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Canadian Nurse Continence Advisor Program
The Canadian Nurse Continence Advisor (NCA) Program is grounded in nationally recognized nursing standards and competencies to ensure graduates are prepared for safe, ethical, and evidence-informed continence practice. The program fosters the acquisition and application of new knowledge and its translation to a clinical setting.
The Canadian Nurse Continence Advisor (NCA) Program is accredited by the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) for 160 educational credits and is the only Canadian advanced continence management program to hold this accreditation.
CNA accreditation is a key indicator to patients, employers, the public, and professional licensing bodies that NCA graduates have completed a rigorous, evidence-informed program that meets nationally recognized standards for nursing education and practice.
Program Goals and Objectives
The Nurse Continence Advisor Program reflects the standards and best practice principles of Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Canada (NSWOCC) relevant to continence-focused nursing roles.
The program emphasizes:
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Comprehensive and focused continence assessments
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Evidence-informed, conservative management strategies
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Preservation of skin integrity
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Appropriate continence product selection
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Patient, client, and caregiver education
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Interprofessional collaboration
These principles align with NSWOCC’s expectations for advanced clinical knowledge, leadership, consultation, and education within continence practice.
The Nurse Continence Advisor Program prepares registered nurses with the specialized knowledge, clinical reasoning, and applied skills required to deliver comprehensive, evidence-informed continence care across diverse practice settings. The program promotes person-centred, dignity-preserving, and prevention-focused approaches to bladder and bowel health, while supporting nurses to function as clinical resources, educators, and advocates within interprofessional teams.
NCA Program Overview:
Theoretical & Clinical Components
The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)–accredited Nurse Continence Advisor (NCA) Program consists of a six-month paced online theoretical component, followed by 75 hours of structured clinical preceptorship and additional self-directed clinical learning.
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The theoretical component of the program focuses on:
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Normal and altered bladder and bowel function
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Continence assessment frameworks
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Types of urinary and fecal incontinence
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Contributing risk factors
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Conservative management strategies
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Product selection
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Skin protection
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Documentation
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Quality-of-life considerations
The clinical preceptorship is a required, practice-based component of the Nurse Continence Advisor Program. It is designed to consolidate and apply theoretical knowledge within a supervised clinical environment.
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Students may begin their clinical placement after successfully completing the theoretical component of the program. The clinical placement includes 75 hours (10 days) of direct clinical practice with a preceptor, as well as the completion of 20 case studies drawn from the student’s own work environment. Students will have six (6) months to complete the clinical portion of the program.
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The preceptorship must be completed under the supervision of a qualified health professional with advanced expertise in continence care.
Approved preceptors may include, but are not limited to:
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Nurse Continence Advisors
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Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (NSWOCs) with advanced practice in continence care
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Urologists
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Pelvic floor physiotherapists
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Other approved clinicians with demonstrated expertise in continence care
The NCA Advantage
Employing a Nurse Continence Advisor (NCA) is an effective strategy for improving outcomes for individuals living with urinary and fecal continence concerns through high-quality, evidence-informed care.
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NCAs serve as sources of specialized expertise for interdisciplinary health care teams and contribute to best practice and protocol development, research, education, and advocacy. NCA graduates are equipped to lead continence-focused teams and possess the knowledge, skills, and clinical judgment required to manage complex patient needs related to continence care.
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The NCA Program is a rigorous, competency- and standards-of-practice–guided program designed to ensure the high quality of its graduates. Through a CanMEDS-styled, competency-based clinical preceptorship, the program supports mentorship and the development of future nurse leaders.
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Graduates of the Canadian NCA Program demonstrate advanced levels of critical thinking, clinical expertise, and leadership, reflecting excellence in continence care practice.
Program Structure
The goals of the program are to assist the learner to build:
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New knowledge, skills and attitudes and integrate them with prior knowledge, skills and attitudes to prepare the learner to become a competent NCA;
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Familiarity with the literature in the field of
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Specialized Continence Nursing;
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The skills to critically analyze practice in the field, differentiate it from best practice and disseminate standards of NCA practice; and
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Problem solving skills through case-based learning and participation in a strong learning community.
The learner will attain the knowledge required to:
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Articulate and exercise the professional responsibilities associated with the NCA role;
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Meet the psychosocial needs of the person with continence-related issues;
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Manage care for the person across the lifespan, living with continence-related issues, including;
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completing a comprehensive continence assessment,
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conservative management strategies (including theory on pessary insertion and management),
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skin integrity preservation,
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appropriate product selection,
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patient and caregiver education, and
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interprofessional collaboration.
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​The learner will attain the knowledge required to:
Is the NCA Program right for you?
Learn on an interactive online platform, building strong relationships with colleagues and specialists from across Canada online and in clinical settings.
Care to be the best by graduating from the most rigorous academic and clinical continence education program available in Canada (75 hours of supervised clinical placement and 75 hours of independent practice in your own work setting). Lead continence management in any Canadian Healthcare setting including acute care, rehabilitation, community care and long-term care.
Recognition of Prior Learning
Graduates from the NCA Program who wish to bridge to the NSWOC program will receive full credit for the continence management program. NCA’s will be required to complete the ostomy and wound management programs and complete the CNA WOCC(C) certification exam to receive the NSWOC credential.
Eligible Applicants
​Eligible applicants must be Baccalaureate prepared Registered Nurses with at least 2 years of full-time employment in the last 3 years as a Registered Nurse, in a clinically relevant area of practice. Conisderation will be given to nurses working in an NCA related role or a urology nursing role.
Applications are received twice per year, with the program starting in September and March. For more information about eligibility and applications, please visit www.wocinstitute.ca.
Application Process
Please note that the application deadline is February 27th. The start date for the first cohort is March 2nd, 2026. If you have anny questions concerning the application process, please feel free to reach out at:
Toll Free: 1-877-614-1262
