Health Care Assistant Program

Health Care Assistant Curriculum

Health Care Assistant Curriculum w/Cooperative Work Experience

Health Care Assistant and Health Care Assistant with Cooperative Work Experience was/were reviewed and approved by the registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.

Upon completion of this program, you will be able to:

• Provide person-centered care and assistance that recognizes and respects the uniqueness of each individual client.
• Use an informed problem-solving approach to provide care and assistance that promotes the physical, psychological, social, cognitive, and spiritual well-being of clients and families.
• Provide care and assistance for clients experiencing complex health challenges.
• Provide care and assistance for clients experiencing cognitive and/or mental health challenges.

Upon completion of the program, ready-to-work graduates are prepared to work in a variety of settings including home support, assisted living, residential/complex care, special care units, other home and community care settings, and acute care.

This program is regulated by the BC Care Aide Community Health Worker Registry (CACHWR):

https://www.cachwr.bc.ca/

Programs are offered at the following locations with online learning available for a portion of the theory classes:

• Campbell River
• Courtenay
• Nanaimo
• Maple Ridge
• Surrey
• Prince George
• Williams Lake

Program length: 804 hours.

ADMISSION PREREQUISITES

Applicants must meet these minimum program entry requirements:
• Proof of Grade 10 completion (or equivalent) OR mature student status
• Proof of meeting HCA program entry – English language competency requirements

• For applicants with three years of full-time instruction in English*:
  • English 10 completion or equivalent
  For applicants with less than three years of full-time instruction in English*:
  • Standardized English language proficiency test score

*Defined as three years of full-time secondary and/or post-secondary education in the English
language at a recognized institution on the list of approved English-speaking countries
Secondary education starts at grade 8. ESL courses will not be considered.

Note: applicants wishing to apply to Student Aid BC for financial aid, must have graduated from a BC secondary school (grade 12) or equivalent from another school system OR be a mature applicant (19 years of age on the first day of class).

Note: International students must provide a clear police certificate from their country of origin prior to acceptance – this is a program entry requirement. HCA students provide care to vulnerable clients within the practice education portion of the program. To avoid potential hardship for students arriving from another country, the police certificate is an admission requirement.

Please refer to information provided at:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/how.html

Applicants must also:
• Submit completed application forms.
• Provide a signed consent for a criminal record check from the Ministry of Public Safety and
• Solicitor General (the Criminal Records Review program CRRP).
• Meet with a DCC official and complete required documents.

*To determine equivalency, refer to ICES Country Specific Information – BCIT

Must be 19 years of age on the first day of class.

Refer to DCC admissions advisor for list of approved English-speaking countries, or click this link
https://www.cachwr.bc.ca/resources/pdf/educators/HCA-Minimum-Program-Entry-Requirements.pdf

HCA program entry – English language competency requirements

Applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in English. Students must be able to communicate effectively in English to be successful in their studies and capable of providing safe and competent care to patients/clients/residents in the work environment during practice education components.

Applicants who provide evidence of three years of full-time instruction in English* must also provide proof of one of the following:

• Completion of grade 10 English4 (or higher); a minimum C grade is acceptable.
• Completion of college courses determined to be equivalent to grade 10 English by post-secondary institutions. A minimum C grade is acceptable.
• Accuplacer next generation test: reading 230, writing 230, WritePlacer 4.

*Applicants must provide a transcript or a BC personal education record as evidence to confirm completion.

Applicants must have studied over a period of three years and completed a minimum of two semesters of studies within each year. It is expected that the student will be taking full time studies (30 credits to a minimum of 18 credits per academic year). Typically, a minimum of six semesters with between 54-90 total credits would be completed over the three-year timeframe.

Applicants who cannot provide evidence of three years of full-time instruction in English are required to provide proof of one of the following standardized proficiency tests from an authorized assessment agency:

Canadian Language Benchmarks Placement Test (CLBPT) or CLBPT Remote – test in the last year.

o Listening 7, speaking 7, reading 6, writing 6

Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP General or CELPIP Online) – test in the last two years.

o Listening 7, speaking 7, reading 6, writing 6.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic, IELTS General, IELTS Academic Online) – test in the last two years.

o Overall score of 6 with a minimum of 6 in speaking and listening and 5.5 in reading and writing.

Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL or CAEL Online) – test in the last two years.

o Overall score of 60, with no section less than 50.

The Test of English as a foreign Language (TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Home Edition) – test in the last two years.

o Overall score of 76, with no score lower than 20 in speaking and listening and 18 in reading and writing.

Note:

An applicant may be accepted if s/he already has Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) results, the test must be in the last two years with scores of speaking 7, listening 7, reading 6, writing 6.

Includes any English language arts 10 course or GED indicating completion of the English requirement.

