Health Care Assistant - Certificate
Overview
The Health Care Assistant Program will support you in developing the confidence, knowledge and skills required to provide safe care and contribute to the physical, emotional and social well-being of clients in a variety of health care settings.
Funding opportunities are available!
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Blended Online and In-Person Training
During the first 16 weeks, you will complete theory classes either online or in person, followed by in-person lab courses on the Trail Campus. For the final ten weeks of the program, you’ll complete 270 hours of practice in residential and community care settings. We offer flexible study options to help you make it work. Contact Admissions for further details.
As a graduate, you will be a respected member of the health care team and work under the direction and supervision of a health professional.
This program has been granted a full, five-year recognition by the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry. Graduates of the program are eligible for registration with the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry.
Take this program if you are:
- Caring
- Genuinely interested in people
- Comfortable dealing with difficult situations
- Easily adaptable to diversity
- A good communicator
- Self-motivated and responsible
A Career with Impact
Prepare for a career in:
- Adult day care
- Assisted living
- Community health workers
- Complex care
- Front-line care providers
- Home support
- Residential care attendants
- Special care units
Special Costs and Travel
Students are required to have uniforms and footwear that comply with WorkSafeBC standards. Driver's license or access to transportation for practicum placement is required. Clinical placement shifts range between the times of 6:30 am and 11 pm. Student must have reliable transportation to attend shifts as scheduled.
Clinical and practicum placements are arranged on the basis of student learning needs and available learning experiences. It is not possible to comply with the personal and travel requirements of individual students.
High School Dual Credit Opportunity
Take the HCA Program in your Grade 12 year starting at Selkirk College for our winter intake. Access free tuition—depending on school district. For more information, reach out to your high school counsellor or our Recruitment Team.
Program Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Provide person-centred care and assistance that recognizes and respects the uniqueness of each individual client
- Use an informed problem-solving approach to provide care and assistance that promotes physical, psychological, social, cognitive and spiritual well-being of clients and families
- Provide care and assistance for clients experiencing complex health challenges
- Provide care and assistance for clients experiencing cognitive and/or mental health challenges
- Interact with other members of the health care team in ways that contribute to effective working relationships and the achievement of goals
- Communicate clearly, accurately and in sensitive ways with clients and families within a variety of community and facility contexts
- Provide personal care and assistance in a safe, competent and organized manner
- Recognize and respond to own self-development, learning and health enhancement needs
- Perform the care provider role in a reflective, responsible, accountable and professional manner
Admission Requirements
In addition to meeting the general admission requirements to Selkirk College, the applicant must meet the following Health Care Assistant Program requirements to be considered fully qualified:
a. Proof of Grade 10 completion (or equivalent) OR mature student status
b. Proof of meeting HCA Program Entry English Language Competency Requirements
(1) For applicants with three years of full-time instruction in English*: English 10 completion or equivalent
(2) For applicants with less than three years of full-time instruction in English*: Standardized English language proficiency test score.
*Defined as three (3) years of full-time secondary and/or post-secondary education at a recognized institution3 on the list of Approved English-Speaking Countries. Secondary education will be considered starting from grade 8. English as a Second Language (ESL) courses will not be considered.
- Completed HCA program application form.
- Completed computer knowledge self-assessment form. To be successful in coursework and support job readiness, students need to possess basic computer skills including navigation of the internet, file management, accessing online information, email, and word processing.
- Three completed personal references from counsellors, employers, instructors, or supervisors.
- Official transcripts of all secondary and post-secondary education; an interim transcript statement is acceptable if the applicant is currently taking a prerequisite.
- All students must submit a Criminal Record Check (CRC) clearance letter by the Criminal Record Check from the Criminal Records Review Program, including clearance to work with vulnerable adults.
- International students must also submit a clear police certificate from the country of origin before acceptance, given that HCA students provide care to vulnerable clients within the program's practice education portion. To avoid potential hardship for students arriving from another country, the police certificate is an admission requirement. For further information, see information provided at: http://https//www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/service….
Application Process
Before an application is considered complete, the following must be received by the Admissions Office:
a) Completed application form.
b) Official transcripts of all secondary and post-secondary education; an interim statement is acceptable if the applicant is in school or upgrading.
