Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner

The Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Graduate Diploma will prepare graduates to provide primary health care at an advanced level to clients of all ages. The PHCNP Diploma program is ideal for Master's-prepared Registered Nurses with a strong interest in the clinical aspects of primary health care nursing delivery at an advanced level. It provides students with the opportunity to expand their nursing scope of practice through advanced, evidence-based practice and education, and prepares them for certification and practice as a Nurse Practitioner. Graduates who obtain a PHCNP Graduate Diploma are eligible to write the CNPE.

For RNs who are not Master’s-prepared, please see Master of Nursing - Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner.

Program Length

• 3 terms (Full-time study)
• 6 to 9 terms (Part-time study)

Program Design

• Full-time or part-time study
• Course-based

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fee schedules (per term) are posted on the Office of the Registrar's website at http://www.registrar.uwo.ca/student_finances/fees_refunds/fee_schedules.html

Graduate Student Affordability Calculator

Use this helpful tool to estimate how much money you will need to pay for your tuition, fees, housing, food, and other necessities for a 12-month (three term) academic year.

Admission Requirements

• Completion of a bachelor’s degree in nursing (e.g., BScN, BSN, BN). Internationally educated nurses may be asked to submit a World Evaluation Services (WES) report to confirm degree equivalence to those accredited by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN).
• Completion of a Master's degree in Nursing or a field related to health care.
• GPA of 78% (B+) or higher. Admission averages are based on the last two years of full-time study or the last 10 part-time credits.
• Undergraduate preparation in research and statistics.
• Applicants must be registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario as a Registered Nurse (RN) in good standing with no practice restrictions. (Out of province applicants may apply with other Canadian registration, but will be required to show CNO registration as a condition of their admission).
• Completion of the equivalent of two years full-time RN practice (3,640 hours) within the past five years (some of those hours must be completed in Canada).

English Language Proficiency

Applicants with CNO registration are not required to provide evidence of their proficiency in the use of the English language. Applicants without CNO registration whose first language is not English must provide evidence of their proficiency in the use of the English language by a satisfactory achievement within the last two years in one of the following:

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). iBT (internet-Based Test): The minimum acceptable score is 86, with no individual score below 20. Please note that some programs require a higher minimum and/or band score. [Western's TOEFL ID is 0984].
• The International English Language Testing Service (IELTS Academic). The minimum acceptable score is 6.5 out of 9.
• The Duolingo English Test.  The minimum acceptable score is 115.
• The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL Assessment). The minimum acceptable score is 60.
• Western English Language Centre. The requirement is successful completion of the High-Advanced level.
• Fanshawe College’s ESL Program. The requirement is graduation from Level 10, English for Academic Purposes, with a minimum 80% in all components.

Applicants who are required to present evidence of proficiency in English must make their own arrangements to complete one of the above tests or programs and to have the official results sent directly to SGPS by the testing agency.

Application Deadline

• February 1

Acceptance notification begins at the end of March. Preference is given to full-time applications.