Approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario

Sheridan's four-semester Practical Nursing diploma program is approved (Category 1) by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO). When you graduate from this program, you'll be eligible to apply to take the Canadian Practical Nursing Registration Examination (CPNRE). When you’ve successfully completed the CPNRE, you’ll be issued a license to practice as a Registered Practical Nurse in Ontario.

Prepare for a career as a practical nurse

In this program, you’ll learn to:

• Help clients with nutrition, elimination, medication, safety, ambulation and hygiene.
• Chart patients’ progress and assess their conditions.
• Care for wounds, change dressings and give medication.
• Educate clients and promote health and wellbeing.
• Care for patients through all stages of a disease, including palliative care.

Clinical placements: Get hands-on experience

Hands-on experience is essential to prepare you for a career as a practical nurse. In this program, you’ll have clinical placements in long-term care facilities, acute and chronic care hospitals and more — starting in your first semester. In your final semester, you’ll participate in a 450-hour clinical placement, gaining on-the-job experience that will boost your resume and build your confidence.

Your placements will be within 150 kilometres of Sheridan College. You’ll need to provide your own transportation to your clinical placements.

Career Opportunities

When you complete your Practical Nursing diploma program at Sheridan, you'll be ready to join a health-care team in any setting where nursing is practiced.

Here are some places you might work:

• Hospitals
• Clinics
• Community Health Centres
• Family Health Teams
• Independent practices
• Long-term care facilities
• Medical equipment companies

Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

Communicate therapeutically with clients and members of the health care team.

Assess clients across the life span, in a systematic and holistic manner.

Plan safe and competent nursing care, based upon a thorough analysis of available data and evidence-informed practice guidelines.

Select and perform nursing interventions using clinical judgment, in collaboration with the client and, where appropriate, the health care team, that promote health and well-being, prevent disease and injury, maintain and/or restore health, promote rehabilitation, and/or provide palliation.

Evaluate the outcomes resulting from all interventions in the nurse-client interaction and modify the plan of care as required.

Act equitably and justly with clients and members of the health care team.

Adapt to a variety of health care settings, using different leadership skills and styles as appropriate to each setting.

Contribute to creating a healthy and safe work environment in a variety of health care settings.

Practise in a self-regulated, professional and ethical manner, complying with relevant legislation and with the standards of both the regulatory body and the practice.