Clinical Requirements for Nursing Courses
The Faculty of Nursing is committed to meeting standards of practice in nursing by ensuring that students attain and maintain required certifications and meet recommended immunization standards. Students are responsible for the health and safety requirements for all clinical practice courses in their graduate program. These requirements must be met prior to starting the clinical courses. If there is an associated fee, students are responsible for the costs incurred.
- Registration with College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA)
Clinical placements: All students doing clinical placements must be registered in the Province in which they are doing placements. For most students this will mean Alberta (CARNA) but some may be placed in other Provinces and it is mandatory that MN students are registered in the Province in which their clinical placement occurs. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet the registration requirements of any Province in which they are placed. Proof of registration must be submitted with application documents and on an annual basis.
An RN student in a nurse practitioner program may use the term “student” with the protected “NP” title. As students in the NP program must be registered with CARNA for their practica, they must identify themselves as an RN when providing health services, even in the student role. CARNA suggests the title “RN, Student NP”.
Research data collection: Any student research that involves contact with patients will require the student to be registered with CARNA. Students are responsible for being registered. This rule applies equally to MN and PhD students.
Teaching: Any graduate students involved in teaching students or working as a graduate teaching assistant (e.g., marking papers or exams) must be registered with CARNA. This rule applies equally to MN and PhD students.
Questions concerning registration should be directed to the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies Nursing. For questions about the health and safety requirements, contact Karen Peterson at karen.peterson@ualberta.ca or (780) 492-8645.
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Certification (CPR)
CPR certification at the Healthcare Provider Level is required. This course is designed for healthcare providers who have a duty to respond to medical emergencies. A CPR-Healthcare Provider certificate is valid for one year from the date of the course. Evidence of annual recertification must be presented each year while in the program. Students who do not have current CPR-Healthcare Provider Level certification cannot participate in clinical courses. Level C CPR certification is not acceptable; students must obtain CPR at the Healthcare Provider Level. If students have EMT certification that they believe may be equivalent to Healthcare Provider Level CPR, contact the Faculty of Nursing.
Students in advanced clinical courses (N580; N581; N585) require Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support course (PALS) or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).
- Health Status Form
Health Status Declaration: All students admitted to nursing programs must complete a Health Status Declaration (HSD) available on the Faculty of Nursing website at www.ualberta.ca/nursing.
- Immunization Requirements
See University Infectious Disease Regulation .
- Criminal Record Check (Security Clearance Check)
Under the Protection for Persons in Care Act, a criminal record check (security clearance check) may be required by any site providing clinical practice. The clinical practice site will determine the criteria for acceptance/denial of a placement. The clinical instructors will notify students if a criminal record check is required for their specific clinical placement, and students are then responsible for having the check completed prior to commencement of clinical practice. Students who have concerns related to their ability to satisfy a criminal record check should consult with the Faculty of Nursing immediately upon being admitted to the program.
Criminal record checks can be obtained through the Edmonton Police Service (see the Police Information Check page for more details), a community police station, or any RCMP detachment. Students must familiarize themselves with the requirements and process before going in for their criminal record check (fees, identification to bring, processing times, etc.). Students from outside of the region are advised to obtain this requirement prior to relocating to Edmonton.
Students who obtain a criminal record check must not submit it to the Faculty of Nursing. Students need to keep their criminal record check and present it to clinical agencies upon their request. Criminal record checks are considered valid for 90 days, so additional checks will need to be acquired throughout the program.
Students enrolled in NURS 511, NURS 567 , NURS 571 , or 581 may also be required to obtain a Child Intervention Record Check (Child Welfare Check). These are obtained from Child and Family Services Authority offices, and specific information may be obtained at the Undergraduate Nursing Office located on the third floor of the Clinical Sciences Building.
- Professional Ethics/Code of Student Behaviour: All students enrolled in the Faculty of Nursing are bound by, and shall comply with, the Professional Codes of Ethics governing the profession and practice of Nursing.
- “Professional Codes of Ethics” means the current Canadian Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses, and all other relevant professional codes and practice standards for registered nurses.
- It is the responsibility of each Faculty of Nursing graduate student to obtain, and be familiar with, such Professional Codes of Ethics, and their amendments as may be made from time to time. (See §30.1 and 30.2 of the Code of Student Behaviour). Amendments to the Code of Student Behaviour occur throughout the year. The official version of the Code of Student Behaviour, as amended from time to time, is housed on the University Governance website at www.governance.ualberta.ca.
Program Requirements
Student programs are designed on an individual basis within the MN curriculum and in light of the student’s career goals, clinical interests, and research interests. Students normally complete a minimum of ten courses plus thesis (thesis-based program) or eleven courses plus NURS 900 (course-based program) over the duration of their program.
For the Specialization in Aging, students choose either a thesis-based or a course-based program. Thesis students take ten required courses and complete a thesis. Course-based students take eleven courses (including one elective in their area of interest) and complete a capping exercise.
The Faculty of Nursing recommends that all MN students register in at least ★9 in each September to August period. Thesis-based students who register full-time in their first full year (minimum ★9 Fall Term and minimum ★9 Winter Term) will be required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research to continue with full-time registration throughout the program.