Tell us where you are starting from. A verified education professional who covers your postal code will get in touch to explain the routes into nursing, what they involve and what to ask a provider, before you commit.
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Which route fits you depends on your qualifications, your circumstances and your goals.
A university degree leading to registration as a registered nurse, with a large share of clinical placements.
For people who already hold a degree and want to change career.
A college program leading to licensed or registered practical nurse registration.
Moving on to a degree, sometimes with credit for your diploma.
A shorter program leading to work in home and facility care.
Programs and assessments for nurses who want to register or return to practice in Canada.
Check it using the regulator's own information, not only the provider's.
Registered nurse, practical nurse or personal support worker, and what each can do.
How they are arranged, how far you may travel, and what support there is.
Prerequisites, checks and interview, and how applicants are chosen.
Student loans, grants, bursaries and any funded seats the program qualifies for.
Completion, exam pass rates and what graduates go on to do.
Ask, then check the regulator's own list.
Registered nurse, practical nurse or personal support worker.
Where, with whom, and what if one is unavailable.
Tuition, living costs and any support available.
A written timeline, including any prerequisites.
Withdrawal deadlines, refund rules, and whether credit carries over.
We'd rather connect you with the right provider once than flood your inbox with a dozen you'll never call back.
A bachelor's degree, a practical nursing diploma and a personal support worker program lead to different places. You hear what each involves and what you need to begin.
Approval by the nursing regulator, clinical placements and funding decide whether a program leads where you want to go. You hear what to ask.
You can ask questions and compare, and nobody pushes you to apply on the spot.
The main ones are a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to become a registered nurse, a practical nursing diploma, usually at a college, to become a licensed or registered practical nurse, and a shorter personal support worker or health care assistant program. There are also accelerated programs if you already have a degree, and bridging from practical nursing to a degree. Each leads to different roles.
Registered nurses complete a degree and have a broader scope of practice, including more autonomy with complex care. Practical nurses, called licensed practical nurses in most provinces and registered practical nurses in Ontario, complete a diploma and focus on stable patients with a narrower scope. Both are regulated, and practical nurses can often bridge to a degree.
To work as a nurse in Canada you must be registered with your province's nursing regulator, such as the College of Nurses of Ontario or the BC College of Nurses and Midwives. That requires completing an approved program and passing the registration exam. Check that the program is approved, using the regulator's own information, before you enrol.
Registered nurses outside Quebec write the NCLEX-RN, and practical nurses write a separate national or provincial exam, and Quebec has its own process. Ask the provider about its pass rates, and how it helps you prepare.
A bachelor's degree usually takes four years full time, a practical nursing diploma about two years, and a personal support worker program a few months up to a year. Ask each provider for a written timeline, including any prerequisites.
Supervised practice in real healthcare settings is a large part of every program. Ask how the provider arranges them, how far you might have to travel, whether they can be unpaid and what support you get.
Funding depends on the program and your province. Canada Student Loans and provincial student aid, such as OSAP in Ontario, may be available at designated schools, and there are bursaries, grants and sometimes funded seats for priority health programs. Some federal and provincial programs forgive part of student loans for nurses who work in rural or remote communities. Ask providers what applies.
They differ by provider. They often include high school or prior courses in specific subjects such as biology and English, a police record check, immunization records and sometimes an interview. Ask what you need and how applicants are chosen.
Internationally educated nurses usually need their credentials assessed, such as through the National Nursing Assessment Service, and may need to complete bridging education and exams before they can register. Ask the provincial regulator about the process before paying for any program.
Ask what refund and withdrawal terms apply, and get them in writing. Some provinces have protection funds for students of private career colleges.
Your qualifications so far, which kind of nursing interests you, whether you want to study full time or work as you study, and your postal code. If you don't have everything, send the request anyway.
No. Namoye is a free matching service. It doesn't teach, enrol students or decide admissions. Any offer or advice comes from the provider that contacts you.
No to both. A verified professional contacts you, and Namoye is free for you.
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Namoye is a free matching service. It is not a university, college or student finance adviser. Any information, offer or enrolment decision comes from the provider that contacts you. Check that a program is approved by your province's nursing regulator, and the total cost, before you enrol.
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