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 July 2026, the internship runs for 16 months over four semesters. The application period runs on a rolling basis with set dates for August 1st, December 1st, and April 1st. 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.

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• 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 or Covenant Health must either pay their tuition fees directly to Athabasca University or request their employers to cover that cost.

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• Application Process

At present, the only route available is the direct one through CRMC, which is not remunerated. The facility is currently working with Covenant Health and South Calgary Primary Care Network to organize alternative routes that lead to an assured RN position at the end of the training with either of the respective agencies. 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 RN Prescriber trainees at the location of the Family Medicine clinic that employs them.

• Places Available

Each year, two places are be available in August, December, and April at CRMC. However, we accommodate the training of unlimited RN Prescriber trainees at different affiliated satellite locations within Alberta.

• Duration of Program

16 months – comprising 2,560 hours 

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• Envisaged Cost of Tuitions for RNP Single Module, NURS-516, NURS-517 (Athabasca University), and NextGen vSim for Nurses - Health Assessments 

~$5,000 over an 16-month period

You may apply for financial support from the Alberta Nurses Educational Trust (ANET) for this program; to find more information, click here

• Admission Requirements

Requirements from the CRNA

1. 3,000 certified RN practice hours since graduation (certified by the CRNA on the Record of Past Practice Hours, in the Registrant Service Section of College Connect) AND

2. RNs must maintain registration with the CRNA for the duration of the entire program.

Additional CRMC requirements

1. Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Bachelor of Nursing, or active enrolment in an RN-to-BScN program in Alberta AND

2. A GPA of 3.0/4 or higher (3.5/4 or higher if interested in continuing studies to MN:NP) 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 as Course-By-Course Report, NOT IMMIGRATION REPORT) AND

3. Postgraduate education in either Nursing, Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, or Occupational Health* OR

4. 3,000 hours of experience in one of the above-mentioned clinical settings in the last 5 years OR

5. Certification by the ANCC for Ambulatory Care Nursing (AMB-BC) OR

6. Successful completion of the CEP-IEN with 3/3 on all competencies AND

7. Canadian citizenship OR Permanent residence (applicants will be required to show proof of their status) AND

8. Residence in either Calgary, Okotoks, Diamond Valley, High River, Chestermere, Priddis, Airdrie, or Bragg Creek or employment at an Affiliated Satellite Site that belongs to Covenant Health ​AND

9. Passing our interview and all stages of our hiring process AND

10. Obtaining a clear FAMA-enhanced background check (applicants will have to pay $100 admin fee for this step) AND

11. Hold a BLS license that is valid on the first day of the program from Heart & Stroke or the American Heart Association AND

12. Completion of the WHMIS certification​

13. An English language test certificate as per the table below - WE CANNOT ACCEPT ANY OTHER TESTS

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​Those who have completed their Bachelor of Science in Nursing in either Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, The United Kingdom, or the Republic of Ireland are exempt from this requirement.​

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

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• Program Breakdown

FIRST SEMESTER 

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

160 hours of consolidation of basic clinical RN skills

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RN Prescriber Single Module – AU Theory Component

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

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

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

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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

640 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)​

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

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RN Prescriber licence issued by the CRNA ONLY TO THOSE WHO TRAIN AT CRMC

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 960 hours of RN practice at CRMC). The RN will apply for a PRAC-ID through the Government of Alberta, and CRMC will proceed to make sure that the RN appears registered on the providers’ list of CRMC with the laboratory services and with the radiology clinics.

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THIRD SEMESTER

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

During this semester, the new trainee will complete 640 hours of gradual exposure to all CRMC Clinical Support Tools available; during this period, the trainee 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 trainee will have achieved proficiency in the utilization of the first 10 Clinical Support Tools (CSTs) at CRMC.

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

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RN Prescriber licence issued by the CRNA to those who train at affiliated satellite locations in Alberta

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. After the completion of and N516 and N517 from AU, the affiliated satellite location will certify that the RN has indeed achieved 750 hours of practice at the clinic during the previous 9 months of work at the location (by the end of the NEPAC course, the RN will have achieved 1,440 hours of RN practice at the location). The RN will apply for a PRAC-ID through the Government of Alberta, and CRMC will proceed to make sure that the RN appears registered on the providers’ list of the destination clinic with the laboratory services and with the radiology clinics.

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FOURTH SEMESTER

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

After obtaining the RN Prescriber licence, the new RN Prescriber will complete 640 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 the remaining 26 Clinical Support Tools (CSTs) at CRMC.

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NextGen vSim for Nurses - Health Assessments Theory Component

You must achieve a minimum of 90% in this module to continue with your RN Prescriber training at CRMC. You may sit this exam as many times as necessary to achieve at least a 90% score. ​​

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.

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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.

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• Attendance

The hourly attendance commitment required to complete the 16-month internship is 40 hours/week for 68 weeks. These include direct patient contact hours, direct instructional hours, and self-directed study time.​​

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• Assessment

At the end of the first six months of the internship (for those training at CRMC - 9 months for those training at all other affiliated satellite locations), 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 16-month internship, after completing the practice component of the third and fourth 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.

• Learning Materials

  • Anti-Infective Review Panel, & Mums Guidelines Clearinghouse. (2024). Anti-infective guidelines for community-acquired infections. Mums Guideline Clearinghouse.

  • Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties - Canadian Pharmacists Association

  • Connor, G. J. (2020). ECG, EKG interpretation: a systematic approach to read 12-lead ECG and interpreting heart rhythms in 15 seconds or less without memorization.

  • Kloss, B., & Bruce, T. (2018). Graphic Guide to Infectious Disease. Elsevier Health Sciences.

  • Knight, R. (2010). Essential NMRCGP CSA Preparation and Practice Cases. Radcliffe Publishing.

  • Lister, S. E., Hofland, J., & Grafton, H. (2020). The Royal Marsden manual of clinical nursing procedures. (10th ed.). Wiley Blackwell

  • Luu, B., Kayingo, G., & Hass, V. M. (2022). Advanced pharmacology for prescribers. Springer Publishing Company, LLC.

  • Rogers, J. (2023). McCance & Huether’s Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children. (9th ed.). Mosby.

  • Stephen, T. C., Skillen, L., Day. (2021). Canadian Jensen’s Nursing Health Assessment: A Best Practice Approach. Wolters Kluwer.

  • Ward, H., Barratt, J., & Paul, N. (2021). Passing Your Advanced Nursing OSCE. CRC Press.

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• Language of Instruction and Practice

English (proof of English language certification is required directly from the test provider - see above)

• Location

Cranston Ridge Medical Clinic

35 Cranford Way SE

Unit 123

Calgary, AB T3M 3A9