Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN)

This two-semester course provides the anatomical knowledge base for all health related courses. The course describes human anatomy and physiology at the cellular, tissue, organ, and systems levels of organization, using current medical terminology. Aspects of this course will concentrate on clinical applications including causes, signs and symptoms of common diseases, as well as pathological effects of drugs and alcohol.

This five-week course will introduce you to the services that support academic success at Northern College. It will facilitate your transition from writing assignments for high school or other academic programs to writing nursing centered academic papers. It will also build upon basic mathematical concepts that are required for medication calculations, such as fractions, ratios, proportions, decimals, metric conversions, and military time. This course is mandatory and must be successfully completed prior to the commencement of the NS1004 clinical placement.

This course introduces the concept of health in nursing. Opportunities are provided to apply the nursing process in multiple educational contexts with an emphasis on safe and ethical care with older adults and families. Learners are required to integrate concurrent learning.

This course focuses on an introduction to the profession of nursing. Opportunities are provided for learners to explore the evolution of nursing and professional standards within a Canadian context. Nursing knowledge is introduced in terms of relationships between theory, practice, and research. Learners are required to integrate concurrent learning.

This course focuses on the learner’s discovery of self as nurse and self in relation to others. Opportunities are provided to engage in structured reflection guided by the literature and interaction with others. Emphasis is placed on understanding how select concepts relate to and impact on experiences with self and others. Learners are required to integrate concurrent learning.

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

This two-semester course provides the anatomical knowledge base for all health related courses. The course describes human anatomy and physiology at the cellular, tissue, organ, and systems levels of organization, using current medical terminology. Aspects of this course will concentrate on clinical applications including causes, signs and symptoms of common diseases, as well as pathological effects of drugs and alcohol.

This course focuses on developing an understanding of family experiences with chronic health challenges. Opportunities are provided for learners to explore literature related to models of family assessment and chronicity as well as concepts relevant to health and healing. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on health assessment of individuals across the lifespan with an emphasis on well adults. Opportunities are provided to apply the nursing process and demonstrate clinical decision-making within a practice setting. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course introduces therapeutic use of knowledge and skills in relation to others in the context of professional relationships. Opportunities are provided to develop beginning competencies in the establishment of respectful and safe engagement for client-centred care. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

This course is an introduction to microbiology and is offered to students in the Bachelor of Science Nursing program. The topics covered include morphology and structure, classification, microbiology techniques, microbial nutrition, growth, environmental effects on microbes, sterilization and disinfection, host-microbe interactions, antimicrobial chemotherapeutic agents and a survey of common infectious diseases.

This two-semester course is designed to develop nursing students’ understanding of the relationship between disease, the underlying biochemical causes and the methodology for diagnosis.

This course focuses on the nurse’s role in meeting the health care needs of generative families. Opportunities are provided to develop an understanding of human growth and development and nursing care of the perinatal, newborn, and pediatric client. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on the application of integrated pharmacological knowledge and interventions within nursing process. Opportunities are provided to develop caring practice with patients experiencing health challenges. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

This two-semester course is designed to develop nursing students’ understanding of the relationship between disease, the underlying biochemical causes and the methodology for diagnosis.

This course focuses on complex issues inherent in the delivery of nursing care from a Canadian perspective. Opportunities are provided for learners to examine moral, professional, ethical, and legal nursing knowledge in relation to current practice. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on human pathophysiology. Opportunities are provided to translate knowledge of such science to inform nursing practice. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on experiences with healing in relation to complex health challenges. Opportunities are provided to apply the nursing process, demonstrate pattern recognition, increase self-directedness, and participate in delivery of comprehensive care of patients. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This two-semester course focuses on concepts, principles, frameworks and standards of practice relevant to the community health nursing context in Canada. Opportunities are provided to engage in community health assessment and program planning with emphasis on health promotion. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on the examination of teaching and learning theory and methods. Through critical reflection, learners explore current evidence, beliefs, and values as they apply the teaching and learning process. Opportunities are provided to experience teaching and learning in the context of health promotion and protection. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on health promotion and protection within the context of physiological, psychological, psychosexual, emotional, social, cultural, and spiritual health. Opportunities are provided to explore health and healing in relation to health-care delivery. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course advances the development of empirical, theoretical, and experiential relational praxis. Opportunities are provided to demonstrate advanced relational competencies to establish, maintain and bring closure to professional relationships in challenging circumstances. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on the introduction of the foundations of nursing knowledge including philosophical, theoretical, and scientific underpinnings. Opportunities are provided to describe inter-relationships between theory and research grounded in clinical practice. Learning experiences require integration of new and prior learning.

This two-semester course focuses on concepts, principles, frameworks and standards of practice relevant to the community health nursing context in Canada. Opportunities are provided to engage in community health assessment and program planning with emphasis on health promotion. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on the social construction of health inequities. Opportunities are provided to critically examine health outcomes of power inequities at the level of the individual, family, community, and professionally. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on health promotion and health protection within the context of diverse aggregates. Opportunities are provided to further explore health and healing in relation to health-care delivery. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on traditions of quantitative and qualitative nursing inquiry. Opportunities are provided to initiate nursing research praxis through the critical appraisal of published evidence. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

This course focuses on critical examination of nursing knowledge related to complex health challenges. Opportunities are provided to identify, appraise, and integrate relevant nursing knowledge to understand praxis. Learning experiences require the integration of new and prior learning.

