to academic suspension from undergraduate studies at UFV. Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation are limited to registering in 10 credits. For further details, see the Academic standing and undergraduate continuance section of the academic calendar. Academic standing is governed by UFV's Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).
Students requesting readmission to the Practical Nursing program must document their request in writing to the department head. The letter of request must include a description of the circumstances related to their withdrawal from the program, an explanation of previous areas of difficulty, and plans for the promotion of their future success. Requests for readmission must be received at the School of Health Studies four months prior to the semester for which they are reapplying.
The Student Selections Committee will review all readmission requests and based on faculty recommendations (from the last semester in which the student was enrolled) will decide on the appropriate placement in the program. Factors influencing the final decision for readmission include availability of seats, length of absence from the program, previous academic achievement (theory and clinical courses), and potential for success. An interview with the department head is required of all students requesting readmission. All applicants for readmission will be informed in writing regarding the decision and conditions for re-entry into the program. The Practical Nursing program reserves the right to stipulate conditions attached to readmission. Readmission into the program may necessitate the successful completion of nursing courses previously passed if in the judgement of faculty, the length of absence from the program and/or the reasons for withdrawal would render the applicant inadequately prepared for the subsequent semester.
At a minimum, students must complete all courses in Semester IV at UFV.
To be eligible to graduate, students must achieve a minimum of 65% in each course and successful completion of each clinical course.
Students are allowed up to four consecutive years from entry to complete program requirements.
For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.