The Practical Nursing Diploma (PND) program provides instruction in nursing theory, skills, clinical preparation and hands on clinical placements. In addition, students study anatomy and physiology, English, computer applications and take general education courses such as psychology and Canadian studies. Experience in the nursing skills laboratory and in several hospital and community settings is integral to the program of study. The PND program - part-time is identical to the full-time program in terms of admission criteria, promotion standards, curriculum and graduation requirements except for the program completion time and sequencing of some course offerings.
Program Length: It takes approximately three years and eight months to complete
the program.
(Refer to guidelines for program completion.)
Students are invited to attend an information session.
Graduates of the Practical Nursing Diploma (PND) program may be employed in a hospital, a long-term care facility or in the community.
In order to practice in Ontario as a Registered Practical Nurse, Practical Nursing Diploma Program graduates must be successful in the Practical Nursing Registration Examination administered by the College of Nurses of Ontario, and must maintain their certificate of competence thereafter. As a result of regulations arising out of the Nursing Act 1991, applicants for registration in Ontario must not have:
Applicants who do not meet this requirement will be reviewed by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) to determine if registration will be granted.
Successful Ontario registrants are eligible for registration throughout Canada (French required in Quebec).
Please review the CNO website for detailed information and requirements regarding provincial registration.
The following highschool and college math courses are accepted for admission purposes:
The following Seneca courses will be accepted for admission purposes:
The following Seneca math courses are accepted for admission purposes:
Please note: Math courses from college Pre-Health Science programs are generally accepted except for Seneca's part-time Pre-Health Science program (i.e., MTH069 & MTH197), which are NOT accepted for admission purposes.
Additional Information:
After admission but before you participate in clinical placement you must obtain:
Mature Applicants:
A mature applicant must be nineteen years of age. As a Mature Applicant, you do not require
an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (or its equivalent);
however, you do require an academic credit or its equivalent in each of the above
areas under admission requirements.
Foreign Credentials:
Secondary school credits obtained outside of Canada or the U.S. must be evaluated by a third
party evaluator. Please apply for a
course by course evaluation through International Credential Assessment Service of Canada
(ICAS)
http://www.icascanada.ca/
Please refer to the College of Nurses of Ontario at cno.org to gain an understanding of required skills and abilities for this profession.
This program is only open to Canadian applicants.
To apply for the Practical Nursing Diploma program, visit the OCAS website.
Part-time Studies courses are being offered in either of the following four formats: Online, Flexible, In-person, Hybrid. Click Availability below to see current offerings.
Acceptance into the Practical Nursing Program.
This course is an introduction to Practical Nursing as a profession. Students will examine professional behavior in themselves and others. The history of nursing and the role of the Practical Nurse will be explored.
Students with a completed high school diploma or prior English Proficiency scores can find more details on next steps here.
Students without any of the above can be placed via successful completion of ESL934 OR English Assessment.
COM101 replaces EAC 150. Students who have successfully completed EAC 150 are not required to complete COM101.
This course introduces students to the core concepts of communication. Students will cultivate an awareness of these concepts by analyzing how they are used in a variety of texts and contexts, and they will apply these concepts strategically in their own writing. Through a variety of writing tasks centered on these core concepts of communication, students will develop the transferable reading and writing skills essential for success in their post-secondary studies, workplaces, and communities.
Students with a completed high school diploma or prior English Proficiency scores can find more details on next steps here.
Students without any of the above can be placed via English Assessment.
This course introduces students to the core concepts of communication. Students will cultivate an awareness of these concepts by analyzing how they are used in a variety of texts and contexts, and they will apply these concepts strategically in their own writing. Through a variety of writing tasks centered on these core concepts of communication, students will develop the transferable reading and writing skills essential for success in their post-secondary studies, workplaces, and communities.
Acceptance into the Practical Nursing Program.
Students learn to recognize essential Greek and Latin roots in the most familiar and important medical terms; moreover, with a firm grounding in the classical sources, students analyze the components of unfamiliar terms and thus make informed inferences about the meaning. In addition, an introduction to study skills is presented.
The discipline of Psychology is the study of human behaviour. It is concerned with the observation behaviour of an individual and its relationship to unseen mental and physical processes, as well as to external events. Introduction to Psychology will provide a framework within which the student can begin to explore the human personality.
