Course Details and Textbooks

Please see the Plan of Study details for more information about the program.

Core Courses

Professional Nursing in Canada

Professional Communication

  • Course Tuition: $300
  • Delivery: Online learning with in-person lab sessions
  • Length: 6–8 weeks
  • Textbook: Mallette, C., & Yonge, O. (2027). Arnold and Boggs's interpersonal relationships: Professional communication skills for Canadian nurses (2nd ed.). Elsevier.
  • Outline: Professional Communication course outline

Health Assessment

  • Course Tuition: $550
  • Delivery: Online learning with in-person lab sessions
  • Length: 10–11 weeks
  • Textbook: Jarvis, C., Browne, A. J., MacDonald-Jenkins, J., & Luctkar-Flude, M. (2024).  Physical examination and health assessment (4th Canadian ed.). Elsevier.
  • Outline: Health Assessment course outline

Changes in Health and Therapeutic Interventions I

Pharmacology

  • Course Tuition: $250
  • Delivery: Online learning with online classroom session(s)
  • Length: 9 weeks
  • Textbook: Sealock, K. & Seneviratne, C. (2025). Lilley’s Pharmacology for Canadian Health Care Practice (5th ed.). Elsevier.
  • Outline: Pharmacology course outline

Medication Administration

Clinical Nursing Skills

Changes in Health and Therapeutic Interventions II

Clinical Course: Medical-Surgical

  • Course Tuition:
    • Instructor-led and preceptored clinicals: $800
    • Preceptored clinical only: $500
  • Delivery:
    • Clinical Course: Medical Surgical consists of two portions, Instructor-led and Preceptor-led: 
      • Instructor-led consists of 160 hours in a group placement with an RNBRP instructor. Shifts will be 12-hour day shifts (0700-1900).
      • Preceptor-led consists of 160 hours in an individual placement with an assigned preceptor. Learners are expected to do all shifts with their assigned preceptor, including weekends, days and nights.
    • Learners must complete requirements as indicated on their referrals; this may include both course components, the preceptored clinical component only, or other variations
      • Note: Canadian-educated and licensed re-entry learners only complete the preceptor-led portion. Those with performance or competence issues requiring remediation may be required to complete both instructor-led and preceptor-led clinical to meet practice hours, as determined by NSCN or NS Health.
  • Length: 320 hours: 160 hours instructor-led, 160 hours preceptored clinical
  • Textbook: No textbook required
  • Outline: Clinical Course: Medical-Surgical course outline

Specialty Courses

Learners referred to complete a specialty clinical course, consisting of 80 hours, must first have completed the related specialty theory course. This is an individual, preceptor-led clinical placement. Efforts are made to obtain a preceptorship as close as possible to the learner’s home.

Learners are required to always wear nursing uniforms to clinical. If required, learners are responsible for the costs and arrangements of their own travel and accommodations. Please note, there is an extremely high demand for clinical placements due to large numbers of students and the retirement of many experienced preceptors.

The Learning Institute will strive to provide clinical course schedules to learners well in advance to allow learners to make arrangements with employers and family. However, given the current constraints in practice, units may not be able to confirm such information to us until very close to clinical start dates.

Child Health Nursing

  • Course Tuition:
    • Theory portion: $200
    • Clinical portion: $350
  • Delivery: Online learning
  • Length: 7–8 weeks
  • Textbook: Hockenberry, M., & Wilson, D. (2022). Wong’s essentials of pediatric nursing (11th ed.). Elsevier.
  • Outline: Child Health course outline

Perinatal Nursing

  • Course Tuition:
    • Theory portion: $200
    • Clinical portion: $350
  • Delivery: Online learning
  • Length: 7–8 weeks
  • Textbook: Keenan-Lindsay, L., Sams, C. A., & O'Connor, C. (2022). Perry's maternal child nursing care in Canada (3rd ed.). Elsevier.
  • Outline: Perinatal Health Nursing course outline

Mental Health and Addictions Nursing

  • Course Tuition:
    • Theory portion: $200
    • Clinical portion: $350
  • Delivery: Online learning
  • Length: 7–8 weeks
  • Textbook: Pollard, C. L., & Jakubec, S. L. (2023). Varcarolis’s Canadian psychiatric mental health nursing: A clinical approach (3rd ed.). Elsevier.
  • Outline:   Mental Health and Addictions Nursing course outline

Textbooks

We recommend purchasing the electronic version of the following textbooks, as page numbers for required readings will align with the electronic version. Some of the benefits of electronic textbooks are outlined in our Transition to Electronic Textbooks announcement.

Book List for Core Courses

Note: If you are taking all 3 core courses (Professional Communication, Health Assessment, and Pharmacology), the electronic textbooks can be purchased together as a bundle at a reduced cost.

Course Textbook ISBN
Professional Communication Mallette, C., & Yonge, O. (2027). Arnold and Boggs's interpersonal relationships: Professional communication skills for Canadian nurses (2nd ed.). Elsevier. 9780443284526
Health Assessment Jarvis, C., Browne, A. J., MacDonald-Jenkins, J., & Luctkar-Flude, M. (2024). Physical examination and health assessment (4th Canadian ed.). Elsevier. 9780323875219
Pharmacology Sealock, K. & Seneviratne, C. (2025). Lilley’s Pharmacology for Canadian Health Care Practice (5th ed.). Elsevier. 9780323811644

Book List for Specialty Courses

Course Textbook ISBN
Child Health Nursing Hockenberry, M., & Wilson, D. (2022). Wong’s essentials of pediatric nursing (11th ed.). Elsevier. 9780323683210
Perinatal Nursing Keenan-Lindsay, L., Sams, C. A., & O'Connor, C. (2022). Perry's maternal child nursing care in Canada (3rd ed.). Elsevier. 9780323759212
Mental Health and Addictions Nursing Pollard, C. L., & Jakubec, S. L. (2023). Varcarolis’s Canadian psychiatric mental health nursing: A clinical approach (3rd ed.). Elsevier. 9780323778817

Where to Purchase

Please check with your sponsoring manager prior to purchasing your textbook and keep your receipts. 

E-book codes can be purchased directly from the Elsevier Education Portal.

If you prefer to use a physical book, shipping is free when purchasing directly from Elsevier.

Elsevier offers a discounted price when purchasing the Professional Communication, Health Assessment, and Pharmacology books together. If you would like to purchase all three books at the same time and receive the 25% discount, please visit the links below:

The Nova Scotia Health Learning Institute for Health Care Providers offers education programming designed to meet the needs of learners across the province and strengthen our health care system. We are committed to delivering high-quality, evidence-informed programming that enables providers to develop and maintain foundational and specialty competencies.