This course focuses on the critical examination of complex nursing practice issues. Opportunities are provided for learner to reflect upon their development as novice practitioners informed by evidence and standards of practice. Learners are required are required to integrate new and concurrent learning.

This course focuses on the development of relational praxis including emerging health care trends and associated nursing responsibilities. Opportunities are provided to critically examine and appraise intraprofessional, interprofessional, and intersectoral relationships for client-centered care. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

This course focuses on promoting critical rationality in relation to selected topics for nursing inquiry. Opportunities are provided to systematically examine a current nursing issue through the theoretical application of methodological and ethical knowledge. Learners are required to integrate new and prior learning.

General Education Courses are selected online each semester by the student from a list provided and exposes students to a related area of study outside of their immediate academic discipline. Certain programs have predetermined electives. 

42 Hours

This course focuses on the critical integration of theoretical, empirical, ethical, and professional knowledge. Opportunities are provided to demonstrate competent, safe, ethical, and evidence-informed practice as learners transition toward the role of a novice practitioner. Learning experiences require the integration of new and prior learning.

This course focuses on the examination of the underpinnings of leadership in promoting and maintaining high quality health care services. Opportunities are provided for learners to explore ongoing and potential changes within the practice setting. Learners are required to integrate new and concurrent learning.

1. Be prepared to meet the Canadian Nurses Association and College of Nurses of Ontario’s entry to practice competencies and standards.
   • Demonstrate practice consistent with nursing entry to practice regulatory requirements, standards of practice, ethical and legal codes within the provincial and national context.
   • Integrate foundational nursing knowledge of life sciences, and social sciences (anatomy, physiology, microbiology, clinical chemistry, pharmacology, pathophysiology, psychology, sociology) in the planning, delivery and evaluation of care for clients across the life-span in diverse settings (promotive, preventive, curative, restorative, and end of life).
   • Demonstrate accountability, accept responsibility, and seek assistance as necessary for decisions and actions within the legislated scope of practice.

2. Practice nursing with a professional and ethical caring perspective.
   • Apply ethical nursing principles and practices within all professional encounters.
   • Apply principles of professional caring theory within all individual, family, and community interactions.
   • Maintain professional boundaries with clients and other members of the health care team.

3. Practice in accordance with the values and principles of primary health care. The values are social justice and equity. The principles are health promotion; accessibility; appropriate technology; public participation; and inter-sectoral collaboration.
   • Apply knowledge of primary health care relative to the determinants of health and health disparities to address strengths and vulnerabilities of individuals, families, and communities.
   • Use clinical reasoning, nursing knowledge, and other relevant contemporary evidence to inform clinical judgments in primary health care.

4. Be prepared to practice nursing at an entry level within a variety of contexts and with diverse populations, integrating cultural competence and cultural safety.
   • Practice safe, competent, compassionate, ethical, and client-centered care (appreciating culture, spirituality, and choice) in diverse, often rapidly changing contexts.
   • Demonstrate comprehensive and focused assessments of diverse clients across the lifespan with variable presentations in order to promote health and manage challenges.
   • Construct, implement, evaluate, and revise individualized teaching plans to promote health, symptom and disease management of individuals, families, and groups.

5. Engage in self-directed professional practice.
   • Demonstrate self-regulation through seeking learning and practice opportunities and support as needed for ongoing professional development.
   • Appraise the influence of one’s one beliefs, values, and assumptions on professional interactions with clients and healthcare team members.
   • Appraise own development of foundational knowledge, skills, and abilities as requisite for employment in nursing, membership within nursing/healthcare organizations, and pursuit of graduate studies as desired.

6. Make professional decisions guided by evidence informed nursing knowledge using multiple ways of thinking including clinical reasoning and critical thinking.
   • Demonstrate critical thinking and research consumerism to seek, locate, interpret, and appraise a broad range of information, knowledge, evidence, and methodologies in nursing and associated disciplines for evidence-informed decision-making.
   • Construct research questions emerging from nursing practice.

7. Work collaboratively with the client and others – inter-professionally and intra-professionally, to address and respond to emerging health care needs.
   • Apply principles of relational practice with diverse clients and intra-/interprofessional healthcare team members in all interactions (written, in-person, and virtual) attending to variable contextual factors to provide safe and quality care.
   • Evaluate the impact of nursing leadership, collaboration, effective team functioning, critical thinking, and clinical judgment on quality practices.

8. [Be prepared to] contribute to and influence nursing and health care at a professional, political, and societal level by anticipating and responding to the evolving needs of society.
   • Articulate an understanding of social justice, population health, environment, and regional health issues particular to rural and small urban centers.
   • Compose both written and verbal arguments based on evidence.