The resources in this section provide information about health care assistant (HCA) competencies, education and employment in BC.
The resources apply to:
The BC Health Care Assistant (HCA) Care Activities Chart has been developed as a resource for HCAs, and others who want to understand more about HCA education and training in BC. This resource aligns with the HCA Program Provincial Curriculum (2023).
It lists care activities that BC Health Care Assistants (HCAs) may be expected to perform as part of their duties. It also specifies care activities taught within in the Health Care Assistant Program Provincial Curriculum and categorizes care activities as tasks or restricted activities.
The BC Health Care Assistant (HCA) Decision-Making Tool has been developed as a resource to support HCAs to make decisions about performing or assisting with activities of daily living to support client independence and optimal functioning.
This HCA Core Competency Profile establishes a set of competencies (knowledge, skills, behaviours and attitudes) that HCAs in BC are expected to possess as an outcome of their baseline education.
These competencies reflect the minimum standards required to ensure that HCAs provide the public with safe, competent and ethical care. The Ministry of Health reviewed and made minor amendments to this document to ensure its alignment with provincial health legislation and to support the release of the Health Care Assistant Program Provincial Curriculum (2023).
The Health Care Assistant Program Provincial Curriculum 2023 provides program learning outcomes and performance indicators for the British Columbia Health Care Assistant program.
It gives detailed information about the courses, including course descriptions, minimum course hours, course learning outcomes, and the content for each course. These courses are the minimum requirements that all post-secondary institutions offering a recognized Health Care Assistant (HCA) program in British Columbia must meet. This guide also provides foundational information about the HCA program including the values, beliefs, and principles that are fundamental to HCA practice; curriculum organizing concepts; and foundational principles. The HCA program is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to function effectively as front-line caregivers and respected members of the health care team.
The Health Care Assistant Program Supplement to the Provincial Curriculum 2023 is an educational resource that supports instructors in delivering the Health Care Assistant Program Provincial Curriculum 2023. The Supplement includes a variety of suggested learning activities, assessments, and resources that can be integrated into existing course lesson plans and syllabi or used to support the creation of new HCA programs.
The National Occupational Standard for Personal Care Providers (PSWs, CCAs, HCAs, etc.) is a voluntary guide which outlines the skills, knowledge and abilities that these workers need to succeed in the occupation. It is a guide for Canadian employers, educators, and job seekers to make informed decisions about hiring, skills training, and career choices.
The First Nations Health Authority website provides many valuable resources, including:
Declarations of Commitment and Timeline information
In partnership with the College of Physicians and Surgeons in BC, the BCCNM created several important Cultural Safety and Humility resources. Health care assistants are encouraged to review this information to learn about how to provide culturally safe care.
SafeCare BC is an industry funded, non-profit society working to ensure injury free, safe working conditions for long term care workers in BC. Their website provides comprehensive information and resources for injury prevention and safety training.
WorkSafe BC provides a wide range of injury prevention resources for health care and by sector, including:
The Alzheimer Society of BC publishes resources for health care providers who are supporting people with dementia, and their families.
Teepa Snow YouTube site shares Alzheimer’s and dementia training videos for professionals and families.
The Elder Abuse Reduction Curricular Resource consists of an instructor’s guide and a presentation for teaching core competencies in elder abuse prevention, detection and response in British Columbia. Within the guide, instructors will find activities, assignments, online video links, readings and evaluation questions, as well as references to additional resources for some topic areas. An environmental scan was completed prior to completing the curricular resource. The full report from this scan and the associated Appendix A is also available here. These materials were developed and assembled in 2014 by BCcampus as part of the Elder Abuse Reduction Education Project. This project was sponsored by the Ministry of Advanced Education in response to Together to Reduce Elder Abuse ̶ B.C.’s Strategy: Promoting Well-Being and Security for Older British Columbians.
Seniors First BC works to prevent elder abuse and to provide assistance and support to older adults that are, or may be, abused and those whose rights have been violated. They provide programs that educate, support and advocate on behalf of their clients. Programs include: Seniors Abuse & Information Line (SAIL); Victim Services Program; Legal Programs; Education & Outreach Programs including the “Seniors Reaching Out to Seniors” program.
The Government of BC has a dedicated webpage related to Protection from Elder Abuse and Neglect to help older adults learn how to prevent abuse, recognize abuse when it happens, know how to respond, and know where they can find assistance.
The BC Seniors’ Guide is an online book-style compilation of information and resources to help us all plan for and live a healthy lifestyle as we age. It includes information on provincial and federal programs, with sections on benefits, health, lifestyle, housing, transportation, finances, safety and security, and other services.
This WorkSafe BC webbook is intended to support care providers of individuals experiencing Dementia. In multi-level/complex care, being struck or grabbed is the second most common cause of occupational injury after overexertion. In British Columbia, this accounts for more than 1,000 time-loss claims per year—many of which are related to caring for people with dementia.
Island Health Authority has developed resources for Peer Mentors who support Health Care Support Workers (HCSWs) and Peer Mentors who want to learn more about the HCSW role.
This Essential Skills Profile describe how workers in this occupation use each of the nine essential skills: reading, document use, writing, numeracy, oral communication, thinking, digital technology (originally, computer use), working with others and continuous learning. Free online assessments can be taken with a goal of developing and building skills levels in the foundational areas of reading, document use and numeracy.
WorkBC is committed to helping British Columbians successfully navigate B.C.’s labour market by providing searchable job board listings and up-to-date labour market information.
33102 Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates (also known as Care Aides or Health Care Assistants)
44101 Home Support Workers (also known as Community Health Workers or Health Care Assistants)
The purpose of Choose2Care is to increase public awareness of the Health Care Assistant profession and to provide potential Health Care Assistants with the information they need to train, register, and become employed.
Please refer to the Employment section on this website for a list of HCA employers in BC. If you have any questions regarding an offer of employment, please contact the employer directly.
