Certificate in Registered Nurse Prescribing

Offered by:  Faculty of Health, School of Nursing

Coordinator: Dr. Marilyn Macdonald, marilyn.macdonald@dal.ca

Overview:

The Dalhousie University School of Nursing has developed this graduate level certificate educational program for RN prescribing that will prepare Registered Nurses to assume the expanded role enabled by the Framework for RN Prescribing in Canada developed by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). This certificate has been developed in collaboration with the Nova Scotia College of Nursing, IWK Health Centre, NSHA, and the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.

This certificate is intended to prepare RNs with the knowledge to deliver evidence-based practice in prescribing while further refining their clinical decision-making skills. It is also intended to provide RNs with opportunities to optimize their scope of practice and prepare them to prescribe safely and cost efficiently.

Upon completion, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate competency in clinical decision making, driven by rigorous/trustworthy peer-reviewed evidence combined with patient/family choice and ability.
2. Extend and optimize their current scope of practice by learning to safely and efficiently prescribe, enabling them to meaningfully contribute to meeting the needs of patients.

Admission Requirements / Eligibility:

• Undergraduate degree in Nursing or Diploma
• RN License in the Province of NS
• Minimum GPA of 3.3 on a Dalhousie grade scale
• Baccalaureate prepared nurses must have a minimum of three (3) years of continuous clinical practice in an employer-designated area of clinical practice.
• Diploma prepared nurses must have a minimum of four (4) years experience in a designated area.

Employer sponsored request for enrolment – Nurses applying to the certificate program will be required to provide a letter from the Program Director (Nova Scotia Health Authority or IWK Health Centre) requesting that the applicant be considered for admission and outlining the program intent to sponsor and to support RN prescribing in the designated area where the applicant is practicing. The Associate Director Graduate Studies, School of Nursing, will confirm the letter of support with the signatory.

Certificate Requirements:

Core course requirements:

NURS 5740.03 Advanced Health Assessment
NURS 5736.03 Pharmacotherapeutics for Registered Nurse (RN) Prescribing (P)
NURS 5630.03 Integrated Professional Practicum for Registered Nurse (RN) Prescribing (P)

Application Process:

• Submit online application and application fee. See Faculty of Graduate Studies website for more infomration.
• Request official transcripts of all post-secondary education be sent to Dalhousie University (Dalhousie transcripts are not required)
• Submit resume (including RN license number) to graduate.nursing@dal.ca
• Request letter of support (see above) from Program Director to be sent to graduate.nursing@dal.ca

Application Deadline: Complete applications to be submitted by mid-november. Please check the department's website for exact deadlines.

Application of Credit Hours Towards Other Degree Requirements:

Courses completed as part of this certificate may be counted towards the requirements of a concurrent degree, subject to approval by the student’s supervisor/advisor and graduate coordinator in their primary degree program. Courses not approved to count towards the primary degree requirements will result in additional tuition fees on a per-course fee basis.