PRE-PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS
Evidence of completion of the following must be submitted to the Admissions office or program designate before the first practice education experience. All Evidence must be current and valid.
a. First Aid Certification
b. CPR Level "C" Certification or "Basic Life Support (BLS)" Certification
c. Foodsafe Level 1 Certification (or a certificate course deemed equivalent)
d. Completion of the Student Practice Education Core Orientation (SPECO) checklist
e. Completion of the Selkirk College Health & Human Services immunization form
Promotion to Term 2 requires satisfactory completion of all theory and lab courses in Term 1 with a “C” or greater and a minimum GPA of 2.00.
Courses
HCA100 - Program Foundations
HCA 100 Program Foundations introduces learners to the Health Care Assistant Program structure and how to navigate the learning management system and other pieces of technology utilized in the program. An overview of the curriculum, teaching and learning approaches and strategies are introduced and discussed. Students are introduced to the function of the BC Care Aid and Community Support Worker Registry and supported by instructors in learning threshold concepts to prepare them for the course requirements.
HCA101 - Concepts for Practice
HCA 101 Concepts for Practice provides students with the opportunity to develop a theoretical framework for practice. Students will be introduced to the philosophical values and theoretical understandings that provide a foundation for competent practice as an HCA. The course focuses on concepts of caring and person-centred care; basic human needs and human development; and family, culture, and diversity as they relate to health and healing. Students will also be introduced to a problem-solving model that will be critical to their practice.
HCA102 - Introduction to Practice
HCA 102 Introduction to Practice provides an introduction to the role of the HCA within the British Columbia health care system. Students will be introduced to the health care team and the roles and functions of HCAs within the team. Students will also have opportunities to develop self-reflective skills required for competent practice and will be introduced to effective job-finding approaches.
HCA103 - Interpersonal Communications
HCA 103 Interpersonal Communication focuses on the development of self-awareness, increased understanding of others, and development of effective interpersonal communication skills that can be used in a variety of caregiving contexts. Students will be encouraged to become more aware of the impact of their own communication choices and patterns. They will have opportunities to develop and use communication techniques that demonstrate personal awareness, respect, and active listening skills.
HCA104 - Lifestyle and Choices
HCA 104 Lifestyles and Choices introduces students to a holistic concept of health and the components of a health- enhancing lifestyle. Students will be invited to reflect on their own experience of health, recognizing challenges and resources that can impact lifestyle choices. Students will be introduced to a model that can be applied in other courses to understand the multi-faceted aspects of health and healing.
HCA105 - Common Health Challenges
HCA 105 Common Health Challenges introduces students to the normal structure and function of the human body and normal bodily changes associated with aging. Students will explore common challenges to health and healing in relation to each body system. Students will also be encouraged to explore person- centred practice as it relates to the common challenges to health and, in particular, to end-of-life care.
HCA106 - Cognitive and/or Mental Health Challenges
HCA 106 Cognitive and/or Mental Health Challenges builds on content from other courses to assist students to explore concepts and caregiving approaches that will allow them to work effectively with individuals experiencing cognitive and/or mental health challenges. The emphasis in this course is on supporting clients with dementia, recognizing responsive behaviours, and identifying person-centred intervention strategies.
HCA107 - Personal Care and Assistance
HCA 107 Personal Care and Assistance is a practical course that offers students the opportunity to acquire personal care and assistance skills within the parameters of the HCA role. The course comprises class and supervised laboratory experiences, which assist the student to integrate theory from other courses to develop caregiver skills that maintain and promote the comfort, safety, and independence of clients in community and facility contexts.
HCA108 - Practice Experience in Home Support, Assisted Living, and/or Group Home Setting
HCA 108 Practice Experience in Home Support, Assisted Living, and/or Group Home Setting is a practice course that provides students with an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills from all other courses with individuals and families in a community setting. Opportunity will be provided for students to become more familiar with the role of the HCA within a home support agency, assisted living facility, or a group home to gain abilities that will prepare graduates for employment in these settings. It is important that students understand the philosophy of community care settings and the importance of client choice and independence.
HCA109 - Practice Experience in Multi-Level and/or Complex Care
HCA 109 Practice Experience in Multi-Level and/or Complex Care is a supervised practice experience provides students with an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills from all other courses in the program with individuals in a multi-level or complex care setting. A portion of this clinical experience will be devoted to working with individuals with dementia. Opportunity will be provided for students to gain expertise and confidence with the role of the HCA within a complex care facility.
Tuition & Fees
All amounts are estimates and are subject to change. Tuition amounts are based on a full-time course load. Please note that many programs have additional costs beyond those listed here. For more information, please visit Tuition & Fees.
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