Certificate in Health Care Aide

at NorQuest College - Edmonton Campus Canada

The first of its kind in western Canada, this new two-year diploma program explores what distinguishes settlement work from other disciplines in the human services sector. You will learn models and approaches to effectively work with migrant diaspora communities, and strategies to help bridge cultural divides between newcomer communities and Canadian society. 

Transferability
The Settlement Studies program will allow graduates from the NorQuest College Community Support Worker program to transfer directly into Year 2 of the diploma program. In addition, there will be significant overlap in the content of foundational courses offered in the Settlement Studies and Disability Studies diploma programs. 

The Interdisciplinary Therapy Assistant diploma program prepares students to work in today's interdisciplinary health care systems. This program will provide students with a strong occupational and physical therapy assistant background, and incorporate essential assistant-level skills in speech language therapy and therapeutic recreation. Equipped with skills in these four rehabilitation disciplines, students will be prepared to meet industry demand and work in various general therapy, rehabilitation, as well as discipline-specific positions. If you enjoy helping people and want a career assisting patients to overcome injuries, or impairments, this diploma program could be for you.

The program delivers theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills using a balance of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary courses.

Program graduates will be prepared to:

• Communicate and collaborate as a valuable member of a client-centred interdisciplinary health-care team
• Assist with effective physical therapy and occupational therapy practice by providing safe and competent care across client populations
• Support other rehabilitation disciplines, including therapeutic recreation and speech-language pathology
• Demonstrate effective professionalism, leadership, and reflective practice skills

Applicants are requested to review the job requirements listed below and assess their ability to fulfill the demands of the therapy assistant occupation. As a therapy assistant, you must be able to:

• Work shifts and weekends
• Be on your feet for extended periods of time
• Use your knees, back, and arms to assist clients
• Lift 30 pounds
• Touch and provide care for clients of all ages, cultures, and genders
• Manage time and resources in a busy work setting
• Communicate and collaborate effectively in a team
• Enjoy working with people

In this nationally accredited diploma program, you will acquire the knowledge and skills needed to work in this fast-paced and highly respected occupation. This includes dispensing prescriptions, compounding medications, preparing sterile products, and providing patient care.

Student Success
Students are more likely to be successful in this program if they:

• Are detail-oriented
• Have strong arithmetic skills
• Can multi-task and problem-solve effectively
• Have access to a computer with strong computer and typing skills
• Have good written and verbal communication skills
• Have good vision and manual dexterity and can stand and sit for extended periods of time.
• Applicants are requested to review the job requirements listed below and assess their ability to fulfill the demands of the occupation of pharmacy technician.

As a pharmacy technician, you must be able to:

• Work day, evening, and weekend shifts
• Stand and sit for extended periods of time
• Use your knees, back, and arms to move objects that weigh up to 10 kilograms
• Have good manual dexterity and vision, which are essential for some tasks
• Physically and emotionally manage workplace demands
• Function effectively in stressful situations
• Multi-task and problem-solve
• Perform all skills independently
• Work collaboratively with other health-care professionals
• Communicate effectively in written and verbal form with patients, colleagues, and other health care professionals.

Additional Program Details
NorQuest’s pharmacy technician lab provides students with practical, hands-on training in compounding, sterile product preparation, repackaging, inventory management, and dispensing. In the lab, students have the opportunity to use technologies currently employed by those working in the profession, including laminar airflow hoods and Kroll® computer software.

Our state-of-the-art simulation lab prepares students to work collaboratively with other health-care professionals as part of an interdisciplinary team.
For more information on becoming a registered pharmacy technician in the province of Alberta, visit the Alberta College of Pharmacy website.

Practicum/Work Experience
This program includes two practicums totalling 320 hours.

This one-year professional certificate program will prepare you to become a leader in the food and beverage industry. Learners will be ready to manage existing establishments or take their first step in launching a business.

Business Analysis professionals play a vital role in helping organization create efficiencies, update processes, and modernize to meet the challenges of today. This is a non-credit program that issues a Professional Certificate upon successful completion of the courses and three-month work integrated learning component.

Accounting technicians are involved in the day-to-day practical work of accountancy and play a key operational role in producing reliable financial information. They may also perform a wide range of finance roles, from accounts clerk to financial controller and beyond.

Graduates from this program will have the basic theory, technical knowledge, computer competencies, and skills to enter the accounting field at an entry-level position. Our program equips graduates to perform financial accounting, budgeting, costing, and tax returns. The work experience component of the program allows you to gain hands-on experience in the field.

What to Expect as an Accounting Technician

• Accounting technicians are involved in processing invoices, recording receipts and payments, payroll, bookkeeping, auditing external and internal work, and preparing and checking ledger balances and other monthly and yearly accounts. They also handle company expenses, control budgets, prepare financial transactions, and use computerized accounting systems. Accounting technicians usually work regular weekday hours in a comfortable office environment.
• Accounting technicians can work on their own, in a large accounts team, or alongside professional accountants. While they are not accountants, they can perform many of the same functions and are qualified to take accounts beyond the trial balance stage, as well as prepare full financial accounts. There is always a strong demand for these skills in industry.
• Self-employed accounting technicians provide a range of accounting services to businesses, which may include advising on budgets and taxation issues, calculating end-of-year accounts, and consultancy.

The Early Learning and Child Care certificate program prepares graduates to provide quality child care in a wide variety of settings and to plan appropriate activities for the children in their care. Knowledge of child development, family dynamics, play, and program planning will equip you to support the healthy development of children through child-centred learning experiences.

Practicum/Work Experience

• This program includes two practicums totalling 400 hours.

The Child and Youth Care program is designed to prepare students to support children and youth who have experienced social, behavioural, and emotional challenges. Focused on diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous culture, the program teaches students the foundational skills of child and youth care practice, as well as perspectives and strategies for supporting all children and youth in culturally respectful ways.

Students will learn the impact of physical and emotional experiences on youth and families and the importance and strength of diversity and difference, and developing professional practice. The program will train students for the child and youth care worker roles through theory-based courses and hands-on practicum experience.

Graduates will have the knowledge and skills to support children and youth in navigating lived experiences, including helping at-risk children and youth with family processes, access and success in education, physical and mental health, and addictions.

Practicum/Work Experience

• This program includes three practicums totalling 600 hours.

The Disability Studies program is a two-year diploma that will develop the skills needed to effectively work in supporting individuals with disabilities across their lifespan. Individuals with developmental disabilities need support in early intervention, community settings, schools, recreation, and employment opportunities. A skilled workforce is needed to help people with disabilities achieve their goals and effectively participate as members of the community.

Disability service workers can work in a family or community setting in teams or independently to support individuals and their families. Graduates will create, implement, assess and modify plans to help utilize individuals’ strengths and abilities to increase avenues for meaningful participation in the community and society.

Environmental technicians provide an important service to society by helping protect and sustain the long-term health of our ecosystems. This two-year diploma program will prepare students for technical work in the environmental sector.

Students will gain the practical knowledge and skills needed to offer professional advice on a wide range of subjects, including: environmental impact assessment; hazardous and non-hazardous waste management; waste reduction and reuse strategies; air, soil, and water pollution prevention and monitoring; compliance auditing; and contaminated site investigation and remediation.

This skill set is based on an integrated, hands-on training program that gives graduates a good working knowledge of physical and life sciences, including general biology, ecology, toxicology, chemistry, physics, and statistics.

The program includes hands-on training in both laboratory and field settings. Students will also have the option of taking part in a co-operative work term. Following completion of the program, students will be eligible for designation as a certified technician.