Health Care Assistant Certificate Program
(formerly Home Support / Resident Care Attendant 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.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will receive a Health Care Assistant certificate.
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
Entrance Requirements
The following specific prerequisites apply:
An acceptable English language assessment score as determined by established program criteria.*
*All applicants whose first language is English will write the ACP Accuplacer test and be required to attain a minimum score of writing level 8.
The recommended procedure for applicants whose first language is not English and who have taken less than 9 years of education in Canada is to take the Accuplacer – ELST test. The required score is 98 and writing band 5.
If you have completed English 12 with a C or better, you do not have to write the English test, but you must submit a transcript of the grade.
Additional admission requirements must be completed before final acceptance into the program will be granted. These include the following:
- A criminal record search completed within three months prior to enrolling in the program.
- Effective May 1, 2010, if you are not a Canadian citizen, you are required to secure a Criminal Record Search with the Vulnerable Sector from your country of origin. This requirement is in addition to the Canadian Criminal Record Search with Vulnerable Sector through your application with the College of Registered Nurses of BC. Please note that your Criminal Record Search must be mailed directly from the issuing agency to Kwantlen Polytechnic University Admissions.
- Immunizations consistent with the requirements of clinical agencies.
- Food Safe Level I course.
- A valid First-Aid Certificate and CPR level C*
- TB test
*Examples of first aid courses that qualify are:
- St. John's Ambulance Standard First Aid
- Red Cross Standard First Aid
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.
Requirements for Re-admission
To be considered for re-admission to the Health Care Assistant program, the applicant must:
- Complete any remediation specified at the time of withdrawal.
- Meet the original admission requirements at the date of re-application.
Re-entry will be based upon seat availability. Returning students will be individually assessed to determine the most appropriate placement in the program at the time of re-entry.
Content
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 (courses below available January 2010)
- ABTY 1141 Introductory Word Processing
- ECHS 1114 Communications for Caring Professions
- HCAP 1120 Wellness: Health, Lifestyle & Choice
- HCAP 1124 Health and Healing: Concepts for Practise 1
- HCAP 1125 Personal Care Skills & Clinical Practise
- HCAP 1135 Introduction to Person Centred Practise
- Semester 2
Costs
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 also responsible for providing their own transportation to clinical experiences.
Graduation
Upon successful completion of the program, students are eligible to receive a Health Care Assistant Certificate.