Acceptance into the Practical Nursing Program
This course will provide the opportunity for students to develop the calculation skills necessary for the safe administration of medications and parenteral fluids.
Each of the following courses: PNH101, PNR100, PNA100 must be completed as a prerequisite, or concurrently with this Skills Lab course.
This course gives the student the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts and practice skills that maintain and promote health and healing. Students will demonstrate a safe level of performance in the lab before implementing the skills in nursing practice settings.
Please note: lab kits are required for this course and can be ordered online.
This clinical preparation course gives the student the opportunity to prepare for clinical practice through applied theoretical concepts.
The student rehearses thinking like a nurse, communicating, organizing, evaluating and engaging in other activities that are essential to the care of the individuals and their families in the community and Health Care Agency.
The course provides the foundation for understanding the well client from infant to older adult. PNH101 begins with concepts of health and illness in the context of social determinants of health and outlines the major components of health for each stage of growth and development. Emphasis will be on anticipated transitions, health promotion and relevant nursing considerations. Recognition of diversity in regards to age, gender, race and culture is given.
This course is the study of normal anatomy and physiology. Study includes organization of the body, the cell, tissue, organs and four of the major body systems. An introduction to microbiology is included.
This course explores foundational nursing practices and interventions that support health and enhance healing for clients and families. A specific focus is placed on the topics of maternal newborn health and care of the child with health challenges.
This course is a continuation of PNL110. Students continue to apply theoretical concepts and practice skills that maintain and promote health and healing. Students demonstrate a safe level of performance in the lab before implementing the skills in the practice setting. Students are expected to continue to apply skills learned in PNL110.
Please note: lab kits are required for this course. Lab kits can be ordered online.
All Module I courses
Students apply theoretical concepts in a nursing practice setting. Working with health care professionals and clients they will make a positive contribution to the health and healing of individuals and families.
This course focuses on the application of theory from all semester one courses and:
- PNH 200/201: Healing Practices
- PNE 203: Health Assessment for the Practical Nurse
- PNL 210: Practical Nursing Skills Lab
- PNA 200: Anatomy & Physiology for the Practical Nurse
All 100 level courses
All 200 level courses.
This course will be an introduction to human disease and will focus on the fundamental principles of homeostatic mechanisms. The student will explore how alterations in homeostatic mechanisms will disrupt the integrity of human function. Overall, the mechanisms of disease will be studied in a systems format and will be considered for the effect that they produce on the structure and function of the body. Common diseases will be used to illustrate the biological concepts of pathology.
All Module I and Module II courses
Students continue to apply theoretical concepts in a nursing practice setting. Students are assigned to work in health care agencies on medical/surgical and/or specialty areas. They work with health care professionals while making a positive contribution to the health of individuals and families.
This course continues from PNH201. The focus will be on practices that support health and enhance healing for clients and families experiencing various health challenges. (Formerly PNH 300)
All 100 and 200 level courses
Drug classifications, modes of administration and dosage calculations will be studied. The student will prepare for safe administration of medication in the practice setting. (Formerly PNM 200)
All module 3 PN courses
This course continues from PNH301. The focus will be on practices that support health and enhance healing for clients and families experiencing various health challenges.
Students will build on PNP301 and continue the study of human disease. The mechanisms of disease will be studied by body systems. The processes will be related to a variety of common diseases.
This course explores the transition from student to health care professional with an emphasis on leadership competencies, career planning, legislation, and the organization of health care. Topics studied will focus on the implications for, and application to the role of the Registered Practical Nurse.
Practical Nursing Clinical students will apply theoretical concepts in a nursing practice setting. Students will work in health care agencies on medical/surgical and/or specialty areas. Students will continue to work with the health care professionals and implement a variety of holistic healing practices.
All professional nursing and general education courses. Coordinator's approval required.
Having completed all professional and general education courses, students will concentrate on clinical practice to consolidate skills while providing client centered care. During this experience, students will work a RPN preceptor. Students will follow the preceptor's full time schedule including shifts and weekends.
Program courses may change as needed.
PNC220, PNC320, PNC420 & PNC520: Students must register for a mandatory PNC001 Clinical Prep Orientation online course in order to take the clinical courses.
