Health Care Assistant: Certificate

Description

The Health Care Assistant (HCA) 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 health care settings, including acute care, complex care, and home support. The graduate is prepared to meet the care needs of adults who may be experiencing diverse and often complex health and illness challenges.

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 a 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.

The student will have a variety of experiences over the program length, including classroom, laboratory, simulations, complex care, and home support facilities.

Note: Students will be expected to do both daytime (0700–1500) and evening (1500–2300) shifts as part of their practice experiences.

The last five weeks of the program will be a full-time work experience.

Career Opportunities

Upon completion of the program, graduates are qualified to work in any of the following health care areas:

Complex Care
Acute Care
Home Support
Assisted Living
Adult Day Care

Admission Requirements

All students, domestic or international, applying to the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Health Care Assistant Program must meet one of the following English standards for admission to the program:

BC English 12 with a minimum of grade of C (or equivalents)*; or
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): IBT 76 or higher, with no sub score less than 20 in Speaking and Listening and no sub score less than 18 in Reading and Writing, taken within the last two years; or
International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Overall band of 6.0 or higher, with a minimum of 6.0 in the Speaking and Listening band, and a minimum 5.5 in Reading and Writing band, taken within the last two years; or
Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): Score of 60 or higher with no sub score less than 50, taken within the last two years

* For applicants educated in an English-speaking environment for 7 non-consecutive years of elementary or secondary school or 4 consecutive years of secondary or post- secondary school.

In addition, applicants are required to provide proof of completion of the following:

Standard First Aid Certificate and CPR Level C
Food Safe Level I
Ministry of Justice Criminal Record Check (completed within six months prior to enrolment in the program)
TB test

Note: Students are also required to provide proof of up-to-date immunizations consistent with requirements of the Health Authorities prior to commencement in the practice experiences.

Students in the program are required to demonstrate the ability to perform a variety of cognitive, emotional and psychomotor skills safely and knowledgeably.

Continuance Requirements

Students are required to obtain a grade of 60% or higher in each course throughout the program.

Curricular Requirements

Semester 1

All of:
	CAHS 1101	Introduction to Technology and Academic Writing in Health Care	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