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Notice to applicants:
The Practical Nursing curriculum has recently been revised. The revised curriculum will be implemented in September 2019. Please contact the program if you are taking or planning to take courses (APHY 162, APHY 262, SOCI 160, SOCI 260, or SOCI 261) prior to starting the program. We would be pleased to discuss options with you, as some of these courses will not be delivered in the revised curriculum. The Practical Nursing program can be contacted at practicalnursing@saskpolytech.ca.
This program is subject to the high-demand admission process. It opens for application on October 1, and closes on February 15, each academic year. On February 15, paper applications are accepted until 4:30 p.m., and online applications are accepted until 11:59 p.m. (Saskatchewan times). All supporting documentation is required by 4:30 p.m. (Saskatchewan time) on March 1.
Licensed practical Nurses are a vital part of today's health care team - in acute hospital care, long-term care and in the community. They provide compassionate, professional nursing care to individuals throughout the human lifespan, infants to seniors. If this sounds interesting to you, explore Saskatchewan Polytechnic's Practical Nursing program. In just two years, we’ll help you develop into a competent, confident nurse capable of making a positive difference in the health and well-being of individuals, their families and our communities.
Practical Nursing is a two-year diploma program offered at Sask Polytech Saskatoon Campus, Regina Campus, and Prince Albert Campus, with online distance learning options. Onsite labs and community-based clinical practice education experiences let you apply nursing knowledge, theory and skills in a variety of environments.
The program is a sequential 6-semester program allowing the concepts from one semester to be built on in subsequent semesters. The 6 semesters run over 76 weeks, over a 2-year period. Classes are designed to meet diverse learning styles.
Our experienced faculty help you grow into a competent, confident nurse capable of bringing a holistic, humanistic approach to patient care. You'll study:
Instructional methods include seminars, observational experiences, pre- and post-clinical conferences, small group presentations, lectures, demonstrations, role-playing, storytelling, discussion, reflective thinking and writing, and simulation lab experiences.
Opportunities for critical reflection about caring-based practice, development of employability skills and understanding the role and scope of practice of the licensed practical nurse (LPN) are blended into the program's learning activities.
The clinical practice education courses are integrative in nature, and, as such, the evaluation of your performance in the clinical setting involves evaluating the application of the theoretical concepts learned in all other courses. This is what ultimately determines your progress toward achieving the competencies of the beginning practical nurse.
The focus of each semester is as follows:
Selected courses from this program are available through Flexible Learning, prior to being enrolled as a student in the full-time program. These courses are: BIOL 100, BIOL 101 and SOCI 160. For more information on these course offerings, please refer to the Flexible Learning part-time delivery for this program.
For more information about the program, including the admission process and program requirements, refer to the Admission Requirements and Selection Criteria sections below, and to our program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
If you have questions about this program, please contact:
Sask Polytech is one of the most respected providers of nursing education in Canada. Our small class sizes mean more opportunities to interact with faculty. High-tech simulation centres use near-life scenarios to give you hands-on practice. Clinical practice education lets you transfer your nursing knowledge and skills into the real world.
Apply what you learn in class and gain real-world experience in actual health-care settings.
You can enrol in Sask Polytech's Practical Nursing diploma program while staying close to home. We offer the program in partnership with regional colleges and Dumont Technical institutes around the province.
You can also enrol in the full-time online program. Keep in mind that clinical practice education experiences can only be completed in Regina or Saskatoon, with seven designated clinical spots for each. All labs are mandatory at Sask Polytech Regina Campus, on designated weekends each semester.
The Practical Nursing program meets the approval of the Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (SALPN). Graduates are eligible to write the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Exam (CPNRE), which is necessary to become licensed as a practical nurse.
Employment opportunities for licensed practical nurses are excellent. Most LPNs work in acute care hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals, medical centres and long-term care facilities. Choose an area that interests you - gerontology, maternal-child, medical, mental health, palliative, pediatric, rehabilitation or surgical nursing.
You also can pursue a career in a community setting: a nursing clinic, home care agency, private nursing agency, community health centre or physician's office.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic Practical Nursing graduates enjoy national reciprocity, which means you can work in any province in Canada or the Northwest Territories. Our graduates have also found jobs in the United States and overseas.
Further investigate this program choice as a career:
Sample Job Title | NOC Classification1 | Earning Potential2 |
---|---|---|
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) | Licensed Practical Nurses (3233) | $58,300 - $76,000 |
Year 1 - 38 weeks; Year 2 - 38 weeks
A summer break over the months of July and August occurs between Year 1 and Year 2.
Some programs offered online or otherwise by distance (i.e., correspondence) include on-site labs, clinicals, practicums or work experiences. They may be offered course-by-course or full-time, or both, and deliveries may change over time.
This program has one or more courses that you can register for immediately.
View the program page for a complete list of courses and additional information.
Note:
*Previous Saskatchewan mathematics requirement also accepted:
High-demand programs consistently have more applicants than spaces available at each Saskatchewan Polytechnic location at which they are offered. High-demand programs have admission requirements plus additional selection criteria. The application period for high-demand programs is October 1 to February 15, each academic year. All supporting documentation is required by 4:30 p.m. (Saskatchewan time), March 1.
See Admission Processes for more information about this method of admission.
Important Note
If a specific relevant Saskatchewan Polytechnic course is used to meet an admission requirement, it will not be re-used under selection criteria for additional points.
2019/20 Academic Year
Year 1 - $10,430
Year 2 - $7,750
Year 1 (Online program) - $10,030
Year 2 (Online program) - $7,350
The program follows this academic education schedule.
Sept - Dec |
Jan - Apr |
May - June |
|
Year 1 |
Semester 1 | Semester 2 | Semester 3 |
Year 2 |
Semester 4 | Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
Saskatchewan Polytechnic recognizes that adults learn in many different ways. This includes acquiring knowledge and skills through life and work experience or non-formal training.See links below to more information about PLAR and detailed PLAR candidate guides for the Arts and Sciences courses in this program. To discuss PLAR for other courses in this program, contact us at 1-866-467-4278 and ask for the Program Head of this program.
Many Sask Polytech students benefit from transferring course credit. You may be eligible to transfer credit to Sask Polytech or to another college or university.
Thanks to the generosity of donors and alumni, Saskatchewan Polytechnic gives away more than $2 million in student awards during the academic year.
Saskatchewan Polytechnic offers student awards for every certificate and diploma program at every campus. Not all student awards are based on marks - some are based on financial need or things like community or volunteer involvement.