Health Care Assistant: Certificate
Description
The Health Care Assistant (HCAP) program is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary to function as a front-line caregiver in a variety of long-term care settings that include both residential care facilities and home support agencies. The graduate is prepared to provide care to older adults experiencing diverse, often complex but relatively stable, health and illness needs.
Graduates are prepared to function collaboratively as members of an inter-disciplinary health care team. In a facility they work under the direct supervision of an appropriate health professional. In the home care setting they work more independently but are always under the direction of a health professional.
In addition to tuition fees, students will spend approximately $1,500 for textbooks, course materials, uniforms and shoes, transportation and parking, etc., during the program. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to clinical experiences.
Career Opportunities
Upon completion of the program, graduates are qualified to work in any level of continuing care services, including:
- Home Support
- Complex Care
- Assisted Living
- Adult Day Care
Program Admission Requirements
In addition to KPU's General university admission requirements including the vocational-level English Proficiency Requirement, the following program admission requirements apply:
- A criminal record review, issued by the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. Applicants who are not a Canadian citizen are required to secure a Criminal Record Search with the Vulnerable Sector from their country of origin.
- Food Safe Level I course
- Valid First-Aid Certificate (St. John's Ambulance Standard First Aid or Red Cross Standard First Aid)
- Canadian CPR level C
- Canadian TB test
- Attendance at a Health Care Assistant information session
Note: Immunization records are not required until placement in a clinical or practice course, and prior to registration. This will be enforced by the appropriate department prior to the time of registration.
Students who do not meet KPU's General university admission requirements for English Proficiency may meet this requirement with:
- A minimum score of writing level 8 on KPU's Accuplacer test. Applicants whose first language is not English and who have taken less than 9 years of education in Canada are required to take KPU's Accuplacer ELST test and achieve a score of 98 with a writing band of 5.
Students in the program are required to demonstrate the ability to perform a variety of cognitive, emotional and psychomotor skills safely and knowledgeably. Students with physical, intellectual, or emotional disabilities are obligated to contact the coordinator of the Health Care Assistant program to discuss the required skills and competencies.
Program Requirements
The program is 30 weeks in length.
The student will spend a total of approximately 870 hours in a variety of learning environments over the program length, including classroom, nursing laboratory, resident care facilities, and home care environments. They will be expected to do both daytime (0700–1500) and evening (1500–2300) shifts.
The last five weeks of the program will be a full-time work experience.
Semester 1
| All of: | |||
| ABTY 1141 | Introductory Word Processing | 3 credits | |
| ECHS 1114 | Communications for Caring Professions | 2 credits | |
| HCAP 1120 | Wellness: Health, Lifestyle & Choice | 1.5 credits | |
| HCAP 1124 | Health and Healing: Concepts for Practice 1 | 3 credits | |
| HCAP 1126 | Personal Care Skills & Clinical Practice | 8 credits | |
| HCAP 1135 | Person Centered Practice in Healthcare | 1.5 credits | |
Semester 2
| All of: | |||
| HCAP 1224 | Health and Healing: Concepts for Practise 2 | 3 credits | |
| HCAP 1225 | Health Care Assistant Advanced Skills | 3 credits | |
| HCAP 1240 | Dementia and Special Needs: Theory and Practise | 5 credits | |
| HCAP 1245 | Health Care Assistant Final Practicum | 5 credits | |
Credential Awarded
Upon successful completion of this program, students are eligible to receive a Certificate in Health Care Assistant.
