🏫 Where would most of the classes be?

Are all NURS classes in one building? What buildings will my classes be in?
Your UVic classes can be scheduled anywhere on campus—there isn’t a single building dedicated to nursing. In your first semester, classes are commonly held in MacLaurin, Clearihue, David Strong, and the Engineering/Computer Science building.

🏋️‍♀️ Where is the gym and the closest parking?

The student gym is located in the CARSA building. The closest parking lot to CARSA is Parking Lot 2.

🚗 Parking Info

How much is parking? Which parking lot to park?
What does parking look like and how can I pay?
Parking space and pass
How does the parking at UVic look like? Charges per day?

Parking at UVic is cheaper than Camosun. Here's a breakdown:

• Outside Ring Road & Lot E
  
  

  • $2.50/hour or portion thereof

  • $10.00 daily max (until 11:59 PM)

  • $5.00 evening max (5:00 PM – 11:59 PM)

  • $5.00 Saturday max

  • $36.00 weekly permit (valid for 7 days from purchase)

• Inside Ring Road
  
  

  • $5.00 evening max (5:00 PM – 11:59 PM)

  • $5.00 Saturday max

Payment Options:

• Use the HonkMobile app (free on App Store/Google Play) for contactless payment. You can pay for parking and extend time remotely.

• Alternatively, buy a monthly parking pass for $79 at UVic Parking Services.

👩‍🏫 Class Structure

Are all the cohorts blended into one big group? Or are there separate classes still?
What do classes look like? How many people?
Will there be sections just like Camosun (i.e., section 1, 2, 3, etc)? How will we be assessed for clinicals?
How do the sections look like? Same cohorts as Camosun? Other institution students too?

At UVic, Camosun cohorts blend together, but classes are still divided into 2–4 sections to manage class sizes. There are approximately 160 students per year, so you won’t be with the exact same group from Camosun. Students from other institutions also join the program at UVic.
Clinical assessment is similar to Camosun, using EPAFs, praxis sessions, and critical reflections.

🎓 Fourth Year Timeline

What is the timeline towards the end of fourth year like at UVIC? Grad dates, end of classes/clinicals?
When do we start the winter semester?
For January–April 2026 what days are classes usually on? And there is no lab or clinical classes correct?

Your final semester (Winter: January–April) is full-time clinical through two courses:

• NURS 475 – Consolidated Practice Experience 5

• NURS 491 – Nursing Practice: Transitions

These are technically two courses but share the same clinical placement, starting the first week of January and ending around April 2nd, though exact dates vary.
You must complete a minimum of 394 hours.
Schedules vary (rotating shifts, set days, preceptorship, CLU model).
Convocation is held in June—for 2026, it’s scheduled between June 8–12, but the exact date/time is confirmed about a month prior.

💰 Tuition & Summer Clinical

How much is summer clinical?
When will we know how much to pay for tuition and how much?
What is the tuition cost?

Tuition at UVic is more expensive than Camosun:

• Summer & Final Winter Clinicals: ~$4,200 each

• Regular Class Semesters: ~$3,200
  Once you plan or register your classes, tuition costs will be visible in your student account.

🩺 Summer Clinical Details

How does summer clinical look like? When does it start and end?
What is the clinical portion like? Like the shift schedule and time commitment?
What is the approximate start and end date for the third year summer practicum? Is it true that it is being shortened this year?
How do clinicals look like? Hours? Schedule (provided by school or self-picked shifts as long as hours met)?

Summer clinical (after third year) is full-time, starting in May and ending between mid-July to mid-August, depending on your schedule and completion of 394 hours.
You’ll follow a full-time nurse schedule (8, 10, or 12-hour shifts, rotating or fixed).
You don’t pick your schedule, but you can request accommodations for special circumstances by contacting the clinical coordinators.

📍 Clinical Placement Requests

Can I request for my clinical placement during the summer?

Is it possible to have my placement in or around Vancouver?

Summer placements (May-August Term) are only available in the South Vancouver Island Region. Students can apply for an Out of Catchment Learning Pathway placement for NURS 475 and 491. Lower Mainland placements can be considered if they offer a learning opportunity not available in South Vancouver Island. Please be advised that students attending Post Secondary Institutes (PSIs) in the lower Mainland are given priority for placements in that area over those studying at other PSI’s.
UVic sends out a survey around March to gather your preferences for summer clinical placements. Watch your email for this. The same goes for the final placement, which the survey gets released early fall for that. 

