Health Care Assistant Certificate

Admission Requirements

1. To be accepted into a recognized BC HCA program, applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in English. Please complete the following Declaration of English Language Competency Requirements for Health Care Assistant form.
2. Completed HCA Intake Package. Carefully read the Health and Program Information Bulletins. Prospective students must review these bulletins and decide whether they believe the HCA program is suited to them. Prospective students who have questions or concerns should contact an educational advisor.

Applicants whose first language is English

Applicants must provide proof of education in an English-speaking environment (a country with English language systems/institutions) for a minimum of seven years or have been educated in an English-speaking environment for four consecutive years at the secondary or post- secondary level, and submit proof of one of the following:

C+ in one of Provincial English 11, Composition 11, Creative Writing 11, Literary Studies 11, New Media 11, Spoken Language 11, English First Peoples Literary Studies & Writing 11, English First Peoples Literary Studies & New Media 11, English First Peoples Literary Studies & Spoken Language 11, NIC ENG 052 , or assessment testing
Upgrade with us  

Applicants who have not been educated in an English speaking environment (a country with English language systems/institutions or who have been educated in an English speaking environment for less than seven years, must submit proof of one of the following:

1. Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Test (CLBPT): test must be within the last six months: scores as follows: Listening 7, Speaking 7, Reading 6, and Writing 6.
2. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): test must be within the last two years, IBT only. Overall score of 76 with no score lower than 20 in Speaking and Listening and no score lower than 18 in Reading and Writing.
3. International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Academic or General-test must be within the last two years: Overall score of 6 with a minimum of 6 in Speaking and Listening and no score lower than 5.5 in Reading and Writing.
4. Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) Test must be within the last two years. Academic or General - Aggregate score of 4L or better, with 4L or better in Speaking and Listening and 3H or better in Reading and Writing.
5. Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CSEL): Test must be within the last two years. Overall score of 60, with no section less than 50.

The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has provided Special Program approval to allow priority admission for a selected number of self-declared Aboriginal applicants to this program beginning in September 2013. For more information please refer to NIC’s Aboriginal Education Services program page (http://www.nic.bc.ca/services/aboriginalservices/programs.aspx), or contact an Aboriginal Advisor at your local campus.

Once accepted to the program but before classes begin, you will be required to:

• hold a current Standard First Aid with CPR C certificate (FAC-021)

Note: If taken at an institution other than North Island College, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure compatibility of courses between institutions. Please consult a NIC educational advisor for information on course compatibility with other institutions.

• Submit a Criminal Record Check form, which will be sent to you by Admissions once you are offered a seat in the program.
• Submit a completed immunization form, which will be sent to you by Admissions once you are offered a seat in the program. This form should be validated by the public health nurse at your local health unit and must be presented to the Health Care Assistant program faculty on the first day of classes.
• Hold a Food Safe Level 1 certificate (TFS-010)

You must provide proof of completion of the above to the Health Care Assistant faculty on the first day of class.

Course Requirements

• HCA - 100 Health and Healing: Concepts for Practice
• HCA - 105 Health I: Interpersonal Communications
• HCA - 110 Health II: Lifestyle & Choices
• HCA - 115 Healing I: Caring for Individuals Experiencing Common Health Challenges
• HCA - 120 Healing 3: Personal Care and Assistance
• HCA - 125 Healing 2: Caring for Individuals Experiencing Cognitive or Mental Challenges
• HCA - 130 Work Role: Introduction to Hca

•  

• Includes a minimum of 270 hours of clinical practice experience:

•  

• HCA - 140 Practice Experience I
• HCA - 145 Practice Experience II
• HCA - 150 Practice Experience III

Completion Requirements

1. The HCA certificate must be completed within 2 years of admission to the program.
2. To successfully complete the program, students must achieve 70% or better in each course.
3. Successful completion of the appropriate HCA theory courses is required to progress into the practice experience.
4. A student who has failed a course, re-entered the program, repeated it and passed, and then fails another course will be removed entirely from the program and can only re-enter by going through the admission process and beginning at Term 1.
   Re-entering the program is dependent on an available seat and at the discretion of the health care assistant department and in consultation with the Dean. Students who fail a required course may be asked to complete a learning assessment prior to being considered for re-admission. These regulations are important to ensure that graduates have the required skills and knowledge and are therefore deemed safe to practice.
5. Students are required to adhere to program professional conduct requirements as outlined in the HCA program manual. Failure to adhere to these program expectations may result in the student being required to leave the program.