Health Care Assistant Certificate

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Experience the rewards of working in a caring profession, supporting older adults and vulnerable members of society as part of a dynamic health care team. As a graduate, you will be qualified to work as a frontline care provider in a variety of settings, including adult day programs, group homes, community care, residential care facilities or acute care hospitals.

To view program start dates, locations, delivery methods and other important information, visit the program page.

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Estimated Program Fees

Admission Requirements

To be accepted into a recognized BC HCA program, applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in English. Please complete the following English Competency Self-Declaration form.
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 three 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

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Applicants whose first language is not English

Applicants who have not been educated in an English speaking environment (a country with English language systems/institutions - see the English Competency Self Declaration form) or who have been educated in an English speaking environment for less than seven years, or less than 3 consecutive years at the secondary or post-secondary level must submit proof of one of the following:

Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Test (CLBPT): test must be within the last year with minimum scores of Listening 7, Speaking 7, Reading 6, and Writing 6.
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.
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.
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP-General): test must be within the last two years. with minimum scores of Listening 7, Speaking 7, Reading 6 and Writing 6.
Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): test must be within the last two years. Overall score of 60, with no section less than 50.

Priority Admission for Aboriginal Applicants

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 (https://www.nic.bc.ca/indigenous-students/), or contact an Aboriginal Advisor at your local campus.

Before Classes Begin

Once accepted to the program complete the following:

Submit the Criminal Record Check form, which will be sent to you by Admissions once you are offered a seat in the program. This process can take some time, so submit promptly to ensure your clearance arrives prior to the clinical experiences.
Ensure you hold and submit a current Standard First Aid with CPR C certificate (FAC 021 , FAC 081 ) that will not expire before the end of the HCA program.

Note: FAC 021 is offered at NIC. If you take a course at an institution other than North Island College, it is your responsibility to ensure it meets the requirements of the HCA program. Please consult an NIC educational advisor or the HCA program Department Chair for information on course compatibility with other institutions.

Arrange to complete the immunization form, which will be sent to you by Admissions once you are offered a seat in the program. This form must be validated by a Health Professional (such as a public health nurse at your local health unit, a family doctor, or private immunization clinic) and must be submitted to the Health Care Assistant program faculty. This process can take some time, so begin as soon as you can.
Ensure you hold and submit a Food Safe Level 1 certificate (TFS 010 ) that does not expire before the end of the HCA Program.

These pre-practice requirements must be completed and submitted to the HCA program records in order for you to enter the Practice Experience placement sites. If circumstances deem it impossible for you to complete these pre-practice requirements before the first day of class, please contact your instructor to develop a plan for completing any outstanding requirements by 30 days prior to entering the practice experience placement site.

Course Requirements

Completion Requirements

The HCA certificate must be completed within 2 years of admission to the program.
To successfully complete the program, students must achieve a C or better in each course.
Successful completion of the appropriate HCA theory courses is required to progress into the practice experience.
A student who has failed a course, may re-apply to re-enter the program to complete that course and any subsequent courses. Re-entry to the program is dependent on seat availability and any conditions as outlined upon the student’s withdrawal from the program. If more than three months elapse between the completion of lab skills coursework and a practice experience course, students will be retested on their lab skills and may be required to complete remediation prior to readmission. This is important to ensure student safety and currency in practice skills.
If a student is unsuccessful in the program a second time, they can only re-enter through admissions to repeat the whole program.
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.