RN Prescriber Internship

CRMC Internship for the RN Prescriber in the Family Medicine Setting

Each year, Cranston Ridge Medical Clinic (CRMC) offers an internship to Registered Nurses who wish to become RN Prescribers in the Family Medicine setting. Under the new program, as of January 2025, the internship runs for 18 months over five semesters. The application period runs from May to August, while the program starts in September each year. The internship is designed to equip RNs with the necessary skills and knowledge that will guarantee the safety of practice, a solid and robust basis on which to build one’s own practical advanced nursing experience, and uniformity of methods, including strict adherence to the legislation regulating RN Prescribers in Alberta. In addition, it allows those who complete it to transfer their RN Prescriber licence to their final destination clinic without having to fulfill the 750 hours of RN clinical practice in the final destination facility, as these hours are included in the internship program. The internship is very intense and demanding. It is designed to equip the intern with vast knowledge of anatomy, pathophysiology, advanced clinical skills, and advanced clinical assessments. They are also ideal for registered nurses who want to become family nurse practitioners and gain some more knowledge and insight into what it feels like to independently consult patients (roles and responsibilities) in a family medicine setting before applying for FNP training. Please note that we reserve the right to admit applicants at our sole discretion.

Cost and Tuitions

CRMC offers the internship free of charge. However, interns are responsible for paying the tuition fees for the modules from Athabasca University. CRMC covers the cost of AU tuition fees only for the RNs employed by this clinic. RNs not employed by CRMC must either pay their tuition fees directly to Athabasca University or request their employers to cover that cost.

Application Process

At present, the only route available is the direct one through CRMC, which is not remunerated. The facility is currently working with South Calgary Primary Care Network to organize an alternative route approved by the SCPCN that leads to an assured RN position at the end of the training for each internship graduate. At the same time, we are available to train other RNs who meet the CRNA's statutory admission criteria for the on-site training at the facility willing to employ them. The CRNA authorizes our RN Prescribers to offer internship training to other RN Prescriber trainees at the location of the Family Medicine clinic that employs them. Nurses employed by other clinics only need to complete six months at CRMC; the remainder of the internship may be completed at the clinic where the RN works.

Places Available

Two places will be available each Fall. We may also be able to accommodate the training of two further RN Prescriber trainees at different locations within South Calgary for the 2024-2025 period.

Duration of Program

18 months – comprising 2,940 hours

Admission Requirements

Requirements from the CRNA

3,000 certified RN practice hours since graduation AND
RNs must maintain registration with the CRNA for the duration of the entire program.

Additional CRMC requirements

Postgraduate education in either Nursing, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, or Occupational Health* OR
3,000 hours of experience in one of the above-mentioned clinical settings in the last 5 years OR
Certification by the ANCC for Ambulatory Care Nursing (AMB-BC) OR
Successful completion of the CEP-IEN with 3/3 on all competencies AND
A GPA of 3.5 out of 4 or higher in the Bachelor of Nursing or Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or in the Master's Degree (if non-Canadian degree, this must be certified by WES Canada) AND
An English language certificate obtained within the last six months of either IELTS (Academic) with at least 6.0 in all four sections OR TOEFL (written test) with a score of at least 550 OR TOEFL (internet-based test) with a score of at least 80 OR CAEL with a minimum score of 60 AND
Canadian citizenship OR Permanent residence of Canada OR US or Mexican citizenship and a current USMCA permit OR Israeli citizenship and an Open Work Permit only for Module 1 and 2 from AU (applicants will be required to show proof of these documents) AND
Residence in either Calgary, Okotoks, Diamond Valley, High River, Chestermere, Priddis, Airdrie, or Bragg Creek AND
Passing our interview and all stages of our hiring process AND
Obtaining a clear FAMA-enhanced background check (applicants will have to pay $100 admin fee for this step) AND
Hold a BLS license that is valid on the first day of the program from Heart & Stroke or the American Heart Association AND
Completion of the WHMIS certification

*RNs with a Master's degree are entitled to use the title "Clinical Nurse Specialist Prescriber" on completion of their third year of full-time practice as per CRNA's regulations on using the professional title of "Specialist."

Program Breakdown

First Semester

Course 1 – CRMC (RNPI1) - Syllabus Available Here Practice Component

160 hours of consolidation of basic clinical RN skills

RN Prescriber Module 1 – AU Theory Component

Completion of the first module for RN Prescribers at Athabasca University required by the CRNA for licensure as an RN Prescriber in Alberta

Course 2 – CRMC (RNPI2) - Syllabus Available Here Practice Component

320 hours of advanced training in RN Skills in the family medicine and community setting

Diploma in Human Anatomy and Physiology - MEDCoE Theory Component

Consolidating knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, reproductive, visual, olfactory, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems - offered by the US Army Medical Center of Excellence

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Second Semester

Course 3 – CRMC (RNPI3) - Syllabus Available Here Practice Component

480 hours of Advanced RN Prescriber Skills sampling Clinical Support Tools under constant direct supervision of an RN Prescriber, with discussion of plans and treatments with a PCP (MD or NP)

