Selkirk College’s Health Care Assistant Certificate program opened up 10 additional seats for this fall’s program. The extra seats have helped meet interest and demand, as well as employer needs in Selkirk’s northern communities. The additional 10 seats were reserved for students from Nakusp, Kaslo and New Denver, and before the end of July, they had filled up for the coming year.
Additional seats offer students more options, and allow more students to enrol in the program as well as study closer to home. Students not only have the option of enrolling in the program, they can also complete their practicums without having to travel to major centres.
“Graduates of the Health Care Assistant (HCA) program have been successful at finding meaningful employment in their local communities,” says Rhys Andrews, Dean of Health and Human Services. “To be able to offer this education closer to home is also something that is so important to Selkirk College.”
Students will complete a variety of online courses, on-campus classroom courses, lab work in the Arrow Lakes Hospital and practicums in local community facilities. During the online courses, students from the north and south will work together, allowing them to make connections with the larger cohort before beginning face-to-face courses in their area.
“We look forward to supporting the students who are undertaking their Health Care Assistant studies this fall,” says Teresa Petrick, Chair of Health & Human Services. “The Selkirk staff involved in teaching and supporting this initiative are excited about being part of something so positive for people, families, and community.”
In order to help students complete the prerequisites needed for the HCA program, Selkirk College provided additional access to Adult Basic Education instruction on the Nakusp campus over the summer. The support allowed interested students become eligible in time to begin the program in September.
Increasing the number of seats in this program builds on Selkirk’s strategic directions to increase enrolments, and engage the wider community in learning and developing innovative programs and services.
For information, please contact the Chair of Selkirk’s School of Health and Human Services, Teresa Petrick, at 250.365.1442. Learn more about our Health Programs.
