Introduction
As our society ages more and more people will require the support of medical health professionals to look after their personal health needs.Many of these professionals work in the hospitals providing emergency service and medical care to patients.Most of these patients return to active life in the community, but a growing number of Canadians need external support in their homes and longer-term care in specialized facilities.To assist them in adjusting to and coping with their limitations are a group of health care professionals including doctors, nurses, health care aides, and other medical specialists.
Like other medical specialists, individuals wishing to perform the role of a Health Care Aide must acquire a certain amount of knowledge and skills.Historically they have received their training on the job, however more and more health care employers are hiring formally trained and qualified personnel.
Columbia’s Health Care Aide Program was designed to respond to the needs of the health care community. Its intensive program covers such topics as:Health Care Aide Role and the Canadian Health Care System, Developmental Processes and Mental Health, Activities of Daily Living, Body Systems and Functions, and Special Care Procedures.
This exciting program provides the student with relevant healthcare knowledge as well as giving practical clinical experience both here at Columbia as well as in healthcare facilities.
Program Delivery Options
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Full-Time Certificate Program (Delivered on campus)
The Health Care Aide Program is a 15 week program designed to give the student practical nursing theory and field-based co-operative education experiences. This curriculum is based on the Provincial Prototype Curriculum for Healthcare Aids in Alberta..
Students will do 5 weeks of self-study with Government of Alberta Health Care Aide curriculum modules. This will be followed by 5 weeks of workshops to master skills and test knowledge.
Each student’s field-based co-operative education experiences will be scheduled according to the co-operating health care employer’s availability of supervisory and training personnel. This means that the 200 volunteering hours of co-operative education may be scheduled over a five week period between early morning, mid-day, late afternoon, and evening and weekend periods.
Students should be prepared to work various shifts during their co-operative education course as this will prepare them for the reality of the professional healthcare world.
Detailed Information
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Admission Requirements
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Program Start Dates
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Academic Year August 1, 2011 – July 31, 2012 start dates available:
- September 26, 2011
- October 31, 2011
- December 5, 2011
- January 23, 2012
- February 27, 2012
- April 2, 2012
- May 7, 2012
- June 11, 2012
- July 16, 2012
Employment Opportunities
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Are you thinking of a challenging career in the health care field?
If so, then Columbia College’s Health Care Aide Program may be the right choice for you. Graduates of this program work on a variety of nursing units, in acute care hospitals, long-term care settings such as nursing homes and auxiliary hospitals and in the community providing home care. Examples of the care given to patients in all care settings include: assistance with bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting, exercising, lifting and transferring, taking vital signs such as blood pressure and assisting with psychosocial needs.
Course Costs
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Contact Us
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