Health Care Assistant Opportunities for Internationally Educated Nurses
February 03, 2022 Health Match BC is hosting an interactive webinar for Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) interested in the Health Care Assistant (HCA) profession in BC. The webinar event will be held on February 10, 2022. For more information and to register, go to: IEN Webinar – Choose2Care.ca – BC Health Care Assistants News & Information
Health Care Assistant Day 2021
September 29, 2021 October 18, 2021 marks Health Care Assistant Day in BC. Join us in celebrating and recognizing all Health Care Assistants in your community this year, to show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to our health care system. Health Care Assistants make a tremendous difference in our lives and this annual event has been recognized by unions, educators and employers. Health Care Assistant Day was first officially proclaimed in 2011 by the BC Provincial Government. Health Care Assistants may have many different job titles including Community Health Worker, Residential Care Aide, Home Support Worker, Long-Term Care Aide, Home Health Aide, Continuing Care Assistant, and Personal Care Aide. The one thing all Health Care Assistants in BC have in common is that they provide frontline personal care and assistance services to vulnerable patients, clients and residents. Please take the time on Health Care Assistant Day (October 18, 2021) to recognize and thank Health Care Assistants across British Columbia! Download the Proclamation here. News & Information
Health Care Assistant Day 2020
August 29, 2020 October 18, 2020 marks Health Care Assistant Day in BC. Join us in celebrating and recognizing all Health Care Assistants in your community this year, to show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to our health care system. Health Care Assistants make a tremendous difference in our lives and this annual event has been recognized by unions, educators and employers. Health Care Assistant Day was first officially proclaimed in 2011 by the BC Provincial Government. Health Care Assistants may have many different job titles including Community Health Worker, Residential Care Aide, Home Support Worker, Long-Term Care Aide, Home Health Aide, Continuing Care Assistant, and Personal Care Aide. The one thing all Health Care Assistants in BC have in common is that they provide frontline personal care and assistance services to vulnerable patients, clients and residents. Please take the time on Health Care Assistant Day (October 18, 2020) to recognize and thank Health Care Assistants across British Columbia! Download the Proclamation here. News & Information
Announcements of Interest
May 13, 2020 Announcements of Interest for Health Care Assistants This announcement has been posted at the request of the BC Centre for Palliative Care. You’re invited to… Summer 2020 Series:Patio Ponderings with Kath and Misha A series of online meet-ups offered by the BC Centre for Palliative Care for BC’s Health Care Assistants https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvf9oXIPPxI As a Care Aide, Home Support Worker, Community Health Worker or other similar role in the time of COVID, you’re doing incredible work in tough circumstances. Even with support from your leaders, you might still feel disconnected or that it’s hard to find a laugh when you need it. Ask yourself: Would you like to connect with colleagues from across BC?Do you want to share stories and stresses in a safe environment?Do you want to be inspired with education and strategies for coping in 2020? If yes… then you are invited to join Patio Ponderings with Kath and Misha — an online gathering offered by the BC Centre for Palliative Care that offers you a safe environment to share your stories, stresses and triumphs… and there’s a fun contest for prizes! Social Connection in a Time of Physical Distancing Social isolation is a health hazard! Consider ways to promote social connection while maintaining physical distancing. We’ll share some strategies and want to hear yours! The “Summer 2020 Patio Ponderings Challenge” will be launched! CLICK ON A LINK TO REGISTER Monday, July 13, 2pm Tuesday, July 14, 7pm Dealing with Fear and Anxiety We are bombarded with news, stories and statistics about the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn new ways to look at fear and to treat the pandemic as a challenge, not a threat. We all have stories we hear, stories we tell ourselves and stories we share… do they fill you with fear and stop you from moving forward, or sustain and support you? CLICK ON A LINK TO REGISTER Monday, July 20, 2pm Tuesday, July 21, 7pm Adapting Rituals of Grief and Growth With COVID-19 restrictions, many of our rituals for loss and grief have been cancelled or postponed. What are rituals, why do we use them, and how can we create new rituals to help with healing during the pandemic? You are invited to bring a small piece of nature that speaks to you to the session. CLICK ON A LINK TO REGISTER Monday, August 10, 2pm Tuesday, August 11, 7pm Self- Reflection to Support Grief and Growth COVID-19 has brought so many losses with no time to grieve and grow. Identify the different losses experienced during COVID-19, explore grief as a whole-person response to loss that’s individual to each person. We’ll explore self-reflection as one way to choose growth. CLICK ON A LINK TO REGISTER Monday, August 24, 2pm Tuesday, August 25, 7pm A Dash of Creativity and Laughter Laughter is a powerful tool to help deal with difficult situations. Prepare for this session by submitting a creative project to the Summer 2020 Patio Ponderings Challenge (before August 25), and get ready to share your project. CLICK ON A LINK TO REGISTER Monday, August 31, 2pm Tuesday, September 1, 7pm News & Information
New Registration Pathway for Out-of-Province, Canadian-Trained Health Care Assistants
