The Graduate Certificate in Primary Care Nurse Practitioner is a 27-credit program offered by the Ingram School of Nursing in McGill University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. It is open to nurses who already hold a Master of Science in Nursing and is taken in combination with the Graduate Diploma in Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. The program covers a wide range of acute and chronic health concerns across the lifespan, with course content addressing assessment, diagnosis, and treatment within the legislated scope of practice of a primary care nurse practitioner. Graduates may be eligible to sit the Ordre des infirmieres et infirmiers du Quebec's (OIIQ) Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certification examination, the credential required to practise as a nurse practitioner in Quebec's primary care system.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Applicants need a Bachelor's of Nursing, or a Master's of Nursing degree comparable to McGill's, a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 out of 4.0 in nursing studies, and a current Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (OIIQ) licence or equivalency; nurses licensed outside Quebec must additionally show Canadian healthcare-context nursing experience, eligibility for Quebec licensure, and the ability to communicate in French, since the program includes mandatory clinical placements in Quebec institutions. Applicants whose nursing degree was earned outside Quebec need 12 credits of university-level biological science content (physiology, pathophysiology, pathology, pharmacology). Applicants need at least 3,360 hours (about two years full-time) of clinical nursing experience within the last 5 years, including one year in a primary-care setting such as a GMF, CLSC, CHSLD, homecare, or an emergency department. Required documents include transcripts, two referee reports, an annotated CV, an employer letter confirming hours, proof of licensure, and written NP essay answers.