RN Prescriber Module 2 – AU Theory Component

Completion of the second and final module for RN Prescribers at Athabasca University required by the CRNA for licensure as an RN Prescriber in Alberta

RN Prescriber licence issued by the CRNA

On completion of the NEPAC course from Athabasca University, the CRNA will be notified by the NEPAC course leader that the candidate has completed the course successfully and will forward a copy of the certificate to the Nursing regulatory body. CRMC will certify that the RN has indeed achieved 750 hours of practice at the clinic during the previous 6 months of work at CRMC (by the end of the NEPAC course, the RN will have achieved 1,197 hours of RN practice at CRMC). The RN will apply for a PRAC-ID through the Government of Alberta, and CRMC will proceed to register the RN on its providers’ list with the laboratory services and with the radiology clinics.

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Third Semesters

Course 4 – CRMC (RNPSP1) Advanced RN Prescriber Practice and Building on Own Knowledge and Skills - Syllabus Available Soon Practice Component

After obtaining the RN Prescriber licence, the new RN Prescriber will complete 990 hours of gradual exposure to all Clinical Support Tools available at CRMC; during this period, the new RN Prescriber will have constant support from the senior RN Prescriber, Medical Director, and Community Pharmacy at Cranston Smart Drug Mart. By the end of this period, the RN Prescriber will have achieved proficiency in the utilization of all Clinical Support Tools (CSTs) at CRMC.

NURS 516 Pharmacotherapeutics and Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners I – AU Theory Component

For more information, visit this link.

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Fourth Semesters

Course 5 – CRMC (RNPSP2) Advanced RN Prescriber Practice and Building on Own Knowledge and Skills - Syllabus Available Soon Practice Component

After obtaining the RN Prescriber licence, the new RN Prescriber will complete 495 hours of gradual exposure to all Clinical Support Tools available at CRMC; during this period, the new RN Prescriber will have constant support from the senior RN Prescriber, Medical Director, and Community Pharmacy at Cranston Smart Drug Mart. By the end of this period, the RN Prescriber will have achieved proficiency in the utilization of all Clinical Support Tools (CSTs) at CRMC.

NURS 517 Pharmacotherapeutics and Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners II – AU Theory Component

For more information, visit this link.

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Fifth Semesters

Course 6 – CRMC (RNPSP3) Advanced RN Prescriber Practice and Building on Own Knowledge and Skills - Syllabus Available Soon Practice Component

NURS 518 Advanced Health Assessment for Nurse Practitioners – AU Theory Component

For more information, visit this link.

Completion of training

On achieved proficiency of all CRMC CSTs (utilized at least three times correctly without recurring to any help from the Medical Director), the RN Prescriber will be deemed competent and safe to utilize these CSTs independently in the Family Medicine Setting and is ready to move to the final destination clinic. CRMC will release the record of training to the CRNA, which will allow the RN Prescriber to transfer his/her prescriber licence to the new clinic without the need to fulfill 750 additional hours at the new facility. CRMC will also release a certificate of completion to the graduate.

Relocation of RN to final destination clinic

This will be automatically available only to those who completed the program through a PCN-funded place. Those who completed the internship through CRMC only will have to apply for a post as an RN Prescriber independently.

Reflective Practice

Throughout the two programs, the intern will develop a personal portfolio that includes a CV, professional certificates, and a reflective diary that documents the widening of the personal scope of practice achieved during the program.

Attendance

The hourly attendance commitment required to complete the 6-month internship is 39 hours/week for 26 weeks. The 12-month internship, instead, comprises 39 hours/week for 50 weeks (statutory holidays and weekends are excluded). These include direct patient contact hours, direct instructional hours, and self-directed study time.

Assessment

At the end of the first six months of the internship, the intern must complete and successfully pass all the practice and theory components of the first and second semesters. In addition, the intern must successfully pass a 10-station OSCE exam covering Upper & Lower Respiratory Tract Infections, Urinary Tract Infections, Otitis Media, Musculo-Skeletal Injuries, Bacterial/Viral/Allergic Conjunctivitis, Gout, Long COVID-19, Osgod-Schlatter Disease, and Skin Bacterial Infections. The passing score for this OSCE is 95%, and it may be attempted only once. No second attempt is allowed.

At the end of the 18-month internship, after completing the practice component of the third, fourth, and fifth semesters, the intern will be capable of interpreting ECGs and of working also with patients who present with the following conditions or needs: Acne, Allergic Reactions (respiratory and skin), STIs, Diaper Dermatitis, Diverticulosis, Dysmenorrhoea, Atopic Dermatitis, GERD, Headache and Migraine, Herpes Simplex, Hormonal Contraceptives, Hypertension Emergency, Insect Bites, Obesity Management, Onychomycosis, Candida, Post-Operative Hospital Discharge Review, Shingles, Tinea Corporis, Tinea Pedis, Tinea Versicolor, Tobacco Cessation.