Practical Nurse

What to expect from the program

Do you enjoy helping others? Are you looking for a rewarding and meaningful healthcare career? Practical nurses are essential to Alberta’s healthcare system and are currently in high demand. In this program, you’ll gain a combination of theoretical knowledge, hands-on training, and practicum experience.

Bringing Nursing education to you: Blended learning with mobile lab

NorQuest is committed to providing education to students in convenient and accessible ways. To meet the needs of rural students we've developed a unique approach that combines:

1. Blended learning: This flexible structure is built to work around student schedules and commitments. Depending on the class, students will complete theoretical coursework and study materials either online, at their own pace, or in a real-time online class with their peers.
2. Mobile training lab: A specialized lab equipped with all the necessary tools and equipment to simulate a real-world healthcare setting. This lab can be transported to rural areas, bringing practical training directly to students.
3. Clinical Placements: These essential in-person clinical courses are offered within the rural area, to ensure ready access for local students.

Graduate with experience

NorQuest College believes in the importance of on-the-job experience that provides an enriched learning opportunity. 

You’ll graduate with 680 hours of work experience from four practicums. 

Clinical placements

You will work full-time during the practicum and provide your own transportation to the facility. These clinical placements are required for all delivery options.  

• NPRT 1001, NPRT 2101, and NPRT 2102 are clinical courses that require in-person attendance for four weeks at a time.
  • Edmonton, Wetaskwin: Clinical shifts are Monday to Friday with a mix of day (6:30 am to 2:30 pm) and evening (2:30 pm to 10:30 pm) schedule
  • Mobile Castor lab: These will be 12-hour day shifts on the weekend (6:30 am to 6:30 pm).
• NPRT 2200  is an eight-week comprehensive clinical. This clinical may be provided within a requested area, depending on site availability. Students will work the same shifts as the ones listed above. This may include weekends, evenings, nights, holidays, or a combination of shifts.

Hands-on learning 

NorQuest College education is inclusive, and our students are supported and prepared to meet the needs of a diverse society with hands-on training, caring for, and with, people from a variety of cultures, religions, and genders. 

You’ll graduate with 195 hours of hands-on practice in a variety of lab settings.  

Engage with standardized patients, high fidelity mannequins, and virtual reality learning throughout your program in our Olson Centre for Health Simulation 

Selecting your delivery option

When determining how and where you’d like to attend class or complete your program, consider how you learn best—if you’re an international student that requires in-person instruction, or how flexible you need your school schedule to be.

Once you have applied for your program in a specific delivery option, it is expected that you will continue and complete your program in that chosen option. If an extenuating circumstance arises, you will be required to meet with a student program advisor and leadership to determine if it’s possible to change your delivery method.

In person — 2 years 

Select from the Edmonton or Wetaskiwin campuses

If you choose to apply for an in-person delivery method, all lectures, labs, and clinical courses will be delivered at your chosen campus.

• Daytime: Monday to Friday (evening and weekend classes may be offered/required in certain courses) 
• Evenings: Classes are delivered Monday to Friday after 5PM (weekend classes may be offered in certain courses) 
• Weekends: Classes are delivered on weekends 

Online anytime with in-person labs — 3-4 years 

Offered in Edmonton or Wetaskiwin

This option supports learners who are self-motivated, require flexibility, and have strong time-management skills. You won’t have scheduled lectures, but you will receive course resources, learning tools, and instructor support throughout the course.

• Your assignments will be submitted online and may or may not have due dates 
• The course will have a start and end date. It’s important to make sure all assignments are submitted by the course end date 
• You will be required to complete your labs and clinical components in person at your designated lab location
• Labs will usually occur over 1-2 weeks 

Online real-time with in-person labs — 3-4 years 

Offered in Edmonton or Wetaskiwin

If you choose this option, you will have real-time, scheduled lectures for your theory classes during specific dates and times. You may attend these lectures from anywhere and are not required to be on campus.

• A physical classroom is not provided 
• You will be required to come to your designated location for labs 
• Depending on the lab, you could be in-person 1-3 days per week 

Hyflex — for select courses only

This option allows you to choose at any given time throughout the course your preferred method of participation by attending in person, online real-time, or online anytime through recorded video after the meeting time.

• If the course is designated as an “H” section, it is available as hyflex 
• Watch this video to learn more 

Blended — 2 years

Offered in Edmonton or Mobile lab

The blended option provides lectures and theory components in online real-time, online anytime, in person, and/or hyflex. All courses will be scheduled in the option that best suits the schedule.

• Labs and clinicals are delivered in person at your designated location

Career opportunities

Practical nurses find jobs in acute care hospitals, continuing care centres, community care settings, client homes, clinics, or doctors' offices.

For more information on related careers see:

• ALIS OCCinfo occupational profiles
• ALIS WAGEinfo salary info

What to expect as a practical nurse

Applicants should assess their ability to fulfill the demands of the practical nurse occupation.

As a practical nurse, you must be able to:

• work shifts and weekends
• be on your feet for extended periods of time
• use your knees, back, and arms to move clients who have minimal body strength
• provide care to support people of various diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, gender identities, sexual preferences, and socio-economic status
• function effectively in stressful situations
• perform all skills independently