College Diploma - Practical Nursing

The Practical Nursing diploma is a two-year program leading toward registration as a Registered Practical Nurse in Ontario, and at $13,982 one of the lowest-priced health credentials at the North campus.

Coursework covers anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology and safe medication administration, health assessment and clinical skills, nursing care across the lifespan, medical-surgical nursing, mental health and gerontological nursing, maternal and child health, infection prevention and control, professional practice and ethics, and communication with patients and families. Clinical placements run in hospitals, long-term care and community settings throughout.

The RPN scope in Ontario is substantial — medication administration, wound care, assessment and care planning for patients with predictable outcomes — and long-term care and home care are in severe staffing shortage. RPN also functions as a bridge: several Ontario universities offer RPN-to-BScN pathways with credit for this diploma.

Clinical placement is a mandatory, graded component. Placements require immunisation records, a police vulnerable sector check, CPR certification and mask fit testing — students who cannot complete these cannot progress, so arrange them early.

This is a regulated health profession in Ontario. Graduating from the program is not the same as being licensed to practise: registration with the relevant Ontario college and a certification examination follow graduation. Confirm the current registration pathway for internationally educated applicants before you apply.

Humber Polytechnic — formerly Humber College — is Ontario’s largest public college and a Designated Learning Institution (DLI O19376943122). The North campus in Etobicoke is its main site, running technology, engineering, health science, business and skilled trades programs in purpose-built labs and shops rather than lecture halls, with three intakes a year and the deepest employer network in the Greater Toronto Area.

Its field maps to CIP 51.3901 (Licensed practical nursing). Important: this is a college credential rather than a degree, so it is not exempt from the November 2024 PGWP field-of-study restriction — eligibility depends on this CIP field appearing on IRCC’s eligible list when you apply. Humber publishes a PGWP-eligible program list with CIP codes; check it, and confirm with an Apply Study Visa counsellor before committing. IRCC makes the final decision.