The Health Care Assistant program is a full-time certificate program designed to provide students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary to function as caregivers in a variety of health care settings.

The program's courses and labs are enhanced by practice experiences in community complex care and home support facilities. During the final practicum component of the program, there is a distinct clinical opportunity to work and gain experience in an acute care setting. Students will be prepared to meet the care needs of adults who may be experiencing diverse and often complex health and illnesses.

Upon graduation, students will be eligible to register with the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry.

All applicants, domestic or international, must meet one of the following English standards for admission to the program:

• Successful completion of English 10¹ with a minimum grade of 'C', or equivalent; or
• Accuplacer Test¹: Reading (230), Writing (230), WritePlacer 4, taken within the last year; or
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): IBT 76 or higher, with no sub-score less than 20 in Speaking and Listening and no sub-score less than 18 in Reading and Writing, taken within the last two years; or
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Test: Overall band of 6.0 or higher, with a minimum of 6.0 in the Speaking and Listening band, and a minimum 5.5 in Reading and Writing band, taken within the last two years; or
• Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): Score of 60 or higher with no sub-score less than 50, taken within the last two years; or
• Canadian Language Benchmark Placement Test (CLBPT): Listening 7, Speaking 7, Reading 6 and Writing 6, or higher, taken within the last year at an assessment centre listed on the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB).