As the province faces down another wave of COVID-19, healthcare professionals are more in-demand than ever.
To help meet the growing need for healthcare professionals, Burnaby Continuing Education, a branch of the Burnaby School District, is offering a Health Care assistant diploma program that starts in January.
“The goal of the program is to train people to work as frontline care providers through a combination of theory and hands-on training,” says Linda VanderHeide, the program coordinator for Burnaby Continuing Education.
The six-month in-class program includes classroom theory, clinical instruction and two practicums in two different care settings: long-term care and community based care.
“Our school has affiliation agreements with several health authorities, which is essential for being able to request practicum placements in a variety of healthcare settings,” VanderHeide says.
“The practicums transform what you learn in the classroom to a real-life setting. Your patients are real-life people who are right in front of you. You can see that what you do makes a huge difference in someone’s life.”
Over 95% of the program’s students find employment within six months of graduation.
“The course work and practicums fully prepared me to be successful, as I had multiple job offers before graduating,” Angela Kujat, program graduate, says.
The intensive 30-week program has high standards for its course and clinical labs to ensure its graduates are prepared to deliver the highest quality of care in a growing field.
“The nice part about this program is that you don’t have to go back to school for years to get retrained. You can take a six-month course and come out with a new career,” VanderHeide says.
“And there are a lot of jobs available. There is a shortage of care aides. While that’s a bad thing in general, it’s a positive for our students because they can feel good about finding employment upon graduation.”
For more details about the health care assistant diploma or to apply, visit http://www.burnabycce.ca/courses/health-care-assistant-diploma.
