Health Care Aide Program returns to Prairie Rose School Division

By Jordan Parker

South Central High School and the whole Prairie Rose School Division are bringing a re-tooled Health Care Aide dual credit program to the district.

In a partnership with Medicine Hat College, the program – which begins in Grade 11 – will see students earn credit toward their Health Care Aide diploma while still in high school.

“The dual credit program allows students to do half of the college Health Care Aide diploma in high school and then go to college for the rest. We hope it will benefit rural schools to have the offering,” said Prairie Rose’s Assistant Superintendent Boyd Craven.

“There had been a dual credit program before, but it’s been updated. This is beneficial for students and is more friendly. It is at their own pace. The previous version was more traditional.”

He said the face-to-face iteration was difficult for some, and the more online approach may be helpful.

“They can do work themselves and then check in with their instructor. For those in rural and remote areas, the program isn’t so dependent on them leaving the area to do everything. It’s just overall more accessible.”

Craven says Health Care Aides are needed in the province, and the government has put incentives in so they can fill gaps.

“There are also benefits colleges can access for this. I know from our perspective many were asking about the program. To Medicine Hat College’s credit, we came together, and they came up with a good program. We’re excited to see how it goes.”

He says offering programs to help students is the biggest part of his job, including South Alberta Fire and Rescue program offerings, Rodeo Academy offerings, and more.

“We want to get students engaged in learning where they see value. We want them to think about what they’ll do after high school. Students may take classes and realize they want to go into nursing, and it would be great to see,” he said.

“Giving students a chance to see different programs and get insight into things while they’re still in high school is great. This is a testament to where education can and should be going. It’s another great opportunity.”

Jason Openo, the Dean for the School of Health & Community Services at Medicine Hat College, sees this as an important way to fill gaps in the province and country.

“Canada needs Health Care Aids, and so does Alberta and the Southeast. This is a way to strengthen the pipeline to meet regional needs,” he said. “We’re excited to diversify educational offerings and support the area to fill this need.”

He sees a few things as reasons why the need has risen for those in the role.

“There are multiple pressure points. We have an aging region, and there’s greater demand. This is a nationwide issue, and is why the government is putting money into incentivizing and attracting people,” he said.

“I’d also point to the pandemic. People are still reeling, and it revealed we need an elder healthcare strategy. People need to be able to work in stressful situations with an older population who may have health issues like Alzheimers, dementia and other things. They may need to watch them go through their final days, and that takes a toll. We need more people in the field and special people who can do this work.”

He said one good thing that came from the pandemic is programs like the revamped Health Care Aide one can now exist.

“Instructors are more comfortable teaching online, and students are comfortable learning online. This is a new way to offer it, and students can do community-based labs as well. It minimizes students and faculty lugging themselves to the same location all the time,” he said.

“This program maximizes the opportunity to take advantage of the growing acceptance of online learning and offers rich learning experiences.”

He is happy to be working with the school division on this important learning opportunity.

“It’s been a real pleasure to work with them. We are doing innovative things, and we’re excited to try this again,” he said.

“This is something we offered in the past, and there are challenges and obstacles. This will be a help and will serve the needs of the region.”