The first intake of this program is scheduled for Winter 2026. Applications open February 3, 2025.
Applicants that require any of the 18 university transfer credits for admission into the this program are encouraged to Apply Now! for the Academic Foundations for potential Psychiatric Nursing program. For course planning help, please contact Michelle Hunt at huntm1@douglascollege.ca
Advance your nursing career and become a Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) with Douglas College’s Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Access to the Bachelor of Science in Psychiatric Nursing (BSPN) program. You'll gain specialized psychiatric nursing skills and knowledge to meet the growing demand for mental health and substance use care in British Columbia.
This pathway is open to current LPNs who hold a valid B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives license and have a Practical Nursing Diploma or a Certificate with a Health Authority Upgrade. You will graduate fully prepared to write the Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Canada Examination to be certified as a RPN.
Work while you learn
Designed for working LPNs, this part-time, 2.5-year program offers the flexibility to study online while continuing to work in your home community. Throughout the program, you'll participate in online courses, with a one-week in-person residency at Douglas College in semester four, and a final preceptorship in semester five that can be completed in your local community.
Paid education
As part of a government-funded project, you may also be eligible for up to $20,000 in government funding* to help cover tuition costs.
*Restrictions apply. Visit the B.C Nurses’ Union website for funding and eligibility details.
Applicants must meet the admissions requirements listed below:
I. Academic Admission Requirements
1. Successful completion of the following 18 required university transfer (UT) credits (note 2), with a minimum grade of C+ in each course
2. Practical Nursing (PN) Diploma OR
Practical Nurse Certificate with Health Authority upgrade AND each of the following additional 9 University Transferable (UT) credits with a minimum grade of C+ in each of the courses (note 4):
3. Current Practical Nurse license with British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM).
4. Official transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions attended must be submitted directly to Douglas College. Failure to do so may result in the application being denied, and/or the student being withdrawn from the program.
5. An attestation letter from the institution that granted the Practical Nursing Diploma or Practical Nurse Certificate with Health Authority upgrade. The letter must indicate if any transfer credit was granted by the institution and used towards the diploma or certificate, along with a listing of those courses. The letter must also state which (if any) courses on the transcript were NOT used to fulfill the requirements of the diploma or certificate (note 5)
Notes:
II. Prerequisites for Clinical Practice Education
1. Immunizations - A current record of immunizations must be provided. Applicants must obtain all immunizations mandated by the Health Authorities or Public Health orders to be permitted access to clinical sites. This is a prerequisite for nursing practice courses in the BSPNUR_L program. All costs related to required immunizations and/or testing are the responsibility of the applicant.
Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.
For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.
Graduation Requirements
Curriculum Framework
| PNUR Required Courses (no course substitutions) | Credit | |
| PNUR 3700 | Professional Psychiatric Nursing Concepts | 3.00 |
| PNUR 4576 | Trauma Informed Practices | 3.00 |
| PNUR 4585 | Psychiatric Nursing in Addictions and Mental Health | 3.00 |
| PNUR 3402 | Psychiatric Nursing Concepts | 3.00 |
| PNUR 3171 | Family Health Promotion of Psychiatric Nursing Practice | 3.00 |
| PHIL 3125 | Ethics for Psychiatric Nursing | 3.00 |
| PNUR 4575 | Psychiatric Nursing Research | 3.00 |
| PNUR 4573 | Psychiatric Nursing of Children and Adolescents | 3.00 |
| PNUR 3321 | Therapeutic Relations III | 1.50 |
| PNUR 3421 | Therapeutic Relations IV | 1.50 |
| PNUR 3330 | Clinical Procedures III | 1.50 |
|
Therapeutic Relations V |
1.50 | |
|
Psychiatric Nursing Community Concepts |
3.00 | |
|
Psychiatric Nursing Leadership and Management |
3.00 | |
|
Psychiatric Nursing Clinical Practice V: Preceptorship Experience |
9.00 | |
|
TOTAL |
45.00 |
|
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs) are nurses who specialize in psychiatric or mental health care. They may perform standard nursing functions but also possess the clinical knowledge and skills required in mental health care settings. RPNs practice as part of a multidisciplinary team. They assess patient needs, develop therapeutic relationships, and assist them in reaching their optimum level of health.
Registered Psychiatric Nurses practice in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon Territory and certain eastern provinces (refer to a provincial regulatory body website for more information). RPNs (or equivalent) practice in many of the Commonwealth countries. United States does not have a distinct regulatory body for RPN employment.
Registered Psychiatric Nurses are governed under the Health Professions Act along with other nursing bodies and health professionals in this province. RPNs are not educated to practice in obstetrics, pediatrics or advanced medical/surgical settings.
If you do not have all the required courses to apply for the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing Program, the first step is to apply apply to Douglas College. We recommend applying for the Academic Foundations for Potential Psychiatric Nursing Applicants (AFPNUR) program.