Students who identify a learning opportunity that is not available in South Vancouver Island may apply to the Out of Catchment learning pathway. Third year students may apply for learning pathways in May/June. The deadline for learning pathway applications has not yet been finalized. Learning pathway information sessions are held in the spring so that students have time to prepare for the application.

The practica coordinators will be sharing practica information with the Term 6 students in 2026. We do this by presenting at the Term 6 orientation, and we will also hold a couple of practica specific information sessions in the new year.

📅 January Schedule Info

When are we getting information about our classes and schedule in January?
When will we get the schedule for January classes if we are in third year transferring to UVIC in 2026?

You’ll receive info and emails in December before your transition.
You’ll be auto-registered for your first UVic semester (Winter & Summer), just like at Camosun.
Your schedule is usually sent in late October or early November.

📝 Registration & Fees

When do I register for classes?
When do we need to deposit the Winter semester fees?
When do I register for my courses starting in January? Is it done automatically by college during transfer?

• You don’t need to register for your first two semesters at UVic (Winter & Summer)—the school does it for you.

• For fourth year (Fall & Winter), you’ll register yourself.

• Registration opens in Spring/Summer, and UVic will email you the exact date.

Tuition Deadlines:

• Fall (Term 1): September 30

• Winter (Term 2): January 31

• Summer Session: May 31

📊 GPA Requirements

What’s the minimum GPA to transfer in third year? Heard many conflicting answers.

• Minimum GPA at Camosun to stay in nursing: 60%

• Minimum GPA at UVic: 65%

📚 Course Load & Clinical Check-ins

Is the course load and grading similar to what we experienced at Camosun?
How often does the instructor check in with you during clinicals? EPAFs? Critical reflections? Meetings/praxis sessions?

At UVic, the course load is lighter, focusing more on theory and research.
Instructor check-ins vary—some are in-person, others online.
Clinical placements include:

• Midterm EPAF

• Final EPAF

• Praxis sessions

• Critical reflections

• Where are first year clinical placements?

  • In first year, care is focused on the older adult in the long-term care setting

• When will I be doing hospital/acute care placements?

  • Your first acute care placement will occur in N280 in your first term of second year

• What do I do in N180?

  • N180 gives students the opportunity to ease into clinical practice. Students will do a shadow shift with a second or third year student nurse, a presentation on hand-washing at local elementary schools, and interview an older adult in the independent living setting. 

• I feel out of place in clinicals

  • It is totally normal to feel out of place in first year, but the skills that you learn are very important and will be applicable throughout all years of nursing

• What am I allowed to do as a first year?

  • In N181, students are allowed to do personal care and assessment skills. In N190 (CPE 1), students will be able to administer medications (oral, ophthalmic, rectal, vaginal, ear, inhalational, and transdermal)

• I don't like clinicals, does that mean I won't be a good nurse?

  • Clinicals can often be challenging because they are the intersection between theory and skills. You're practicing on a real person and that can be intimidating. If you don't like clinicals, it doesn't reflect on how good you'll be as an RN. Use your clinical hours as a safe place to mess up and learn what areas of nursing you can improve on.

• How many days/hours will I be in clinical per week?

  • N181: once a week for 6 hours (shifts are usually scheduled for 0645-1245)

    • Section 1: Tuesdays

    • Section 2: Wednesdays

    • Section 3: Thursdays

    • Section 4: Fridays

  • N190/N290 (CPE 1/2): three times a week for 8 hours/day (shifts are usually scheduled for 0645-1445)

    • All sections will be together and you'll either be in clinical Monday-Wednesday or Wednesday-Friday

  • N280/N281/N380: twice a week for 6 hours/day (shifts are usually scheduled for 0645-1245 or 1300-1900)

    • Sections 1 & 2: Tuesdays & Wednesdays

    • Sections 3 & 4: Thursdays & Fridays

• Will I have the same clinical instructor throughout my time in the program?

  • Clinical instructors change each semester, so the instructor that you have for N181 will likely not be your instructor for N190 and so on. 

• How many classes will I take in first year?

  • Please click here to see a breakdown of all of the first-year courses

• Are there any courses I can take before the nursing program to reduce my first-year courseload?

  • Yes, you can take your biology, English, and Indigenous classes before you start the nursing program

• How do I manage my time with so many classes?

  • First year students commonly feel overwhelmed with the heavy courseload, but it's not as bad as you think. Sometimes it can take a little while to figure out study/time management methods that work for you (e.g., keeping a planner, notes, study groups), but once you get the hang of it, it'll feel way less intimidating. 

• What happens if I fail a course? Do I get kicked out of the program?

