Long term care (LTC) and assisted living (AL) leaders oversee hiring and training of program participants, making them essential HCAP partners.
Health care support workers hold temporary, full-time (casual) status positions providing non-direct, non-clinical care while completing a provincially standardized training and onboarding program delivered by facility staff. Following a period of work, health care support workers enter the Health Care Assistant Program at an established post-secondary institution, coordinated by the Fraser Health HCAP team.
It will take the health care support worker 12 – 18 months to complete the health care assistant training, depending on if they complete full or part-time studies:
- If a health care support worker is attending a part-time program, they will be scheduled to work at the facility for the remaining two days per week, in addition to semester breaks.
- If a health care support worker is attending a full-time program, they will be scheduled to work during their semester breaks.
When the health care support worker graduates, they will register with the B.C. Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry and will be ready to apply for health care assistant roles as they complete their 12-month Return of Service agreement, typically rejoining their hiring facility as a health care assistant on their casual list and applying for available vacancies.
Salary and stipend costs are provided to Fraser Health to administer through the duration of the program.