Education · 1 of 5
The path
Become a registered nurse, work for a few years, then do a master's degree.
- 1
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Grade 12 English, biology, chemistry and a math. Nursing admission is competitive.
- 2
BScN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)
4 years
A four-year nursing degree with clinical placements. Universities offer it, and in Ontario many colleges do too.
- 3
Pass the NCLEX-RN (the registered nurse exam) and work as an RN (registered nurse)
2 or more years
Ontario's shared program asks for the equivalent of 2 years of full-time nursing within the past 5 years, about 3,640 hours, and many applicants have more.
- 4
Master's degree in the NP (nurse practitioner) stream
2 to 4 years
About 2 years full time, or longer part time while you keep nursing. Includes hundreds of supervised clinical hours.
- 5
NP exam and registration
A few months
Since July 2026, every NP (nurse practitioner) applicant in Ontario writes one national exam, the CNPLE (Canadian Nurse Practitioner Licensure Exam), 180 to 185 mostly multiple-choice questions over 4 hours. Then you register in the extended class with your provincial nursing college.