Once you are admitted to Douglas College, you will receive a registration date and time to register for courses. While waiting to register, review the academic admission requirement for the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing Program and the course requisites.
For help planning your courses, please contact Michelle Hunt at huntm1@douglascollege.ca
AFPNUR is a limited enrolment program that allows for priority registration into the courses required for admission to the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing program. Students who are admitted to AFPNUR are not guaranteed admission to the LPN Access program.
If you do not meet the admission requirement for this program, Admissions offer you admission into another program at the College so you can work towards the admission requirements.
Yes, most students can transfer equivalent coursers provided they meet our transfer credit requirements. For detailed and up-to-date information on transferring credits to Douglas College, see our Transfer Your Credits page.
Transfer credit from other educational institutions is not automatically granted. Students must request transfer credit by submitting an official transcript from the educational institution where the course was taken, along with a Transfer Credit Request Form.
Detailed course outlines of courses taken at a B.C. institution may also need to be submitted before credit can be evaluated. Submission of detailed course outlines will be required for credit evaluation of courses taken outside of B.C. institutions.
No. Courses that were used to meet the graduation requirements of your Practical Nursing Diploma cannot be used a second time toward graduation of the Bachelor of Science in Psychiatric Nursing.
Academic admission requirement courses are not offered every semester, seats are limited in each course, and registration is competitive. It is recommended that you register on the date and at the time your registration period begins to increase your chances of securing seats in the courses you require to be admitted into the LPN Access program. Students that have been admitted to AFPNUR will receive early registration.
Recommended course Schedule:
You will take AFPNUR courses to increase your scope and breadth of knowledge to practice in the psychiatric nursing profession. This is a recommended schedule for the AFPNUR courses that are required before applying to the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing program. Certain courses will have reserved seats for LPN students in the semesters as outlined below:
Winter Semester
BIOL 1104 (3) Introduction to Human Anatomy & Physiology *Reserved seats
PSYC 1100 (3) An Introduction to Psychology I | Summer Semester
PSYC 1200 (3) An Introduction to Psychology II
ENGL 1130 (3) Academic Writing
| Fall Semester
BIOL 2401 (3) Introductory Microbiology for Health Sciences *Reserved seats
MATH 1160 (3) Introduction to Statistics OR PSYC 2300 (3) Data Analysis in Psychology OR BUSN 2429 (3) Business Statistics |
Notes: The Biology Department has reserved seats in BIOL 1104 for the Winter semesters only. There are reserved seats for BIOL 2401 (only offered in an online, asynchronous format) in the Fall semesters. As online BIOL 1104 and BIOL 2401 can only be taken at Douglas College, it is recommended that students take these courses in the semesters as outlined above.
PSYC 2300 can only be taken after PSYC 1100 and PSYC 1200 are completed as they are prerequisites for this course. It is recommended that PSYC 1100 is taken in the Winter semester and PSYC 1200 is taken in the Summer semester so PSYC 2300 can be taken in the Fall semester.
As part of AFPNUR, LPN students will be required to take either MATH 1160, PSYC 2300, or BUSN 2429 (or an equivalent course). Math upgrading may be required to meet the math prerequisites for registration into one of these courses.
Students may apply to the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing program following completion of all university transfer courses with a minimum grade of C+ in each course. Students are accepted into the LPN Access program on a first qualified, first admitted bases.
There is one intake per year in the Winter semesters. After completing the AFPNUR courses, students will be able to apply to the LPN Access program. After applying, students will receive an email from the Admissions Officer with detailed instructions regarding your next steps.
Students are expected to have sufficient computer skills to manage online learning.
Students in the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing program can only register in the same required associated studies course or BSPN course a maximum of twice (this includes “W” withdrawals that appear on a student’s transcript). Students in the LPN Access program are required to obtain a passing grade of C+ or higher in all BSPN and associated studies courses to progress in the program.
Tuition deposit
When offered a seat in this part-time program, a non-refundable, non-transferable tuition deposit is required.
Important Academic Admission Requirement Course Planning Considerations
1. Some academic admission requirement courses have prerequisites. Please check each course in the course catalogue prior to registration.
2. Courses used towards a student's previous diploma or degree may not be duplicated or used towards the BSPN degree.
3. If a student does not have high school credit for Foundations of Math 11 (or equivalent) with a minimum grade of C, Math upgrading may be required to meet the prerequisite for PSYC 2300 or MATH 1160 (or equivalent). If wanting to take BUSN 2429, BC Principles of Math 12 or Pre-calculus 12 with a minimum grade of C is required, or FINC 1231.
4. BIOL 1104 can only be taken at Douglas College. In the Winter semesters, there are reserved seats in BIOL 1104 for LPN students. Refer to the Associated Studies Template for recommendations on how to take the academic admission requirement courses for the LPN Access program.
See FAQ's for more information
CAREER PATHWAYS
Graduates of the LPN Access to Psychiatric Nursing program can expect to find work in the following settings: