Centennial College’s Practical Nursing Program is Dependable

Hospitals, long-term care facilities and community settings all have a need for practical nurses who have completed a practical nursing program and are confident in their abilities to care for a variety of patients. Although many of the patients that practical nurses care for are stable (as opposed to registered nurses who encounter more critically ill patients), these professionals must remain cool under pressure and in a wide range of medical situations. In practical nursing responsibilities include: providing both comfort and emotional support, offering basic bedside care, administering medications, completing charts, checking vital signs and keeping track of intravenous therapy. Did you know that now is a great time to get into the practical nursing field as a recent study commissioned by the Canadian Nurses Association predicts that this year, there will be a severe shortage of nurses. This shortage could mean that from 59,000 to 113,000 nurses will be needed.

At Centennial College in Toronto, Ont. you can obtain your education through the practical nursing program, which takes just two years to complete and results in an Ontario College Diploma. In those two years, students learn curriculum modeled from the College of Nurses’ Standards of Practice. Provided is a balance between lecture-based courses and hands-on practical nursing training. Students take part in Centennial College’s interactive simulation lab, which contains the most leading-edge medical equipment and life-like dolls that actually breathe and talk. In addition, students attend practical nursing courses such as: Practical Nursing Theory (provides an introduction to primary health care and health promotion for a diverse adult population); Practical Nursing Health Assessment (will enable students to complete a holistic nursing assessment with special emphasis on the changes that occur with the aging process, and on transcultural variances within a diverse cultural population); Practical Nursing Clinical Applications (consists of laboratory and clinical placements); and more. Speaking of the clinical placements, students gain real-life experience by participating.

To apply for this practical nursing, applicants must have completed, at minimum, an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. Secondly, academic requirements include: compulsory English 12C or U or equivalent, Math 11M or U, or 12C or U, or equivalent, Biology 11C, or U, or 12C, or U, or equivalent and one of the following sciences chemistry or physics 11U, or 12C, or U, or equivalent. In addition, non-academic requirements are as follows: English proficiency, official transcripts of upgraded courses (if required), Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR), where applicable; Canadian citizenship, permanent residence of Canada or authorization under the Immigration Act (Canada); no criminal convictions including those under the Narcotic Control or Food and Drugs Acts; no subject of proceedings, with respect to professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity in another health profession in Ontario, or in nursing in another jurisdiction; no suffering from a mental or physical disorder that makes it desirable in the public interest that you not practice; annual clear vulnerable police check prior to clinical placement, a completed immunization review form; successful completion of a current recognized course in CPR Level HCP (Health Care Provider) and standard first aid and a mask fit testing