Course Description
Learners will demonstrate entry level nursing knowledge, skills and abilities under the guidance of an RN (preceptor). Preceptors are assigned by the health authority and dependent on availability.
Course Format
This is an offsite course and placements are secured at specific sites in the lower mainland and will include evening and weekend shifts for 400 hours, approximately 12 weeks. Placement start dates will occur at any time during the semester following registration. Start dates are determined by the hospital units that accept the placement and are dependent on the health authority assigned preceptor's schedule and are not adjustable by the learner. It is recommended that learners reside in the lower mainland following registration for Specialized Clinical as placement start dates can be short notice. Once placed, the learner will mirror their preceptor's work schedule until the 400 hours are complete, this can include evening, weekend and holiday shifts. Learners are not permitted to seek their own placements/preceptors as all placements will be arranged by KPU's Professional Studies office utilizing the provincial database HSPNet. Please note: Learners who do not accept the placement location as assigned will receive non-mastery in the course and the course fee will not be refunded, there are no exceptions.
Please note: Learners intending to register for Consolidated Clinical (PNUR 9130/9032/9020) are required to show proof of English proficiency. Please see the Consolidated Clinical websites for full details.
Course Cost
$3,000.00 CAD, plus GST (Please note: All Faculty of Health, Professional Studies course fees are non-refundable/non-transferrable.)
Course Grade
Successful grade for this course is Mastery
Learners who are not successful in PNUR 9020, Specialized Consolidated Clinical are required to contact their Canadian Nursing Regulatory Body for advisement if they are not successful after their first attempt. Second attempts are not permitted. No exceptions. Please note, there is no appeal mechanism within KPU for students receiving non-mastery.
Entrance Requirements
Permission from the Professional Studies Faculty of Health office is required prior to purchasing a seat for clinical
Applications will be accepted on a first qualified basis as long as seats are available. There are no waitlists. Once seats sell learners will need to reapply when the next course opens for registration. Learners must meet all entrance requirements and have all prerequisites prior to applying to this course. If you are uncertain or don't meet the requirements stated below we strongly recommend completing any applicable testing before applying.
To be eligible to register, all learners for PNUR 9020 Specialized Clinical must have a current assessment (not older than two years) and have addressed all recommended education. This requirement can be satisfied by one of the following:
- Completion of a nursing assessment such as Touchstone assessment and have successfully mastered all educational requirements as identified in all steps of the letter/email from their nursing regulatory body. If the learner has not mastered all of the identified education, with the exception of Consolidated Clinical, as noted in the letter from their nursing regulatory body, then registration for clinical is not permitted. Learners are not eligible to purchase a seat in clinical if they have outstanding coursework as seats are not held in Clinical and there are no refunds or transfers in Professional Studies Health. The original date of the nursing assessment (i.e. Touchstone Assessment) must be current in the last two (2) years. Extensions granted by the nursing regulatory body are not considered current for clinical. Learners will be required to complete PNUR 9030 - Nurse Ready if their original Touchstone assessment date is more than two (2) years old;
OR
- Successful completion of PNUR 9030 Nurse Ready with overall final OSCE score of 75% or above, final knowledge score of 65% or above and a recommendation for the learner to register for Specialized Clinical course. Please note: Those learners attending PNUR 9030 Nurse Ready in order to be eligible for PNUR 9020 Specialized Clinical will need to address any additional learning as identified during their final Nurse Ready evaluation before a recommendation from Nurse Ready to support registration to Specialized Clinical will be granted. NOTE: PNUR 9030 - Nurse Ready must be taken after successful completion of any other recommended education but before clinical. Learners should not enroll in PNUR 9030 - Nurse Ready while attending other courses. PNUR 9030 - Nurse Ready would be the final course taken prior to clinical.
