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Health Care Assistant
(formerly Resident Care Attendant/Home Support) |
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Program Courses
Orientation and Student Success Skills
This course will provide a comprehensive orientation to Stenberg College and the program you have enrolled in. As with all new things, there will be some challenges to overcome; however, with this course, you will become familiar with your new environment and the resources available for your use. You will gain effective learning and study strategies; become familiar with course and research online resources; enhance reading and writing skills; participate in activities to increase self-awareness, communication, and accountability; and develop teamwork skills.
Health and Healing: Concepts for Practice
This course provides students with the opportunity to develop a theoretical framework for practice. Students will be introduced to the philosophical values and theoretical understandings that provide a foundation for competent practice as a HCA. The course focuses on concepts of caring and person-centered care; basic human needs and human development; family, culture and diversity as they relate to health and healing. Students will also be introduced to a problem-solving model that will be critical to their practice.
Clinical Prerequisite Certifications
In order to be placed in an agency or facility for the required program practice experiences, students must have successfully completed Standard First Aid, CPR Level C and FoodSafe Level 1. Students in the Stenberg Program also take WHMIS and Non-Violent Conflict Resolution to ensure that they have the advantage of additional external certifications valued by today's employers.
Health Care Assistant: Introduction to Practice
This course provides an introduction to the role of the HCA within the British Columbia health care system. Students will be introduced to the healthcare team and the roles and functions of HCA within the team.
Health 1: Interpersonal Communications
This course focuses on the development of self-awareness, increased understanding of others and development of effective interpersonal communication skills that can be used in a variety of care-giving contexts. Students will be encouraged to become more aware of the impact of their own communication choices and patterns. They will have opportunity to develop and use communication techniques that demonstrate personal awareness, respect and active listening skills.
Health 2: Lifestyle and Choices
This course introduces students to a holistic concept of health and the components of a health enhancing lifestyle. Students will be invited to reflect on their own experience of health, recognizing challenges and resources that can impact lifestyle choices. Students will be introduced to a model that can be applied in other courses to understand the multi-faceted aspects of health and healing.
Healing 1: Caring for Individuals Experiencing Common Health Challenges
This course introduces students to the normal structure and function of the human body and normal bodily changes associated with aging. Students will explore common challenges to health and healing in relation to each body system. Students will also be encouraged to explore person-centered practice as it relates to the common challenges to health and, in particular, to end-of-life care.
Healing 2: Caring for Individuals Experiencing Cognitive or Mental Challenges
This course builds on content from other courses to assist students to explore concepts and care-giving approaches that will allow them to work effectively with individuals experiencing cognitive or mental challenges. Emphasis is on recognizing behaviors and identifying person-centered intervention strategies.
Healing 3: Personal Care and Assistance
This practical course offers students the opportunity to acquire personal care and assistance skills within the parameters of the HCA role. The course is comprised of class and supervised laboratory experiences which assist the student to integrate theory from other courses to develop care-giver skills that maintain and promote the comfort, safety and independence of individuals in community and facility contexts.
Practice Experience in Multi-Level and/or Complex Care
This supervised clinical placement provides students with an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills from all other courses in the program with individuals in a multi-level or complex care setting. A portion of this clinical experience will be devoted to working with individuals experiencing cognitive challenges. Opportunity will be provided for students to gain expertise and confidence with the role of the HCA within a continuing care facility. This placement begins concurrently with other coursework, allowing students the opportunity to apply knowledge/skills which they are learning in other courses with immediacy. In this way, observations and experiences from the work environment can be brought into the class or lab in ways that assist students to more readily see the application of their new learning. After students have completed their core theoretical coursework, their clinical experience is consolidated with a 4-week block practice experience. In this way, students immerse themselves in the work world without the demands of other course requirements. This block practice experience supports students with the transition from the student to the HCA role.
Multi-Level/ Complex Preceptorship
This preceptorship will facilitate your transition from HCA student to HCA graduate. A designated preceptor will act as your mentor and guide encouraging you to apply insight, critical thinking skills, and self-awareness within the work setting. Support will be made readily available to both the student and the preceptor throughout this experience by a Stenberg College HCA faculty member.
Career Search Strategies
This course is offered in a combined online and classroom delivery format. In the guided online sessions, students learn to network effectively, prepare targeted resumes and cover letters, and follow up in their job search. In the instructor-led session, students are provided with a personalized critique of their resume, cover letter, and online profiles and are also given the opportunity to practice and perfect interview skills.
Clinical Debriefing / Home Support Practicum Prep
Students will return to the classroom to debrief on their block clinical practice placement in multi-level/complex care, sharing what they learned over the course of this experience.
Practice Experience in Home Support and/or Assisted Living
This practice course provides students with an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills from all other courses with individuals and families in a community setting. Opportunity will be provided for students to become more familiar with the role of the HCA within a Home Support Agency and gain abilities that will prepare graduates to assume the role of a Community Health Worker. Students will work closely with a home support preceptor who will act as your mentor and guide encouraging you to apply insight, critical thinking skills and self-awareness in the reality of a work setting. At the conclusion of this experience, students will return to the College for a final debriefing.
Additional Certification(s)
The program also includes essential industry-related training and certification in:
Assisting With Medications
You will learn how to assist clients/residents with medication in relation to the Health Care Assistant scope of practice. HCA roles and responsibilities, types of medications, common abbreviations, label reading, and documentation will all be covered. In addition to classroom-based learning, there will be laboratory skills practice and evaluation to ensure full competency in assisting with medications prior to receiving this additional program certificate.
Standard First Aid / CPR-HCP-AED
You'll receive Red Cross Standard First Aid Certification including Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Health Care Provider (HCP) and Automated External Defibrillation (AED). This industry standard certification is valid for three years.
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
WHMIS trainers provide information about materials in the workplace that can be hazardous, such as cleaning agents, compressed gases and flammable materials. Becoming WHMIS certified will demonstrate that you are able to identify hazardous materials and handle them properly.
FOODSAFE Level 1
You'll learn how to prepare food in a way that protects people from injury or illness. Some of the topics covered are food-borne diseases, personal hygiene, and safe procedures for storing.
Non-Violent Conflict Resolution
For your protection, you'll learn how to deal with people who are disruptive or out of control, using verbal techniques for de-escalating conflict and restraint techniques when physical intervention is necessary. |
