Regional and local Fraser Health home support leaders provide required workplace training, support and education to your health care support workers. They also provide support to your care team, clients and families.
As part of the Health Career Access Program, Regional and local Fraser Health home support leaders provide workplace orientation and training for their health care support workers before they begin their formal educational training.
Training and orientation for your care team, clients and families is also an essential part of supporting the success of the Health Career Access Program.
Providing orientation to your health care support workers
Workplace training takes approximately 6 days paid time.
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Step one: Prior to first day
Complete Fraser Health onboarding package from Human Resources
- Ensure all admissions requirements are completed as outlined by the assigned Post Secondary Institution (PSI)
- If you incur costs related to satisfying your Post Secondary Institution’s admissions requirements (I.e. Food Safe, First Aid, and/or English equivalency testing), a reimbursement is available via the Choose2Care website
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Step two: HCAP orientation
This six day training is offered on site by FH home support staff and includes content such as:
Required training:
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Step three: Worksite orientation
Provide health care support worker site orientation, customizing the information to the community and local office.
Orient your health care support workers to the site and to your policies and procedures, per your usual new employee processes.
A list of items to cover include:
Site orientation and overview of facility/work location
Name and contact information of supervisor
Name and contact information for occupational health and safety committee
Employers’ and workers’ rights and responsibilities under the Workers Compensation Act and occupational health and safety regulations
Employer’s health and safety program
Workplace health and safety rules
Potential workplace hazards (e.g. violence, exposure to infectious agents)
Working alone procedures
Violence in the workplace (e.g. how risk is communicated, reporting, etc.)
Point-of-care risk assessment
Hand hygiene (soap and water and/or alcohol-based hand rub)
Personal protective equipment (location, use [including demonstration])
Emergency codes and procedures applicable to your area
Location of first aid and how to get first aid
WHIMIS information
CHW mentor shifts
Introduction to the local Home Support office
Sign-in and sign-out procedures
Human resource processes and forms
Leave requests (leave of absence and reporting absences)
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Step four: Schedule mentor shifts
Ensure orientation shifts are scheduled for the health care support workers with community health worker mentors.
Orientation shifts provide the health care support worker with exposure to the various processes and procedures as well as the various roles on the care team, discussing how the health care support worker can support the role.
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Step five: Prerequisites for educational program
Talent Acquisition ensures the health care support worker completes the prerequisite learning requirements for admission to their educational training.
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Step six: Ongoing education and support
Health care support worker weekly meetings
Provide information to the health care support worker about the weekly touch base, to provide education and support while they are enrolled in the post-secondary institution. Encourage consistent attendance.
Health care support worker Community of Practice
Provide information to the health care support worker about the paid semi monthly Community of Practice meetings and encourage them to attend.
Contact hcap@fraserhealth.ca if you need help sourcing this information.
Orient your care team members to the health care support worker role
The health care support worker is a new position on the care team. It is essential that all members understand:
- the role of the health care support worker, what they can and cannot do.
- the impacts to the care team’s roles and responsibilities
- the supervision and the direction of health care support workers
The role of the health care support worker
The health care support worker role is non-clinical and non-direct. The role is intended to support the care team and the clients. Their role adds to the quality of life for the clients by spending one-to-one time with clients and helping community support workers by freeing them up to provide more time providing clinical support to the residents.
If you would like to learn more about the health care support worker role, you may consult the health care support worker can/cannot do list.
Orient clients and families to the health care support worker role
It is important to provide information to the clients and their family members about the health care support worker role, so they know who the new staff member is and what their role is.
Client and family orientation resources: