Career change to Nursing in Canada

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I'm 30 years old male and I have worked in the Non-profit sector in my native Pakistan for 3 years (I'm also a Canadian Permanent Resident). My undergraduate studies were in social science. My father sadly still believes nursing is a woman's profession but I think it would suit me and am determined to prove him wrong :) .

I wanted to switch into Nursing via an accelerated BScN (Trent, Toronto, York, Memorial, and I'm searching). I have most of the pre-requisites except ONE Human Anatomy and Physiology. Is there a cheap online course I could take? Or would these schools admit me and let me take this one course when I'm enrolled?

Most schools say they don't review transcripts in advance of the admission cycle so no help there.

Secondly, how much does the name of your nursing school matter in Canada? A little or a lot? At the end of the day don't they all take the same certification exam so should I just look at the pass rate ?

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Secondly, how much does the name of your nursing school matter in Canada? A little or a lot? At the end of the day don't they all take the same certification exam so should I just look at the pass rate ?

Name does not matter. Every Canadian graduate writes the NCLEX.

Sorry, don't have much to say about the previous stuff!

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There is no such animal as a cheap on line university level course.

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There are some online options for A&P 1&2. Thomspon Rivers Online has it, as does Athabasca. I think they all run around $500/course.

You'd want to check whether the schools you're hoping to apply to will accept those credits. They usually have a list of acceptable A&P courses from various institutions.

Also check for details about the admission criteria for the schools you're targetting. There is a school out here that does a 36 month BSN & currently priority admits everyone with a previous bachelors plus minimum C+ in two A&P courses, stats, & 2 English courses; your actual grades don't really matter - just tick off those requirements and you're in. UBC otoh has a 20 month program but considers GPA and volunteering and life experience.

IF GPA will matter, I'd suggest doing the A&P in a face to face format. I've heard a number of people say that the online courses are way harder to get through (& depending on the schools some will require that you also do a lab portion, which will require travel to the lab for a 1-2 week intensive)....

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I did A&P through Thompson Rivers University online. The price was a little more expensive than the other UBC courses I was taking at the time but not by much (was a few years ago though). I would recommend it overall and I know UBC and UofT nursing (both accelerated BSN programs) accept the course. I wasn't hard for me to get a good grade doing it online as long as you're willing to put the work in.

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Name of the nursing program doesn't matter. All have to meet the same expectations to become a RN in the end. Some schools try to be snobby but to be honest, I have many friends and colleagues from various Canadian BScN programs who come out of the program knowing how to write a paper but not landmark an injection. So it's neither here nor there! Just double check with the institutions you decide to apply to, as the other poster said, to make sure the course you choose is accepted by them. And be extra careful with the Athabasca course. I know they are accredited but I've heard many laugh at the idea that someone took an Athabasca course, and you don't want to even get me going on the Masters programs there! Word is slowly spreading and I'm not sure they are the highest regarded...at least from what I have been exposed to.

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