Why Nursing

Nursing is a rewarding profession that offers a wide range of opportunities at every stage of your career. Professionals in this field impact their local, provincial, national or international communities through their work in hospitals, industry, public health, the private sector and/or research.

Nursing allows individuals to explore ​their capacity for leadership and teamwork while putting cutting-edge health care research into practice.

For more information on nursing as a career, please visit the Canadian Nurses Association.

The McMaster University School of Nursing provides a competitive, innovative nursing program in a unique teaching environment. Our program promotes nursing as a caring, client-centered and science-based profession.

The goal of the ​BScN program is to prepare students for practice in varied health care settings through curricula that are responsive to real-world needs. Our Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Program is delivered in partnership with Mohawk and Conestoga Colleges.

The School of Nursing is a pioneer of problem-based learning (PBL) which emphasizes interpersonal skills, promotes independent learning and develops leadership capabilities. We believe that PBL is the best way to prepare students for the roles they will hold after graduation.

Our focus on group tutorials and self-directed learning promotes the development of critical thinking and self-evaluation skills. We are proud of the dedicated team of medical professionals who comprise our faculty, as well as the open, engaging environment they promote. In addition, students have access to extensive resources—multimedia content, as well as laboratories, simulation technology and libraries—to complement their independent study.

Students apply concepts from nursing and related disciplines to their experiences in classroom, laboratory and clinical settings.

One of the many advantages of studying nursing at McMaster is the opportunity for students to get to know both ​​their professors and ​their classmates well; most of the classes will be taken in groups. This provides a learning environment that prepares nurses to use leadership skills when engaging in multidisciplinary health care teams.

The PBL process is student-centered and involves active dialogue within the context of respectful relationship(s).

In our Clinical Learning Centre, students will have the opportunity to practice skills using the Centre's simulation equipment and collaborate with students from other programs to work through health care ​scenarios. Exposure to other health care professionals enhances interprofessional collaboration and richer learning experiences.

Throughout the program, ​students will have many opportunities to put theory into practice in clinical settings. Our partnerships with a variety of hospitals, agencies and community-based organizations means students will gain work experience in multiple environments and disciplines, which will help ​them to determine what clinical area of focus is right for ​them.

There are also exciting opportunities for nursing placements in outpost and international settings (for those who meet the criteria)!

The ​BScN Program strongly believes that the best nursing practice is based on scientific evidence. Our program gives ​students experience with the research process and teaches them to gather and critically evaluate research; both are essential to promote critical-thinking, problem-solving skills, and ultimately, patient care.

Evidence-based practice supports sound decision-making and continuous learning. 

There are many different ways to get involved in activities both in the ​BScN Program (such as MUNSS and MacSoc) and in the university or college sites. McMaster is committed to valuing cultural diversity and building an inclusive community in which students can learn and excel.