NorQuest program ramping up to train more health care aides

NorQuest College’s Health Care Aide (HCA) certificate program has been a success story from the beginning. The program’s roots reach back almost 30 years and in the past year alone, more than 1,500 students were enrolled either full or part time.

NorQuest is a Canadian leader in health care education. To meet the current Alberta-wide demand for health care aides, the program is expanding. In January 2012, it will become NorQuest’s first complete program offered through eCampusAlberta.

With NorQuest’s latest class of HCA graduates reporting a 100 per cent employment rate, the career outlook is very bright, says Sharleen Ravnsborg, Program Chair of the college’s Health Care Aide Department.

“There’s a huge demand, not only in the continuum from home care to long-term care, but also in acute care, mental health, some addiction services, and group homes for the mentally and physically disabled,” she says.

NorQuest’s distance education technology provides accessible education in over 200 communities to learners at the times, locations and formats that best meet their needs. Students choosing the part-time eCampusAlberta route can expect to finish their health care aide training in about eight months.

The program consists of 10 courses followed by a clinical practicum that students can complete in their home communities. Courses are delivered one at a time and each is a pre-requisite for the next. Training also involves 85 hours of labs at NorQuest’s Edmonton campus on some Fridays and Saturdays.

The labs are just one of several avenues for students to interact with instructors and fellow classmates.

“We post reflective questions to the Blackboard online learning management system, where students can respond and get feedback from their peers. We’re also planning some live Blackboard sessions,” Ravnsborg says.

Applicants must have Grade 10 English or equivalent as well as a clear criminal records check. Immunizations are also required. Those who have worked 1,000 hours in the field within the past two years may qualify for advanced standing.

Ravnsborg anticipates a lot of interest in the new eCampusAlberta delivery option.

“It opens an opportunity for people in rural areas who perhaps can’t access training locally, and also for younger people, who are already comfortable with technology-based learning formats. Online learning is the wave of the future.”

Learn more about the Health Care Aide certificate program offered by NorQuest College.