Prerequisites Required
In addition to having completed one of the entrance requirements noted above, all learners registering for PNUR 9020 must have in their possession the following prerequisites in order to be eligible to register; related costs are the responsibility of the individual learner:
- All learners must provide original proof of demonstrating English language proficiency. Learners must have one of the following:
- English language proficiency test CELBAN original transcripts only with minimum test scores being Speaking: CLB 8, Listening: CLB 9, Reading: CLB 8, Writing: CLB 7; Please note, results from combining tests are not accepted. We do not accept photocopies of test results. We only accept original transcripts. We will accept Academic IELTS or CELBAN results if they have expired, there are no exceptions. or
- English language proficiency test IELTS (Academic Version) with minimum test scores being Speaking:7, Listening 7, Reading 6.5, Writing 6.5; Please note, results from combining tests are not accepted. We do not accept photocopies of test results. We only accept original transcripts. We will accept Academic IELTS or CELBAN results if they have expired, there are no exceptions. or
- If CNO has advised in writing to you that you meet the English proficiency for RN registration you can share proof from your CNO portal with our office for consideration. The screen shot of your portal must include your full name – if we are unable to confirm authenticity we cannot accept it and you’d need to provide IELTS or CELBAN testing only
- Proof of CPR Level C Canadian certificate or higher; CPR certification must remain valid for the duration of the placement.
- Proof of Immunizations consistent with the requirements of clinical agencies as noted here . Please submit your BC Health Gateway Record as proof of immunizations. If your record is not up to date, please submit your official immunization records following these directions here before sending us your immunization proof. Please do not send your prerequisites for clinical until such time as you have the updated Health Gateway Immunization Record in your possession. The Health Gateway should include COVID vaccines also. We only accept the Health Gateway Immunization Report - no exceptions. If a learner does not currently reside in Canada, please contact our office to discuss. If you do not have all the recommended vaccines for healthcare workers, you may still apply to clinical, however, should there be an outbreak on the unit during your placement and you can't produce proof of immunization if asked, the unit may ask you to leave. This absence can impact your ability to successfully complete clinical as alternate learning opportunities are not possible.
- Mandatory COVID-19 vaccination is no longer required by the Provincial Health Order but is included as a recommended vaccine by the clinical agencies as noted here. Please ensure COVID-19 vaccination status is included in your Health Gateway portal if applicable.
- Valid Canadian Negative TB Screening (skin test is valid for six months, x-ray is valid for one year), results must be valid for the duration of the placement. The TB testing must have been completed in Canada. If the TB results are expiring during the semester, they must be renewed prior to registration. Registration will not proceed if the TB results expire prior to the end of the semester in which the learner applies.
- Signed Confidentiality Agreement
- Signed HSP Consent Form Consent Form for Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
Learners must complete this resume form below only, other resume formats will not be accepted. The resume form is to be emailed as an attachment in the WORD format (please do not convert to PDF) along with all the other scanned prerequisites. Please include any Professional Studies courses that have been successfully mastered in the section titled "Additional Education/Post Graduate". When listing experience, start with all RN experience first, both employee and student experience and then if there is other healthcare related experience such as LPN or RPN please include that information after the RN experience even if more current. Email address to send the document to is FOHPS@kpu.ca
Master resume form.doc - Learners are required to complete Fit Testing prior to registration. The Fit Test records must be valid for the duration of the placement and should be completed in BC to ensure the correct N95 mask size is available. Health Authorities in BC currently use 3M 1860S, 3M 1860 and 3M Aura 1870+ (subject to change during COVID-19). To register for Fit Testing at KPU, please visit our Fit Testing website for details. If learners are intending to be fit tested at KPU, please ensure the fit testing appointment occurs prior to submitting the prerequisites for registration. A fit testing record from other agencies is accepted provided the N95 model is the same as utilized in BC.
- Please include a copy of the email from your nursing regulatory body outlining the Touchstone results. If learners completed a CAEN prior to Dec 2020 or PNUR 9030 Nurse Ready with KPU, a copy of the result is not required.
- Please include a copy of the signed Policy form found on our homepage if not previously sent
- Please include a valid KPU student number
- Please ensure to set up the KPU student email address and send all prerequisites from this address only. All CPS students are issued a KPU student email address. Send all prerequisites via KPU student email address only. The KPU student email address is required for HSPNet and all placement communication is only done via the student's KPU email address. To set up the KPU student email address visit one.kpu.ca
- Please ensure you order your KPU student ID as this ID will be worn during clinical as part of your ID https://www.kpu.ca/library/kpu-card ; if you live outside of the lower mainland, please read the directions here https://www.kpu.ca/library/services/distance-learners-library-services on how to order the card remotely.
