Advance Your Career with the Practical Nursing Access Program!
Are you thinking about
going back to school? Are you currently a Health Care Assistant (HCA) or
Resident Care Aide (RCA)? Are you looking for more growth in your career?
Sprott Shaw’s Practical
Nursing Access program is the perfect opportunity for people who
want to advance their careers in the healthcare industry.
If you’re a practicing
HCA or RCA, you may qualify for our Practical
Nursing Access (PNA) program that allows you to become a practical
nurse in just over a year.
What Does a Licensed
Practical Nurse Do?
Before we talk about
the Practical Nursing Access program, what does a practical nurse even do? Why
would you want to become one?
Licensed
practical nurses (LPNs) are healthcare providers who offer nursing
services to patients in a variety of settings including hospitals, nursing
homes, clinics, community environments, residential areas, and home care
settings. As an integral part of the healthcare team, practical nurses work
with doctors, physicians, registered nurses (RNs), and registered practical
nurses (RPNs) to make sure that the needs of patients are met and catered to.
Amidst a multitude of
responsibilities, licensed practical nurses use their knowledge, judgement, critical
thinking, and problem-solving skills to provide safe, competent, and ethical
care to patients.
On a daily basis, some
of the responsibilities and duties that licensed practical nurses execute
include:
Providing nursing care in acute, geriatric, and home
care settings
Assessing and monitoring patients in various
healthcare settings
Helping patients with daily living activities
including personal care
Applying aseptic techniques (including sterile
dressing) and carrying out infection control
Administering patients with medication and monitoring
their effectiveness
Documenting assessments and reporting progress
Taking vital signs and collecting specimen samples
Performing examinations in consultation with doctors,
registered nurses, and therapists
Educating patients and family members on
health-related issues
Assisting in rehabilitation activities
What Is Sprott
Shaw’s Practical Nursing Access Program?
Now that you know what
a practical nurse is and does, we can start talking about the access program
and how you can become a practical nurse yourself!
Sprott Shaw’s Practical
Nursing Access (PNA) program is a full-time diploma program
available for people with previous education, training, and/or experience in
the healthcare field as either a practicing Health Care Assistant or Resident
Care Aide. (Please note that in order to qualify as a practicing HCA or RCA,
you need to have 600 hours of work experience within the last two years in a
care facility where care is provided to a group of gerontological clients).
Essentially, this
bridging program trains students to provide nursing care in partnership with
other healthcare professionals. Moreover, students from any educational
institution can apply for our PNA program.
However, the key
question still remains. Why should
you take our PNA program?
For one, our program
helps get you from school to career faster. The PNA program builds upon your
previous working experience and allows you to take what would be a 75-week
program in 61 weeks. Through this, you save time (and money!) spent in school
and can get to working as a practical nurse faster.
Sprott Shaw’s PNA
program also encompasses several other advantageous features including:
Licensing exam preparation and study guides for the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration (CPNRE) exam at no additional charge
Career and professional development success courses to help create a career development marketing plan, learn the cardinal rules of professionalism, and identify the target markets and employment resources for the healthcare industry
Preparation and orientation courses to teach you how to find credible research, write papers, create proper citation formats including APA, and study effectively for exams
Prerequisite certificates including First-Aid Basic Life Support (BLS), FoodSafe, and Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NVCI)
Access to dedicated Employment Services Specialists (ESS) who can help you with resume and cover letter writing, interview skills, and the overall job search after graduation
Preceptorship, clinical, and practicum opportunitieswith health authorities acrossBC including Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health Authority, Island Health, Northern Health, and Interior Health Authority
The preceptorship and
clinical practicum opportunities allow our students to gain relevant field
experience before graduation at health authorities and institutions across the
province and potentially become hired full-time there. Sprott Shaw students
have received acute and long-term experiences at various recognized
organizations including BC Cancer Agency, North Shore Hospice, Correctional
Health Services, Good Samaritan Society, and Revera Living Incorporated where
students can be placed in one of 175 homes and residencies across Canada.
Our Practical Nursing Access program is based on the BC College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP) Standards of Practice Framework, which includes the Scope of Practice Standards, Professional Standards, and the Practice Standards.
This program also
prepares graduates to provide nursing care in partnership with other health
care professionals. Graduates will be able to care for selected clients chosen
on the basis of acuity and complexity in a variety of settings.
After completion of
the Practical Nursing Access program (and of course, the regular Practical
Nursing program), students can take the CPNRE exam to become certified.
Students who pass this national exam will be certified as Licensed Practical Nurses
who are able to provide safe, competent, dependable, and ethical nursing care
to patients.
What Is the
Difference Between the Practical Nursing and Practical Nursing Access Program?
At Sprott Shaw, we
offer both the Practical
Nursing (PN) and Practical
Nursing Access (PNA) program. So, why would you take one over the
other? What’s the difference between the two?
Essentially, both
programs lead you to eventually becoming a licensed practical nurse. The key
difference, however, is on the career path and journey you’re seeking.
If you’ve recently graduated
high school or are a mature student who knows
that you want to pursue a career as a practical nurse, the direct Practical
Nursing program will best fit your needs.
If you’re debating on
whether you want to become a health care assistant or practical nurse, you can
take the Health
Care Assistant program and after a few years of work experience,
return to take the Practical Nursing Access program to become a practical nurse.
If you’re currently a
practicing health care assistant or resident care aide looking to advance your
career, the Practical
Nursing Access program will best fit your needs. As a working health
care assistant or resident care aide, your education, experience and knowledge
qualify you to apply for the PNA program directly. With the PNA program, you
can reduce the amount of time you need to study to become a licensed practical
nurse.
Interested in learning more about the Practical Nursing Access program or finding out if you qualify for it? Contact one of our advisors below for more information!