First year clinical placements are focused on caring for older adults in independent living and long-term care facilities. Skills practiced in clinicals during the first year of the program include: patient ambulation, head-to-toe assessments, vital signs, personal care (e.g., toileting, bathing, dressing, feeding), and medication administration (oral, nasal, inhalation, rectal, etc.). 

N180 (Nursing Practice 1)

Independent Living Facilities

N181 (Nursing Practice 2) & N190 (CPE 1)

Acute Care

RJH 4NW (Alternate Level of Care)

Long-Term Care

Aberdeen Hospital

The Priory (Heritage Woods)

The Summit

Resthaven Lodge

Gorge RD Hospital

Saanich Penninsula Hospital (Extended Care Unit)

Glengarry Hospital

Veterans Memorial

The Heights

James Bay Care Center

Second Year

Second year clinical placements move into acute care units at either Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH), Victoria General Hospital (VGH), or Saanich Penninsula Hospital (SPH). N280 will be on general medicine units and N281 opens up doors to surgical and lifespan (pediatrics, maternity) units. CPE 2 will be mostly the same units as N280/281, with the addition of mental health. Skills in second year are expanded to include: parenteral medication administration (subcutaneous, intradermal, intramuscular), administration of IV fluids, wound care, NG tubes

Third Year

Third year clinical placements are in specialty med-surg areas, with the addition of more complex areas and specialties. Once you get to the UVic portion of the program in Academic Term 6, you're able to rank patient populations you wish to work with (e.g., mental health, pediatrics, geriatrics, etc.) and they try to place you on a unit that serves your desired clientele. Third years, after taking N380 will have a full scope of nursing practice skills, including the addition of: intravenous (IV) insertion, urinary catheter insertion, advanced wound care, chest tube care, and tracheostomy care.

Fourth Year

In your final year of the BSN program, you will have the opportunity to go to community placements in Academic Term 7 and then do your final CPE and preceptorship. In your last semester of the program (N475/491), if you have a B+ average and letters of recommendation, you may be able to do specialty training in either the OR, ER, or NICU. These specialty training programs are highly competitive and require you to do additional training online either through Island Health or BCIT and have a mandatory 18-month return of service requirement. 

N475/491 (CPE 5/Final Preceptorship)

Same as previous placements with the addition of:

Victoria General Hospital (VGH)

Emergency Department (additional requirements needed)

Operating Room (additional requirements needed)

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (additional requirements needed)

Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH)

Emergency Department (additional requirements needed)

Operating Room (additional requirements needed)

BC Cancer Agency

VGH vs. RJH

The main difference between RJH and VGH are the units and services offered. VGH is the level 1 trauma center and is the only hospital in Victoria that offers pediatrics (including pediatric mental health and pediatric intensive care), maternity, women's health/gynecology, and neurosurgery. RJH is home to the island's cardiac center (including cardiovascular units, heart health, and open heart surgeries) and is the only hospital in Victoria that has adult mental health units. Both hospitals have intensive care (ICU) and high acuity (HAU) units. 

Off-Site Clinical Placements

Once in the UVic portion of the program, students may be able to request off-site clinical placements at hospitals other than RJH and VGH such as those on the lower mainland, up-island, or elsewhere. To do this, students must find a unit/site willing to sponsor them in their clinical practice.