In addition to the prerequisites listed above, all learners registered in PNUR 9020 will require a clear criminal record check from the Ministry of Public Safety; related costs are the responsibility of the individual learner and learners will be provided a link when they reach this step:
- The valid Criminal Record Check (CRC) issued by the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is submitted through our CRC portal and an invitation link will be emailed to you once you reach this step. To prepare in advance, please be sure to set up your BC Services Card App. Learners can set up the APP even if they do not have a BC Services Card. CRC registration links will not be provided if the application for Clinical is incomplete i.e. any of the prerequisites are expiring during the semester the learner intends to register for or the learner has not completed all the recommended education in addition to clinical. There is a $28 fee payable via Visa or Mastercard only that must be submitted at the time of application and is payable to the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Learners will verify their ID via the BC Services Card app and will require two pieces of valid ID. One piece of ID must be any government issued (BC Driver License preferred) and display the learner's current legal name, date of birth, signature and photo, no exceptions. If valid ID cannot be produced, registration will not proceed. Only those learners residing outside of Canada will verify their ID with our office, all other learners must verify their ID via the BC Services Card app so please ensure you set that up promptly to avoid any delays.
How to Register for the Specialized Clinical Course (PNUR 9020)
STEP ONE:
Prior to purchasing a seat in the clinical course, learners will need to be eligible for clinical and have obtained all the prerequisites listed above, and be in possession of all required documents. If learners are missing any of the prerequisites noted above or have not yet mastered the recommended education do not proceed to step two. Permission to purchase a seat is required from the Professional Studies Faculty of Health Office. Do not purchase a seat without permission as there are no refunds for this course.
STEP TWO:
Upon confirmation of STEP ONE above, open the registration system Elevate and search for PNUR 9020 to determine if registration is open and if seats are available (do not purchase a seat at this stage).
- If registration is open and there are seats available for purchase, please scan all the prerequisite noted above and forward to our office via email from learner's valid KPU student email address.
- If learners are missing any of the prerequisites, do not send the prerequisites you do have, wait until you have all prerequisites in your possession as authorization will not be granted to purchase a seat. Please note, there are no refunds for course registration.
STEP THREE:
Within a week (unless the office is closed for holidays), the Faculty of Health Professional Studies Office will contact the learner via email upon reviewing the scanned documents. All emails will be responded to in the order they are received, follow-up emails and phone calls are not required. Please enable email tracking options prior to sending the email if proof of delivery receipt is required. Duplicate emails are not required and delay response times.
- If any documents are missing or incomplete, learners will not be authorized to purchase a seat and will be notified
- If all documents are received, and are complete, learners will be provided with a "STEP ONE" email along with a link to complete the Canadian Criminal Record Check (CRC)
- Complete the CRC via the BC Services Card App
- Send our office the CRC payment receipt along with the two other documents noted in the STEP ONE email.
- You'll be contacted once the CRC review has been completed by the Ministry of Public Safety and received in our office. Each individual's CRC review is unique and takes times, follow up to our office during this period is not required.
- Once our office receives the clear CRC you'll be contacted via your KPU student email account and be granted permission to buy a seat.
- Please note, seats are sold on a ‘first come, first qualified’ basis and authorization from our office does not guarantee a seat will be available for purchase
STEP FOUR:
Once you receive permission to purchase a seat, please visit Elevate to select a seat in PNUR 9020 .
If there are no available seats for the course, please refer to step one above. Authorization to purchase a seat in clinical applies only to the current semester in which registrations are being accepted as prerequisites expire.
STEP FIVE:
Once a seat is purchased for clinical, please email our office using KPU student email address within 48 hours to notify our office so we can start the placement search on HSPNet promptly.
Registration deadline
Registration closes once all the seats are full or one month after the start of the course to allow enough time to place all students.
Current Course Schedule
Current course schedules are available on Elevate by searching PNUR 9020 and on our home page under "Upcoming Courses". Please note: Start and end dates for individual placements are dependent on facility and external health authority assigned preceptor availability as approved in HSPNet which are outside KPU's control and may not coincide with semester dates. This course is 400 hours in duration which is approximately +/-12 weeks depending on shift times i.e. 8 hours versus 12 hours, days only, holiday hours, etc.
Text Books/Course Materials
Reliable Internet access required. Wi-Fi technology not recommended for quiz/tests. Online course modality may not be fully functional when utilizing iPads &/or android devices
Drug Guidebook – one of the following:
- Recommended: Lippincott Drug Guide (latest edition) OR
- Davis Drug Guide (latest edition)
Questions?
Please contact our office via email