An applicant may be accepted with a CLB Report Card from a LINC Program indicating
“Completing” CLB speaking 7, listening 7, reading 7, writing 7, AND “Recommended Class Placement” as speaking 8, listening 8, reading 8, writing 8

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS for PRACTICE EDUCATION PLACEMENTS

Prior to being placed in the first practice education experience, evidence of completion of the following must be in each student’s file:
• First aid certification
• CPR level “C” certification or “Basic Life Support (BLS)” certification
• FoodSafe level 1 certification (or a certificate course deemed equivalent
Food_Handlers_Training_Courses_Equivalent_to_BC_FOODSAFE_Level_1.pdf (bccdc.ca)
• Completion of the Student Practice Education Core Orientation (SPECO), available on the Learning Hub, which must include the following:
o A signed checklist SPECO Checklist.pdf (phsa.ca)
o Proof of meeting current immunizations / vaccinations as per health care organization policies / guidelines (or a signed vaccination exemption form, except TB)5
o Criminal record check from the Criminal Records Review Program, including clearance to work with vulnerable adults6
o Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum e-Learning modules
o WHMIS – Provincial course
• Completion of the Health Care Assistant Practice in BC e-Learning modules (learning hub)
• Completion of the Recognizing and Responding to Adult Abuse course (learning hub)

Information about additional practice education and workplace specific health and safety requirements and/or additional training or certification standards will be given to students prior to their practice placements.
The required courses listed above (e.g., first aid, FoodSafe etc.,) are not included in the HCA Program
Provincial Curriculum and will be provided in addition to the course/program hours required.

Discovery Community College will schedule these. Applicants already having any of these certifications must provide the originals to a college official prior to program start so that a copy may be made and witnessed and placed in the student file.

ADMISSION PREREQUISITES

Applicants must meet these entry requirements:

• Graduated from BC secondary school (grade 12) or equivalent* from another school system OR

be a mature applicant (19 years of age on the first day of class).

• All applicants whose first language is English must demonstrate a proficiency to speak, read, comprehend, and write English at a BC secondary school grade 10 level (see note [1] below).
• All applicants whose first language is not English must be assessed to ensure they have a level of English proficiency (reading, writing, speaking, listening) that offers them a reasonable chance of success in the HCA program (see note [2] below).
• Submit completed application forms, including a self-declaration confirming level of English proficiency.
• Provide a signed consent for a criminal record check from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General (the Criminal Records Review program CRRP).

[1] Provide a BC secondary school transcript, or equivalent from another school system, showing satisfactory evidence of the 3/7-year BC CACHWR threshold requirement, as well as completion of English grade 10, or complete one of the assessments listed on the BC CACHWR English language competency requirements for applicants whose first language is English.

[2] Complete one of the assessments listed on the BC CACHWR English language competency requirements for applicants whose first language is not English.

The English language competency requirements are described here: Home – BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry (cachwr.bc.ca) (as of 5 September 2023 the CACHWR website is under maintenance and a direct link to the English language competency requirements is not available).

Applicants must meet with a DCC official and complete required documents.

*Equivalent:

For detailed information about equivalencies please speak with your DCC Admissions Advisor. Entrance requirements may be met with evidence of secondary and post-secondary studies at an equivalent level, and/or with successful assessment testing.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS for PRACTICE EDUCATION PLACEMENTS

Prior to being placed in an agency or facility for the required program practice experiences, students must:

• Provide proof of meeting current immunizations / vaccinations as per health care organization policies / guidelines and/or as required by the regional Health Authority (refer to guidelines below)
• Present documentation of an acceptable criminal record check from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, including clearance to work with vulnerable adults (refer to guidelines below)
• Have successfully completed a First Aid course
• Have successfully completed CPR Level “C” or “HCP”
• Have successfully completed Foodsafe Level 1 (or a course deemed equivalent)
• Have completed Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum (PVPC) e-learning modules

Discovery Community College will provide the First Aid, CPR/HCP, Foodsafe, and PVPC training. Applicants already having any of these certifications must provide the originals to a college official so that a copy may be made and witnessed and placed in the student file.

A list of courses deemed equivalent to BC Foodsafe Level 1 is provided here: http://www.bccdc.ca/our[1]services/programs/food-protection-services

International students must provide a police certificate from their country of origin (HCA program students will be providing care to vulnerable clients within the practice education components of the program). Please refer to information provided at: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/medical-police/police-certificates/how.html

Health Care Assistant Domestic Fees:

Application Fee: $100.00
Criminal Record Check Fee: $28.00
Tuition Fee: $10,139.18
Textbooks & Supplies: $311.78
Total: $10,601.55

Health Care Assistant International Fees:

Application Fee: $150.00
Criminal Record Check Fee: $28.00
Tuition Fee: $12,963.43
Textbooks & Supplies: $311.78
Total: $13,475.8

Health Care Assistant International Fees w/Co-Op:

Application Fee: $150.00
Criminal Record Check Fee: $28.00
Tuition Fee: $14,763.43
Textbooks & Supplies: $311.78
Total: $15,275.8