Minimum Required Hours for HCA Program Courses

The HCA program consists of the following courses:

Course Name Minimum Course Hours
Concepts for Practice 70 hours
Introduction to Practice 30 hours
Interpersonal Communications 50 hours
Lifestyle and Choices 30 hours
Common Health Challenges 115 hours
Cognitive and/or Mental Health Challenges 60 hours
Personal Care and Assistance 120 hours
Theory and Lab Course Hours 475 hours
Practice Education Experiences
Practice Experience in Multi-level and/or Complex Care placement[1] including a placement focused on specialized dementia care

  • Instructor-led clinical (150 hours minimum)
  • Practicum/Preceptorship (up to 60 hours of the 210 hours of the multi-level practice experience may be other than instructor-led clinical)
210 hours
Practice Experience in Home Support, Assisted Living, and/or Group Home Setting

  • Practicum/Preceptorship
60 hours
Practice Education Hours 270 hours
TOTAL MINIMUM PROGRAM HOURS 745 HOURS

  1. Practice experiences in other settings, such as units specified as acute care, transitional care, discharge planning, rehabilitation, alternate level of care, etc., may be acceptable provided that the program learning outcomes can be met in these settings. These placements cannot replace the minimum 150 hours of instructor-led clinical, which are still required in complex care.

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Health Care Assistant Program Provincial Curriculum 2023 Copyright © 2023 by Province of British Columbia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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