Study Practical Nursing part-time

Ontario College Diploma

Caring, committed faculty. More clinical time to build your skills. State-of-the-art facilities. Our students excel on provincial exams!

Please refer to the Practical Nursing program page for all of the main details, including admissions requirements.

Program information

Program description

Students engage with philosophy and curriculum that incorporates and utilizes the concept of caring as the basis of nursing practice. Students work with experienced, caring faculty to gain the knowledge, skills and judgment required to work in today’s complex health care system. Students learn how to engage in safe, competent professional practice with high expectations of accountability, collegiality, collaboration, leadership and ethical care.  

Students experience high-quality, innovative nursing education both in the classroom and simulation laboratory settings. Engaging in a mix of individual and team learning activities, students focus on the lived experiences of individuals, families, groups and communities. Through our partnerships, clinical experiences in diverse healthcare settings are offered to allow students to integrate their knowledge into the care of clients across the lifespan. In order to provide quality practicum placements, students have the opportunity to be placed in a variety of agencies in the region. 

The Practical Nursing program is currently approved (Category 1, the highest ranking) by the College of Nurses of Ontario. Current graduates of this program are eligible to apply for registration as Registered Practical Nurses in Ontario.

A Practical Nursing student at Georgian College wearing navy blue scrubs and wearing a stethoscope in the nursing simulation lab

Information about placement requirements

To help you navigate the requirements to complete the clinical placement component(s) of this program (e.g. immunization, First Aid and CPR, criminal record screening and other non-academic requirements), please review the details below.

For more information about placements, visit the Placement Offices webpage.

Placement requirementsGeorgian College Chevron

In order to provide quality practicum placements (“Placements”), students are placed in a variety of agencies, largely in the region serviced by the campus. Students are required to provide their own transportation to Placements. Placements may vary in length (e.g. six to 12 hour days) and may include weekends and evenings, with varying start and end times (e.g. day, afternoon, overnight).

Many programs, including Health and Wellness, have immunization, First Aid and CPR, criminal record screening and  other non-academic requirements that need to be met prior to Placements starting. You are responsible for carefully reviewing and meeting these requirements. The failure to meet them may mean that the host agency may refuse to accept you for a Placement or, if you have started one, that you may be prevented from continuing. The result may be that you cannot complete your program. Program-specific requirements can be found on page 2 of the Clinical Preparedness Permit specific to your program.

You are responsible for meeting all immunization, criminal screening and other requirements by the deadline provided by your program and before you start your Placement.

Notes regarding the Criminal Record Check (“CRC”) and Vulnerable Sector Screening (VSS)

Individuals who have been charged or convicted criminally and not yet pardoned or who have adverse entries on their CRC or VSS will be prohibited from proceeding to a Placement. Such a student will normally be counselled to withdraw from the program because the successful completion of a Placement is a program requirement.

Obtaining the CRC and VSS usually requires a processing time of up to 12 weeks and can vary between police jurisdictions. As some jurisdictions require longer lead time for processing, ensure you allow for sufficient turn-around time. Record checks and screenings conducted earlier than six months may not be considered current and not be acceptable. Refer to your Clinical Preparedness Permit for information regarding this. A host agency may refuse a Placement if the CRC or VSS is not satisfactory to it. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the necessary completed documents prior to the start of a Placement at the designated check time, and in the format set by Georgian College and stated in the Clinical Preparedness Permit Information Package. More information can be found on the Placement Offices webpage.

The costs associated with the provision of the CRC and VSS, anything related to them (including, if applicable, obtaining a pardon), and meeting any immunization and other Placement requirements, are to be borne by the student. The non-academic requirements of clinical agencies as described in the Clinical Preparedness Permit are subject to change at any time and host agencies may accept or decline students for any reason at their discretion. Georgian College  is not responsible for any of the costs associated with the foregoing, nor for the consequences of failing to comply with, any of the requirements set out above.  

What career paths can I take as a practical nurse?

Your Practical Nursing diploma gives you many career opportunities

Graduates of the Practical Nursing diploma program are qualified to work as Registered Practical Nurses (RPN) upon completion of the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE).

The graduate may find employment opportunities in hospitals, long-term care settings, clinics, primary care or community health services.

Your future career in nursing

  • Case manager
  • Community health nurse
  • Health administration
  • Health-care co-ordinator
  • Home health-care nurse
  • Personal support worker (PSW)
  • Policy development
  • Practical nurse
  • Wellness nurse

Review program admission requirements and information about career opportunities.

Course information

Course offerings and equivalents

Currently available courses are listed below. Please see our course listings of available General Education and Communications courses for this program.

Anatomy and Physiology 2
NRSG 1029
Health Assessment
NRSG 1032
Introduction to Nursing as a Profession
NRSG 1030
Introduction to Pharmacology
NRSG 1033
Maternal/Child Nursing
NRSG 2024
Medical-Surgical Nursing: Acute Health Conditions
NRSG 2027
Medical-Surgical Nursing: Chronic Health Conditions
NRSG 2022
Nursing Skills 2
NRSG 1034
Nursing in the Community
NRSG 2026
Pharmacology and Nursing Practice
NRSG 2023
Practical Nursing Clinical 1
NRSG 1035
Practical Nursing Clinical 2
NRSG 2025
Practical Nursing Clinical 3
NRSG 2028
Practical Nursing Praxis
NRSG 2029
Preparation for Clinical Experience
NRSG 1031

How to apply to the part-time Practical Nursing diploma program

Apply online through ontariocolleges.ca

  1. Make sure you meet program admission requirements
  2. Complete an online application using the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS) using the part-time program code
  3. When registration opens,  select the course(s) from the program webpage course listing and follow the prompt steps to register and pay

Need help with your application?

Watch a video tutorial

Contact the Office of the Registrar

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Finance and fees

Are part-time students eligible for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)?Georgian College Chevron

As a part-time student, you may be eligible for OSAP funding, depending on the number of courses you take per semester.

For more information about OSAP, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit the OSAP/financial aid webpage.

What is the cost of the program?Georgian College Chevron

As a part-time student, you can take one to three courses per semester, paying on a course-by-course basis.

For course fee information, select a course from the course information section of this page.

Online learning

What is an OntarioLearn (ODE) course?Georgian College Chevron

These courses are offered through OntarioLearn. Visit the OntarioLearn webpage to learn more.

OntarioLearn courses are set up as equivalents to the Georgian courses. You can choose to take the ODE courses or the Georgian courses.

When a Georgian course isn’t available to be delivered online, we’ve listed an OntarioLearn course in the delivery schedule. The majority of the Georgian courses have ODE equivalents set up. You can choose to take either course.

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)

Can I transfer credits or prior life or work experience to fast track my studies?Georgian College Chevron

Previous postsecondary education: If you’ve completed courses, or some or all of a program, at another accredited postsecondary institution, you may be able to transfer all or some of your courses into a related program at Georgian.

Relevant work or life experience: If you have relevant work and/or life experience that relates to your program(s) of interest at Georgian, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) is an academic credit option.

To learn more about transfer credit and PLAR, visit the Credit for Prior Learning webpage.

Do you have questions about studying Practical Nursing part-time?

Questions about the program?

Health, Wellness and Sciences