Nursing Unit Assistant Certificate at Okanagan College in Kelowna, Canada is a certificate in Health Sciences programme. The programme runs for 1 year, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition is CAD 6,277 per total for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Health Sciences
Duration: 1 year
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 6,277 / total
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This part-time certificate spans one year and totals 439 hours of classroom instruction and practicum combined, beginning with scheduled online classes and moving to in-person Saturday sessions from mid-January onward. Coursework, organized around medical terminology and a sequence of nursing-unit-assistant courses, covers communication skills, patient chart management, processing admissions, transfers and discharges, pharmacology, and handling medication, laboratory, diagnostic, and interventional orders, and concludes with a 125-hour supervised practicum at an accredited health care facility. Classes are scheduled Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturdays. Admission requires B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent (or being at least 19 and out of secondary school for a year), English 12 at a minimum of 60 percent, a negative tuberculosis test within six months, and a clear criminal record check; the program also expects reasonable computer literacy, a typing speed of 40 to 50 words per minute, and access to a computer with camera, microphone, and speakers. Graduates are prepared for roles such as nursing unit assistant or unit clerk in hospitals, long-term care, and clinic settings.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Domestic applicants only, per the College's program page.
Academic base: B.C. secondary-school graduation or the equivalent, or being 19 or older and out of secondary school for at least a year as of the first day of classes.
English 12 at 60 per cent, or one of the College's accepted alternatives.
Health and clearance requirements: evidence of a negative tuberculin test taken no more than six months before the application date, or of appropriate follow-up after a positive result; and criminal record check clearance through the B.C. Criminal Records Review Program. Admissions issues the instructions and the deadline for the clearance letter - begin the check only when instructed, since a late letter can cancel the application.
Application Details
Start Date:Intakes published by Okanagan College for this program: September 2026 (Vernon). Campus availability differs by intake and the program page shows which are still open.
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants: there is no fixed closing date. Okanagan College opens applications on October's first business day each year, and programs that run several intakes across the year - Entry-Level Trades Foundation and health programs other than Nursing and Dental among them - keep taking applications for those intakes over the following ten months. Most programs accept applications right up to the start date and close only when the seats are gone, so apply early and check each intake's status on the program page. Apply through EducationPlannerBC, choosing Continuing Studies as the faculty; the fee is $30 CAD. This program is offered to domestic applicants only.