February 06, 2020 There is a new registration pathway available to Health Care Assistants (HCAs) educated in other provinces. The NCAS HCA Competency Assessment remains in place as an option for this category of applicant. For further application options information click here. The new expedited registration pathway creates a shared employer and BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker (Registry) accountability for ensuring the competency of qualified Canadian HCAs before they provide direct or indirect care for patients, clients or residents. The Registry confirms the qualified Canadian HCA applicants’ credentials and experience meet the expedited pathway’s minimum standards. Participating Employers ensure the qualified Canadian HCA employee completes the standardized orientation program requirements and is competent to deliver safe and effective care. Additional Information for Applicants: Expedited Pathway – Application Process Map HCA Expedited Pathway Applicant Q and A Participating Employers List Additional Information for Employers: Please contact the Registry at info@cachwr.bc.ca for further information on how to become a Participating Employer. Related: Ministry of Health News Release (November 2019)Ministry of Health E-Newsletter (January 2020)A new website about health care assistants: http://www.choose2care.ca News & Information
Choose2Care.ca website launch
October 15, 2019 Choose2Care.ca is a new website designed to increase awareness of the HCA profession, to highlight the benefits of working as an HCA, and to educate potential HCAs about the pathways towards training, registration, and employment. It is helpful information for anyone interested in education and career options as a registered Health Care Assistant in British Columbia. Further information is also available throughsocial media by following @Choose2CareBC on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. (#choose2care hashtag) News & Information
Health Care Assistant Day 2019
October 01, 2019 October 18, 2019 marks Health Care Assistant Day in BC. Join us in celebrating and recognizing all Health Care Assistants in your community this year, to show our appreciation for their hard work and dedication to our health care system. Health Care Assistants make a tremendous difference in our lives and this annual event has been recognized by unions, educators and employers. Health Care Assistant Day was first officially proclaimed in 2011 by the BC Provincial Government. Health Care Assistants may have many different job titles including Community Health Worker, Residential Care Aide, Home Support Worker, Long-Term Care Aide, Home Health Aide, Continuing Care Assistant, and Personal Care Aide. The one thing that all 35,000 Health Care Assistants in BC have in common is that they provide frontline personal care and service to people who cannot care for themselves. Please take the time on Health Care Assistant Day (October 18, 2019) to recognize and thank Health Care Assistants across British Columbia! Download the Proclamation here. News & Information
Notification of Change – Application Requirements
Notification of change to all applicant categories: Removal of BC residency requirement. Effective date of change: October 10, 2019 Clarification of Change: Starting on October 10, 2019, the BC residency requirement will no longer be in effect for applicants to the BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry. The change to the application process will be reflected in Step 1) Verification* for all categories of applicants. Effective with these changes, applicants will no longer be asked to verify they reside in BC. This change will allow the submission of applications and processing of registrations for applicants residing outside BC. *Changes will be applied to the following applicant categories: https://www.cachwr.bc.ca/Application/HCA-Graduate/Form.aspx https://www.cachwr.bc.ca/Application/HCA-Equivalent-Graduate/Form.aspx https://www.cachwr.bc.ca/Application/Nurse/Form.aspx https://www.cachwr.bc.ca/Application/Nursing-Student/Form.aspx https://www.cachwr.bc.ca/Application/International/Form.aspx News & Information
New Assessment Service Evaluates Competence of Internationally Educated Health Practitioners
January 04, 2017 January 4, 2017 marked the launch of the Nursing Community Assessment Service (NCAS), a new assessment service that evaluates the competence of internationally educated health practitioners (IEPs) applying to register in British Columbia. Effective immediately, the NCAS assessment replaces the Substantially Equivalent Competence (SEC) assessment used by CRNBC for RN applicants.NCAS increases the capacity for competence-based assessment in the province and enables the nursing partners to consistently evaluate IEP applicants’ skills against competencies required for entry-level practice. If gaps are identified, it will assist in determining what education is required to transition to practice in B.C. NCAS is a collaborative effort by: BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry (the “Registry”) College of Licensed Practical Nurses of BC (CLPNBC) College of Registered Nurses of BC (CRNBC) College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC (CRPNBC), and Ministry of Health NCAS provides competence-based assessments so that the nursing partners can evaluate IEP applicants’ skills against competencies required for entry-level practice in the province. If gaps are identified, the assessment assists in determining what transitional education is required. The NCAS assessment process The NCAS assessment process, provides IEPs with the opportunity to demonstrate their current nursing experience and competencies that may not be reflected in an assessment solely based on their education. The assessment has three components: Computer-based assessment Simulation lab assessment and oral assessment The computer-based component can be written in more than 100 countries around the world, while the simulation lab and oral assessments are both offered at Langara College in Vancouver. For information about the three components, please see www.ncasbc.ca. Dual-role assessment NCAS is the only competency-based assessment service that allows an applicant to have their skills and competencies assessed for two different health care roles at the same time. This means a registered nurse applicant can be assessed for competency as a licensed practical nurse and a licensed practical nurse applicant can be assessed for competency as a health care aide (there is no dual-role assessment available for the registered psychiatric nurse role).The dual-role assessment may allow an IEP to enter the B.C. workforce faster by identifying the profession that best meets their current competence. Questions? To learn more about NCAS, including fees, visit www.ncasbc.ca. News & Information