The four-year collaborative degree program is offered in partnership by Ryerson University, Centennial College and George Brown College. Students admitted at each campus complete the same program. Students admitted to the Ryerson campus of the program complete their four years at Ryerson. Students admitted to a college campus complete the first two years of their studies at the college and the final two years of their studies at the Ryerson campus with the teaching shared by university and college faculty in all years. The program is committed to preparing nursing leaders who are highly competent, knowledgeable and committed to playing an integral role in shaping our health care future. The program educates nurses to work with persons and communities of diverse backgrounds, ages, degrees of health and illness and in a variety of contexts.

The curriculum, based on a philosophical foundation of phenomenology and critical social theory, has five themes that serve to organize content and are reflected in all years of the program in varying degrees of depth. These themes are primary health care/health promotion, reflective practice/ critical thinking, meaningful relationships/ caring/ communication, political/ social justice and personal/ professional development. The curriculum is composed of professional nursing courses and series of required and elective courses selected from other disciplines to enhance and support the broad knowledge base required of professional nurses. Students complete required professionally related courses in areas such as anatomy and physiology, nutrition, ethics, psychology and sociology. Students are also required to select courses from a variety of liberal studies and professionally related electives.

Learning is characterized as an interactive, lifelong process that involves the development of the learner as a person. Nursing students are recognized as adult learners responsible for their own learning. This learning is fostered by a caring collaborative student-teacher relationship based on mutual trust and respect, where both students and teachers are learners.

Year I of the program focuses on knowledge of self in the context of health. The student develops a theoretical perspective from which to view practice and an appreciation of the cultural diversity within the social and political context of society. There is an emphasis on the development of effective communication abilities and health assessment skills.

In Year II, the focus of the program shifts to knowledge of others in the context of illness, including physical and mental health problems. Students further develop their professional role in building therapeutic relationships with families. They also acquire knowledge of research methods and the ability to critically evaluate research findings for their utility in nursing practice.

In Year III students further develop the theme of health with an emphasis on knowledge of community, in the context of primary health care. There is an emphasis on leadership, advocacy and social activism.

Year IV focuses on the integration of the professional self into the health care system. Students explore in depth issues related to professional practice and demonstrate leadership skills.

Nursing practice experiences begin in the first year of the program and expose the student to a broad range of nursing practice settings and the multiplicity of nursing roles. Nursing experiences occur primarily in community settings and hospitals within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Travel to various agencies throughout Metro Toronto is an expectation.

Graduates of the Ryerson, Centennial, George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree Program are eligible to write the College of Nurses of Ontario registration examination and accept entry-level positions in a variety of settings where nursing is practiced.