  • Students must get a minimum of 60% in each course in order to be able to progress through the nursing program. Failing a class doesn't mean you get kicked out or asked to withdraw entirely. You will be able to take some nursing courses in the next semester but you will not be able to take either lab or clinical classes until you pass the class you fail.

    • For example, if you fail BIOL 152 in semester 1, you can still take N111, N133, and IST 120 in semester 2. However, you will not be able to register in N142 and N181 until the following year. 

• How difficult is BIOL 152/153 (A&P)?

  • Most students said the most challenging classes of first year is Anatomy & Physiology. There is a lot of memorization required and small details, but it provides a really important foundation for nursing and care of the human body. 

• How do I study for BIOL 152/153?

  • Review your notes: the biology classes provide students with fill-in-the-blank notes based on the PowerPoint slides and contain all the information you will need for exams.

  • Join a study group: get together with some people in your cohort and create a study group. 

  • Practice with NSMP Kahoots: the NSMP Education Coordinators have made Kahoot quizzes for the majority of topics covered in biology that is based off questions from previous exams/quizzes

• Do I need to buy the textbook for BIOL 152/153?

  • It is ultimately up to the student and how they learn, but we suggest buying and reading the textbook.

• What is the difference between BIOL 152/153 and BIOL 252/253?

  • BIOL 152/153 is the introduction to anatomy and physiology that goes through each of the body systems to learn about the structure and function of organs, tissues, and systems

  • BIOL 252/253 builds on the fundamentals learned in BIOL 152/153 by introducing students to pathophysiological concepts (i.e., diseases and illnesses)

• Is pathophysiology more difficult than A&P?

  • Some students found A&P harder than patho and others found patho harder than A&P. Tying in past concepts from A&P and applying disease processes can be challenging, but students enjoy the direct application that patho gives to nursing and many of the topics tie in to the ones you learn in N232/N233.

• Excel Spreadsheet

  • One student said they made an Excel spreadsheet and put all of the required readings in and their links so they can be accessed later since you lose access to them once the course is done.

• Readings

  • Some students say they didn't bother doing the readings for N111 and they did good in the course. Other students say that the readings for N111 can apply to N341 when you go to UVic in third year. In contrast, N232/233 in third year and N133 in first year have readings that will be very important for learning, so don't skip these readings.

• Learn to skim

  • Theory and lab classes have a lot of required readings, sometimes over 30 pages of the textbook per week. This is where it becomes important to learn how to skim your textbook for information rather than reading everything word-for-word.

• Don't procrastinate

  • First year assignments consist mostly of papers and group projects, so don't leave this until the last minute!

• A lot of my classmates know what nursing specialty they want to go into already but I don't. Is that a problem?

  • Nursing school gives you many opportunities to gain experience in a variety of settings. It's okay if you don't know what specialty you want to pursue yet, especially in first year. The program allows you to find out what you like and what you don't. Sometimes students want to pursue a certain specialty then get experience there and decide they don't like it. 

• What types of specialties can I pursue right after graduation?

  • Usually, new-grad RNs start their nursing career on general medical-surgical units, but there are a few specialties that one can go into directly after they graduate, including:

    • Pediatrics

    • Maternity 

    • Cardiology

    • Psychiatry

• Can I start advanced specialty learning during the BSN program?

  • Select students have opportunities in their fourth year to participate in a Learning Pathway This means that their final preceptorship will be in a certain specialty area they have to apply for. These specialties include:

    • Perioperative (OR)

    • Post-Anesthetic Care Unit (PACU)

    • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

    • Emergency (ER)

• What nursing specialties require additional advanced education?

  • Once a student has graduated the BSN program and wants to pursue a specialty, they can either fund themselves through a specialty education program or Island Health has sponsored opportunities meaning that they will pay for the student's education and training in return for an 18-month return-of-service. These specialties include:

    • Perioperative (OR)

    • Post-Anesthetic Care Unit (PACU)

    • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

    • Emergency (ER)

    • Perinatal (LDR)

    • Critical Care (ICU/HAU/CCU/CVU)

    • Renal/Dialysis

    • Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

    • Endoscopy

• How many students fail/drop out of the nursing program?

  • In one section, 6 out of 40 students were lost after semester 1 (3 due to not passing, 2 dropped out of the program because they felt like it wasn't for them).

• Am I able to take the program part-time?

  • There are part-time options for the BSN program, but the progression is slower. Depending on your circumstances (e.g., student athlete, parenting conflicts, etc.) you may be able to do the program part-time.