The following are required for PND program students prior to the first clinical experience (PNC220): (Requirements may vary as per individual institution policies and must be kept current for all clinical placements.)
It is the student's responsibility to pay for any of the above services if required.
Attendance at all clinical experiences is compulsory. Students who miss one or more clinical shifts and cannot meet the learning outcomes risk receiving an unsatisfactory grade.
Clinical placements are located throughout the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) which includes places such as Markham and Newmarket. These are arranged by Seneca Polytechnic. Consideration is given to geographic proximity for student convenience; however, quotas cannot be exceeded and this may require students to travel a distance to the next location. Students are responsible for their own transportation, parking fees, etc to clinical placements. Changes in clinical or community assignments will be considered if the placement presents a conflict of interest; for example, relatives working in the area, previous admission to a hospital unit or other significant concerns.
Hours in clinical placements vary according to the usual routines in the agency. Shifts may
be day or evening shifts. Some common start times are 0700 or 0730, ending at either 1900 or 1930.
Shift length is 12 hours.
Seneca is accountable to professional and corporate stakeholders in nursing and is committed to providing excellence in education and skills development. The three year eight month pathway to completion of the Practical Nursing Diploma program-part-time is intended to meet the flexible needs of adult learners while ensuring that graduates enter the field with knowledge that is current and that they are well prepared to become Registered Practical Nurses. Students are expected to be continuously enrolled in courses each semester in the part-time Nursing Program to graduate within the time frame. Students who fail to complete the part-time program within a 4 year time frame may be required to repeat vocation specific courses already obtained in order to graduate.
This program is eligible for OSAP funding.
Course load is used by OSAP to determine funding options for programs.
If you are taking one to two courses at the same time, you may be considered for part-time student grants and loans.
If you are taking three or more courses at the same time, you may be considered for full-time student grants and loans.
To find out if you qualify and to learn how to apply, please visit the OSAP website.
For information on other awards and financial assistance, please see Financial Aid.
Please see the Technical Requirements for Online Courses page for more details on the hardware and software you may need.
The courses are offered on a part time basis and all courses may not be offered each semester. Professional courses must be taken in accordance with required prerequisites and co requisites. Students must be aware that the lab and clinical components of this program may be scheduled during the day and/or evening and may occur during the week and/or on weekends. The Practical Nursing Consolidation (PNC520) course is the final component of the program. In order to complete PNC520 students must plan to be available full-time days and/or evenings and/or nights, ie. 40 hours per week over approximately a 3 1/2; - 4 months.
If a student misses a professional course the student may be unable to proceed to the next module and therefore have to wait until the next offering. Students must not have a gap of greater than 12 months between clinical placements, otherwise it may be necessary to repeat the clinical prior to the last one completed.
When you meet all program requirements and become eligible for a certificate, diploma, or degree, you must inform the Registrar by completing a Graduation Application form and paying the graduation and alumni fee. Certificates, diplomas, and applied degrees are issued twice a year in the Fall (October), Spring (June) and Winter (February).
For further information including deadlines and fees, please visit the Convocation website or contact the Convocation Office at theservicehub@senecapolytechnic.ca.
Build on your Seneca Polytechnic credential
Seneca is recognized as a leader in pathways and offers a range of options to help you reach your educational and career goals.
As a graduate of this program, you may be eligible to pathway into a bachelor's degree program at Seneca or at one of our partner institutions.
To explore your pathway options and learn more, visit our Degree Transfer Guide.
If you have additional questions regarding pathways to, within and beyond Seneca, connect with our Academic Pathways team at 416.764.0399 or email academic.pathways@senecapolytechnic.ca.
After reviewing the Degree Transfer Guide, you can also book a virtual appointment to discuss your options in more detail with a dedicated Pathways Adviser.
Full-time students wanting to transfer into the part-time program must contact the Academic Program Manager to be accepted into the part-time PND program. In addition, other requirements may apply.
Lisa Chevrier
Admissions Advisor
lisa.chevrier@senecapolytechnic.ca
Lisa Harfield
Academic Program Manager
Lisa.Harfield@senecapolytechnic.ca
416-764-0970
For more information about this program, fill out the following form.
Students are invited to attend an information session.