The Ingram School of Nursing launched the first online academic program at McGill and Quebec's only online BNI program, welcoming our inaugural cohort of students in September 2021.
Like the Bachelor of Nursing (Integrated) on-campus stream, our online stream is open to graduates of the 180 A.0 Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) in Nursing from CEGEP, obtained within the past five years. Both online and on-campus streams have the same admission requirements and course of study. With the exception of clinical courses, all courses in the BNI Online stream are delivered online virtually. Some courses have synchronous components - the dates for these sessions are communicated at the start of each semester.
Prior to applying, you are strongly encouraged to consider if you are a good candidate for online learning. To succeed, you will need self-direction, capacity and ease for learning in a virtual environment, a willingness to learn how to use new software, a personal up-to-date computer, and reliable internet access. McGill’s Student learning resources website offers very useful advice and once you are accepted into the program, you will have access to additional online modules to help you become a successful online learner.
Overview
The Bachelor of Nursing (Integrated) (BNI) Program is designed for students who completed their 180 A.0 Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) in Nursing from CEGEP within the past five (5) years. Building on your knowledge base, our strengths-based, family-centred perspective will strengthen your critical thinking skills and prepare you for the varied roles expected of a baccalaureate nurse.
This Program is the final part of the 5-year DEC-BAC pathway, developed in partnership with anglophone CEGEPs (Dawson College, John Abbott College, Vanier College, Heritage College, Champlain Lennoxville and Champlain Saint-Lambert Colleges). The Program builds on the college foundation while offering a seamless and efficient transition into university-level nursing education.
Consisting of 65 credits taken at McGill, this full-time program is offered over a period of two years (5 semesters) full-time or three years part-time.
You will take a combination of nursing, science, and clinical courses that prepare you to practice in hospital, community, and public health settings.
The curriculum provides a strong foundation for those who wish to pursue graduate studies.
Focused clinical placements and theory-based courses will develop your:
- Community and public health nursing competencies
- acute care and critical care nursing competencies
- comprehensive competencies in research, legal and ethical frameworks, and additional domains of professional knowledge essential for effective nurse clinician practice.
Duration:
The full-time program is designed to be completed within 2 years.
- A summer semester in the first summer of the program must be taken
- 5 semesters in total
The part-time program is designed to be completed within 3 years. This program allows more flexibility for students who wish to work or have other commitments during their studies.
- A summer semester in the second summer of the program must be taken
- 7 semesters in total
Admission criteria:
The admission criteria for the Online Bachelor of Nursing (Integrated) stream are identical to those for the On-Campus stream. You must complete your application process by the March 1st deadline.
In addition to the University-wide admission regulations, the admission criteria are:
- The Online stream is open to graduates of the 180 A.0 Diplôme d’études collégiales (DEC) in Nursing from CEGEP
- The DEC in Nursing must be obtained within the past five years
- The R-score of students admitted to the program varies from year to year, depending on the applicant pool. The recommended R-score before applying is 25.5 or above
Description of courses
Courses in the BNI Online stream occur synchronously (in “real time”) and asynchronously (at your own time). Synchronous activities will require you to log into a class via conferencing software (e.g, Zoom or Teams). Most of the asynchronous activities are conducted on McGill’s learning platform (myCourses): they may include video- and audio-vignettes, readings, and online simulations.
Types of courses you will take:
- Inquiry-Based Learning courses: these small group-learning courses will require synchronous (real-time) attendance. Times of synchronous classes are announced at the start of each course.
- Blended modality theory courses: these courses are delivered online via the myCourses learning platform. These courses will have online and in-person student cohorts in one class, allowing for opportunities for online students to interact with on-campus peers and professors. All material for these courses is accessible online and all the meetings with the professors are recorded or streamed live.
- Online theory courses: these courses are delivered online, primarily in an asynchronous format. Discrete opportunities to meet with professors virtually and occasional synchronous meetings are possible.
- Clinical courses: in a variety of clinical and community settings. Always delivered in person. These courses are usually done with a preceptor and require students to be available on Day/Evening/Night shift, day and weekend, depending on the preceptor’s schedule. Students are provided their schedule at the start of the semester.
- Health and physical assessment courses: the online theory component is accompanied by virtual laboratory practice with the aid of virtual laboratory software. Students will have to purchase the license to access the software for 1 year. These courses will require synchronous (real-time) attendance. The times and dates are announced at the start of each course.
- Elective courses: students will select two elective courses of their choice to complement their studies in an area of their interest. The School of Nursing offers a limited number of online elective courses in the Fall and Winter semesters.
- Online students are allowed to take on-campus courses as their electives as well. The student is responsible for course attendance if they choose to take an on-campus course
- Students may choose to take an online elective at another university through the Inter-University Transfer Agreement. The information about the process is available in the Student and Faculty Handbook.
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Allied and nursing health courses and electives (theory) |
Inquiry-based Learning (IBL) courses |
Clinical and Health and Physical Assessment Courses |
Theory courses are offered online, mostly asynchronously. There may be some synchronous sessions throughout the semester - the dates and times for these are communicated at the start of each semester. Some courses are blended, which means that the course is delivered to online and on-campus students at the same time and certain elements of the course may be “live streamed” or recorded for online students. |
IBL courses are structured differently than others in this program. The active learning is centered around particular cases or practice scenarios (PS) where you apply an evdence-based learning cycle, working through a structured series of steps where you are encouraged to explore, analyze, and apply information. Teamwork and active participation in the process are key to your success. |
Clinical Placements The clinical courses take place in-person; every effort will be made to place you either in your current place of employment or your geographical location. The BNI program offers clinical placements in two key areas of baccalaureate nursing practice: Community Care and Critical Care. McGill lSoN students benefit from clinical placements in McGill-affiliated sites, which have a longstanding tradition of training and hiring McGill graduates across disciplines. Additionally, students gain valuable experience in non-affiliated sites across the Greater Montreal Area, exposing them to diverse healthcare environments, work cultures, and patient populations. Labs & SIMS The Laboratory and Simulation components of the courses will be online. Laboratory sessions and simulations are synchronous. |
Equipment and tools:
- You must have a personal up-to-date computer
- You must have reliable internet access
- You must have access to a quiet space where you can use the video-conferencing software