Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Years 1 and 2)

Okanagan College (OC), in partnership with the University of British Columbia's Okanagan Campus (UBCO) offers Years one and two of the four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program offered at UBCO. Both programs are recognized by the British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives (BCCNM).

OC students who successfully complete all courses in Years 1 and 2, according to the requirements listed below, will be granted admission to the BSN program at UBCO to complete the final two years of the program.

Admission to the Nursing program at UBCO cannot be guaranteed for students who take a leave after completing the first two years of the program at Okanagan College.

OC applicants are advised to consult the admissions section of the Academic Calendar for UBC and the program specific admission requirements.

Requirements for transfer to UBCO are:

• A minimum grade of 60 in each nursing course;
• A minimum grade of 60 in each non-nursing course taken as part of the BSN program; and,
• An overall (cumulative) grade average of 65 or greater.
• Students completing BSN Years 1 and 2 with no more than one semester where their GPA is below 65 (but at least 60) who have satisfactorily completed BSN Year 1 and 2 practice courses will be admitted to UBCO and placed on academic probation for BSN Year 3.

It is important for students to note that the curriculum of the nursing program at OC and UBCO is different than the curriculum of the nursing program at UBC's Vancouver Campus.  The partnership between OC and UBCO does not provide for direct transfer to UBC's Vancouver Campus.

Following successful completion of the four-year BSN program, graduates are eligible to write the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) - RN and to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse with the BCCNM. 

Upon graduation and application to be a registered nurse, graduates are required to meet the Competencies in the Context of Entry-Level Registered Nurse Practice in British Columbia and the Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses in British Columbia.  For students to obtain the Competencies for Entry Level Registered Nursing Practice certain basic skills and abilities are required and it is important that students are aware of these prior to applying for admission to the nursing program.  The requirements are called the Requisite Skills and Abilities and can be viewed at Requisite skills and abilities (bccnm.ca).

Program Goals

Learning outcomes within each course in the BSN program are achieved by the interaction among students, clients, faculty, and practice partners in a process of lifelong learning.  At completion of the nursing program, graduates will:

1. Practice nursing within a framework of promoting health and healing through the integration of the art and science of nursing within a variety of contexts and with diverse client populations.
2. Be accountable practitioners providing care and making decisions based on relationships with others, nursing knowledge, and different ways of knowing.
3. Influence the current reality and future of nursing practice and health care at the economic, political, social, environmental and professional levels by anticipating and responding to the changing needs of society.
4. Be critically reflective, independent and motivated practitioners with an inquiry approach to lifelong learning.

Overview of the Program

The BSN Program, Years 1 and 2, at Okanagan College offers the same courses as the first two years of the BSN program at UBCO. 

Each year has two semesters, during which the student takes classroom, lab and practice courses. The courses focus on Nursing, Biology, and English. Practice experiences are an integral part of the nursing program and may be offered at various sites (e.g. hospitals, residential care facilities, and community agencies) throughout the Okanagan Valley. Students are responsible for transportation to various practice sites.

A program outline for BSN Years 1 and 2 is listed below. There are 66 required credits in Years 1 and 2 at OC. The 64 credits required in Years 3 and 4 at UBCO must be taken at UBCO to meet residency requirements.  To view an outline of Years 3 and 4 of the program, please see the UBCO Calendar. http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=18,288,1076,0

Admission Requirements

• B.C. senior secondary graduation or equivalent as of the first day of classes.
• Biology 11 or Life Sciences 11 or an equivalent Advanced Level Adult Basic Education Biology course.
• A minimum of 67% in any of: Biology 12 or Anatomy and Physiology 12 or an equivalent Provincial Level Adult Basic Education Biology course.
• Chemistry 11 or an equivalent Advanced Level Adult Basic Education Chemistry course.
• A minimum of 67% in any of: Chemistry 12 or an equivalent Provincial Level Adult Basic Education Chemistry course.
• English 12 with minimum 70% or alternatives.

• Math requirement:

A minimum of 50% in any of:

• Foundations of Mathematics Grade 12
• Pre-Calculus Grade 11
• Principles of Mathematics 11
• Adult Basic Education MATH 011

Courses taught in French can be used for admission, but Francais 12 cannot be used in place of English 12.

Official transcripts (interim and final) must be submitted by February 28. All secondary school courses must be completed by June 30. All upgrading courses must be completed by June 30.

Applicants applying to the program with post-secondary course work

Applicants with prior post-secondary work should present three credits of English, Mathematics and Chemistry and six credits of Biology. An example of this credit at OC which meets these requirements are:

• ENGL 100, ENGL 150, ENGL 151, or ENGL 153
• MATH 120, MATH 112, or MATH 122
• CHEM 112, CHEM 111, or CHEM 121
• BIOL 112 and BIOL 122, or BIOL 111 and BIOL 121, or BIOL 131 and BIOL 133, or BIOL 231 and BIOL 235

A minimum grade average of 65% in the post-secondary academic courses is required to be considered for admission.

If an applicant has not fulfilled these requirements at the post-secondary level, the program prerequisites must be satisfied at the high school level. For example, if an applicant submits English and Mathematics post-secondary course work, they will need to provide Chemistry and Biology course work at the Grade 11 and 12 level.

