Beginning April 1, 2023, St. Lawrence College (SLC) along with all of Ontario’s 24 colleges, will offer a new pathway for Personal Support Workers (PSWs) who wish to qualify to practice in Ontario as a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN). Upon successfully completing six pathway courses, PSWs will be eligible for advanced entry into SLC’s Practical Nursing (PN) Program.
All six courses are offered online, asynchronously on a monthly basis, and are designed to offer flexible study options for working PSWs. Graduates of approved PN programs are eligible to apply to the College of Nurses of Ontario to write the registration exam to practice in Ontario as an RPN.
The PSW to PN pathway courses are available to PSWs who:
- Have Canadian citizenship or Canadian permanent resident status or appropriate authorization under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) that permits an individual to engage in the practice of nursing in Ontario.
- Graduated with a 65 percent cumulative average from a PSW program in Ontario that meets the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities program standards (includes PSW programs offered by the public colleges, private career colleges, and district school boards in Ontario).
- AND have worked as a PSW in Ontario within the past five years on at least a part-time or casual basis.
“This credential upgrading opportunity will help to train more working nursing professionals at a time of critical need in our region, and across the province,” said Glenn Vollebregt, SLC President and CEO. “SLC has a long history of educating healthcare professionals, and to help someone expand their education and experience to advance their career is what college education is all about.”
The creation of these courses was funded through the Ontario government’s Nursing Program Transformation in Ontario’s Colleges initiative.
Click here for more detailed course information at SLC and register.
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