The Pembina Hills School Division is on the verge of bringing back the Health Care Aide program, which was put on hiatus in the 2020-2021 school year due to funding changes introduced by the province.
Assistant Supt. of Education Services Mark Thiesen reported that they needed a minimum of 16 students to register for the program to offer it this fall, and they were sitting around 17 or 18 school-aged students who were interested in doing so.
There was also one adult waiting in the wings to register in the program, though priority would be given to school-aged students, he indicated, noting the program could only fit up to 24 participants.
While it wasn’t a sure thing until at least 16 of those students had paid their registration fee by the May 31 deadline, “it looks pretty darn certain that the program should run this year,” said Thiesen.
Through a partnership with NorQuest College, the Health Care Aide dual credit program had been offered to Grade 12 students at Barrhead Composite High School and R.F. Staples School in Westlock for the better part of a decade.
It allowed students to earn both high school and college credits while also exposing them to a potential career as a health care aide, who provide personal assistance and support to the elderly, the disabled and chronically ill people.
However, the province rolled out a new funding formula for the 2020-2021 school year that left Pembina Hills uncertain whether or not such dual credit programs would adversely affect high school programming, so it was put on hold. (The COVID-19 pandemic added another layer of challenges for a program that would require students to actually work in health care facilities.)
But thanks to the efforts of Pembina Hills staff and dual credit co-ordinator Karen Fischer, who Thiesen said really “beat the bushes” in terms of recruiting, the program may be coming back, albeit with some changes.
As alluded to earlier, high school age students (ie. those no older than 19 as of Sept. 1, 2021) will now need to pay a $3,700 fee to enroll in Term 1 of the program, which begins in September 2021.
Thiesen said that if high school students complete Term 1, they will qualify for certain levels of reimbursement that depend on whether they are a third or fifth-year student and how many credits they earn.
After finishing Term 1 in mid-March, it is then up to the students if they want to continue with Term 2 of the program. If they do that, they no longer qualify for reimbursement from Pembina Hills, but the students can register directly with NorQuest College and qualify for student loans and grants.
Thiesen said completing Term 1 of the program equates to 18 high school credits and 18 post-secondary credits, while completing Term 2 earns the student another 18 post-secondary credits towards their certificate as a health care aide.
He said they have been in contact with local health agencies and continuing care centres about the return of the Health Care Aide program.
“They're quite excited about the fact that we have this program coming and that there will be students that will be able to work in their facilities in the near future,” he said.