Okanagan College reserves the right to determine if post-secondary academic courses will be considered for the purpose of meeting the admission requirements. Post-secondary courses that were taken more than 10 years ago may be accepted for admission, but cannot be used for transfer credits within the BSN program. Okanagan College reserves the right to make the assessment.

All post-secondary courses must be completed by April 30.

Regardless of the number of credits earned, students with unsatisfactory standing or who have been required to withdraw from another post-secondary institution will only be considered for admission upon approval of the Dean and the Registrar.

Applicants to the OC BSN program, Years 1 and 2, with prior post-secondary credits transferable to UBCO, may not be able to apply these credits towards their nursing degree at UBCO due to UBC's residency requirements. Applicants with transfer credit are advised to consult with Academic Advising at UBCO.

Additional Requirements (All Applicants)

Admission requirements to be submitted as part of the admissions process:

• Current certification in Occupational First Aid Level I or Standard First Aid.
• Current certification in CPR Level C. This must be maintained throughout the program.  
• A criminal record check clearance from the B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General's Criminal Records Review Office. Okanagan College's admission offices will provide applicants with instructions and forms for applicants to submit to the Solicitor General's Office and a deadline for the College to receive the clearance letter. Applicants should only initiate their criminal record check when instructed by Admissions. Failure to provide a clearance letter by the deadline will result in a cancellation of the applicant's admission application.
• Results of tuberculin testing done no more than six months before the date of application, with evidence of appropriate follow up if the test was positive.

Program requirements: The following information will be collected on the first day of class by the instructor:

• Up-to-date Immunization Record based on vaccinations listed below. Applicants are advised that, if they choose not to complete this recommended immunization schedule, any outbreak of an infectious disease can have serious implications for their practice experience because of a requirement by the Health Authority that all those not immunized remain outside of the practice area.

1. Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoid (Td) - Booster doses of Td are recommended every 10 years, or as a minimum at least once during adult life.
2. Measles Vaccine - If born between 1957 and 1970, you should have proof of two live measles vaccinations, documentation of physician-diagnosed measles or laboratory evidence of immunity. If you already received one dose of measles vaccine, a second dose of vaccine is recommended and is given as Measles Mumps (MMR) vaccine.
3. Polio Vaccine - Primary immunization with inactivated poliomyelitis vaccine (IPV) is indicated for all who have not had a primary course of poliovirus vaccine (OPV or IPV). If you have not been given a full primary course, you should have the series completed with IPV regardless of the interval since the last dose. Booster doses of IPV are not required in Canada.
4. Rubella Vaccine - If you do not have documented immunity as described above under Measles, you should be vaccinated with MMR, unless there are contraindications.
5. Hepatitis B Vaccine - Recommended because of potential exposure to blood or body fluids, as well as increased risk of penetrating injuries.
6. Varicella Vaccine - Indicated for those who do not have either reliable history of disease or serologic evidence of immunity.
7. Flu Immunization - Annual Flu immunization is recommended.

• Signed copy of BCCNM Requisite Skills and Abilities form indicating the student is aware of and understands the fundamental requirements of the BCCNM requisite skills and abilities of nursing and believes they have the ability to meet the requirements. The full text of the BCCNM Requisite Skills and Abilities document can be found at the following link: Requisite skills and abilities (bccnm.ca).

Applicants are strongly advised to have at least a beginner’s level of competency with computers and word processing before entering the Nursing program.

Ranking Process

Once the general admission requirements are met by submitting official transcripts of final grades or proof of enrolment and expected completion by the deadline dates, high school applicants and transfer applicants are ranked in separate categories according to grade average(s).

For students with less than 24 transferable credits, the high school averages will include (click here for additional information under the High School course section):

Overall Average:  all Grade 11 and 12 courses except: applied design, skills, and technologies courses; career education courses; physical and health education courses; and faith-based courses.

Core Average: All courses used to meet the admission requirements plus Grade 11 and 12 mathematics, computation, science and language arts courses.

Advanced placement courses may be weighted more heavily. Interim grades may be used if available.

Depending on the amount of transferable* courses the student has completed, the admission average is calculated as follows:

• 0-6 credits - admission averages based on high school courses only.
• 7-23 credits - admission averages based on high school courses and post-secondary courses (calculated using all transferable credits taken).
• 24-30 credits - admission average based on post-secondary courses (calculated using all transferable courses).
• More than 30 credits - admission average based on the 30 most recently completed transferable courses.

Transferable post-secondary courses in mathematics, computation, science and languages will be weighted more heavily.

* Transferable courses are those that have transfer credit to at least one B.C. research university (Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia Vancouver or Okanagan, University of Northern British Columbia, University of Victoria). Okanagan College reserves the right to make the assessment of transferability and to determine if post-secondary academic courses will be considered including but not limited to courses taken over 10 years ago and courses not listed on the BC Transfer Guide.

Seats are offered to applicants in rank order beginning with those that have the highest average from each category. The class will have the same proportion of regular and transfer students as the qualified applicant pool.

If a conditionally admitted student’s average drops significantly once all grades are received, the College may rescind the offer of admission.

Program Outline