Introduction
This Health Care Assistant (HCA) Program Provincial Curriculum 2023 replaces the HCA Program Provincial Curriculum 2015. The 2023 HCA curriculum revisions were guided by the Health Care Assistant Core Competency Profile (2023), and the revisions were carried out by a steering committee and approved by the Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. For detailed information about the changes to the curriculum, please see the Revisions Manual: 2023 Revisions to the Health Care Assistant Program Provincial Curriculum in Appendix 3.
This HCA Program Provincial Curriculum 2023 guide includes information about the values, beliefs, and principles fundamental to Health Care Assistant practice; curriculum organizing concepts and foundational principles; and the program learning outcomes and performance indicators. There is detailed information about all the courses in the HCA program, including course descriptions, minimum course hours, course learning outcomes, and the content for each course. These courses are the minimum requirements that recognized HCA programs at post-secondary institutions in B.C. must meet. The minimum educational delivery standards have been published in Health Care Assistant Program Recognition: A Guide for Educators, which provides a framework for the assessment and recognition of B.C. HCA programs.
Purpose of the Health Care Assistant Program
The HCA program is designed to provide students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to function effectively as front-line caregivers and respected members of the health care team. Under the direction and supervision of a regulated health professional, graduates provide person-centred care aimed at promoting and maintaining the physical, psychological, cognitive, social, and spiritual health and well-being of clients and families.
Upon completion of the HCA program, graduates are prepared to work in a variety of practice settings including home support, assisted living, group homes, complex care, special care units, other home and community care settings, and acute care.
Health Care Assistant Program Supplement to the Provincial Curriculum
The Health Care Assistant Program Supplement to the Provincial Curriculum 2023, which was updated in 2024, supports the delivery and assessment of required learning outcomes of the HCA Provincial Curriculum 2023. Resource sections in the Supplement include:
- Suggested learning strategies and approaches to assessment and references for each course.
- Self-assessment video scenarios for HCA students.
- Orientation guides for preceptor and clinical instructors.
Background
In December 2006, the Ministry of Health funded the development of the Care Aide Competency Project to develop occupational competencies and standards for Health Care Assistants (HCAs)[1] in British Columbia. At the time, Health Care Assistants were known by a variety of titles, including Community Health Workers and Resident Care Attendants, and most HCAs were employed in home and community care (including complex care and assisted living) settings. HCAs were, and continue to be, the front-line care providers in a variety of settings.
Because HCAs are neither licensed nor overseen by a health regulatory body with legislative authority, they have no legally defined scope of practice[2]. There needed to be a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of these positions. Descriptions of how people go about their work and the education needed to perform in a safe and competent manner had not been previously undertaken for this sector. The resulting Framework of Practice document provided a comprehensive picture of the work done by HCAs and identified the competencies required for safe, proficient performance of the job role.
The HCA Program Provincial Curriculum (2008) built on the 1992 Provincial Home Support/Resident Care Attendant (HS/RCA) Curriculum Guide and incorporated the basic HCA competencies and practice standards identified in the Care Aide Competency Project completed in July 2007. The curriculum addressed the changes in the health care system and practice environment for HCAs. The client populations they cared for were increasingly medically fragile, cognitively complex, and diverse in age and personal care requirements. This older population was increasing in numbers and becoming sicker, many with multiple chronic health challenges. In addition, acute care facilities were beginning to utilize HCAs in an increasingly wide variety of roles within hospitals, including personal care provision to acutely ill patients. Finally, with the move to assisted living, HCAs were being asked to take on additional care activities, many of which the previous curriculum did not prepare them to perform.
The HCA Program Provincial Curriculum Guide (2008) provided clearly stated standards for education in terms of curriculum and a mechanism for the standardization of HCA education within the province. In 2015, the curriculum was revised as the complexity of client populations was continuing to increase, and more HCAs were employed in acute care settings and providing care for more acute clients than in the past.
2023 Curriculum Revisions
In spring 2022, the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills called for a review of the Health Care Assistant Program: Provincial Curriculum (2015). In collaboration with a steering committee composed of representatives from the sector (see Appendix 1), recommendations for revisions to the curriculum guide were identified.
Through stakeholder consultation it was identified that HCAs have been asked to take on additional care activities that fall within the role of a regulated health professional, such as a registered nurse. These additional care activities often include restricted activities that require authorization by a regulated health professional to perform. Language around delegation, authorization, and restricted activities, specifically medication assistance and medication administration, has been clarified to ensure the knowledge and skills taught within the curriculum align with the HCA role as set by the Ministry of Health.
Concepts and learning outcomes have been updated and numbered to support curriculum mapping. As well, concepts that are addressed in multiple courses have been reviewed to ensure a scaffolding and streamlined approach. Additionally, content related to trauma-informed care, mental health, dementia, and cultural safety and humility, has been added or enhanced. Finally, in consultation with the Ministry of Health, wording regarding restricted activities has been updated and clarified to enhance understanding of the HCA role.
In fall 2021, the HCA Supplement was revised and uploaded to Pressbooks, and in spring 2023, the revised Health Care Assistant Program: Provincial Curriculum (2023) was released and made available on Pressbooks.
- In B.C., the term HCAs is used to describe a variety of workers including, but not limited to, the following job titles: Assisted Living Workers, Community Health Workers, Resident Care Attendants, Care Aides, Home Support Workers, and Personal Support Workers. ↵
- While not a regulatory body, HCAs in B.C. are required to register with the B.C. Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry (the Registry). The Registry’s mandate is to protect vulnerable adults from abuse, to improve standards of care and to promote professional development of the HCA workforce in B.C. ↵
