“Going to CDI College was the best decision I made during the past year. CDI became my home away from home. Not only did I have great teachers, but I had the guidance of an exceptional support staff. Placement services helped me find a great job with a great company. Thank you CDI for opening the door to the rest of my life!” - Frank T., CDI College Graduate
As Canada's population ages, the demand for Health Care Aides continues to grow. If you're looking for a satisfying career helping others, CDI College's Health Care Aide program is for you. Students from this program go on to work with elderly patients, those with special needs, as well as patients living with mental health issues. Work environments include long-term care facilities, home health care agencies, retirement homes, residential care centres, hospices and group homes.
The Health Care Aide program teaches students to identify and respond to patients' physical and emotional needs and to promote healthy physical and mental activity that is appropriate for the individual patient. Students learn about medical terminology, human anatomy, chronic conditions and palliative care. Other areas of study include accountable and responsible care, transfer techniques, wheelchair safety, mechanical lifting and other care skills.
Students are able to gain hands-on experience through a mandatory six-week clinical placement.
This program is 29 weeks in length.
Job Opportunities
- Long-term Care Aide
- Home Healthcare Worker
- Residential Care Attendant
- Health Care Assistant
- Nursing Aide
Health Care Aide
Offered in Manitoba At:
WinnipegAlso offered in Quebec as Assistance in Health Care Facilities – 5316 (French) At:
Laval Montreal Quebec CityAlso offered in British Columbia as Health Care Assistant At:
Abbotsford Richmond Surrey Vancouver VictoriaProgram Courses
The program outline below is for Manitoba . Click here to see the outlines for Quebec and British Columbia.
| Code | Course Name | Hours |
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- This course looks at the planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up stages of an interview. Students will learn about how people find jobs, employment expectations, transferable skills, effective telemarketing, job search management and many other helpful, career strategy topics.
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- Covered in this module are critical topics that involve the care of the chronically ill. As a starting point to this module, students explore the chain of Infection. Students gain an understanding of key concepts in the prevention of transmission and the care of those with communicable disorders such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C. Students also develop their understanding of a range of diseases including Parkinson’s disease and Diabetes Mellitus and neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), brain injury, spinal cord injury and epilepsy.
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- This course covers fundamental notions of working with a computer. Students will learn to work with the Windows operating system to manage files and folders, customize the desktop, create documents, and use the Internet for communication and research. The purpose of this course is to provide the student with the fundamental computer skills to be able to perform computerized data entry and produce basic documents.
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- In this module, students will attend the workshops in order to obtain their Standard First Aid Certificate and CPR Certificate (Level C – Basic Rescuer). The second part of this module is aimed at obtaining the City of Winnipeg Food Handling Certification.
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- The focus of this one-week module is to enable students to report and document vital observations made while communicating with clients. Students will learn the importance of subjective and objective information while correctly identifying acute and chronic needs of the resident. Students learn how to write effective care plans and chart appropriate information. Students will learn about the MDS (Minimum Data Set Process) used in nursing homes and hospitals as directed by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
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- Covered in this module are critical topics like care of the elderly and chronically ill, caring for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. This course facilitates students to work in special needs areas with those who may require added assistance to meet basic physical and psychological needs, including elderly residents with special challenges. Students will gain knowledge, skill and comprehension of the interventions necessary to care for clients with cognitive and mental disabilities.
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- This course introduces the student to the study of the terminology concerning cells, tissues, organs, systems and the effects of normal aging on the body. The major body systems will be explored. This course enables students to describe and explain, at a basic level, the gross anatomy of the human body as well as the primary functions of each organ system. Students will learn the basic elements of medical terminology and then combine them into medical terms.
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- The Home Support course will provide students with the ability to care and support individuals within the community. Typically personal care and support includes emotional support, assistance with personal hygiene and activities of daily living, upkeep of home, food preparation and safe food handling. Students investigate their legal responsibilities, the implications and guidelines for safe and effective assistance with medications. Drug classifications, advantages, disadvantages, considerations for administration and side effects are also studied. Students will have attended the City of Winnipeg Food Handling Certification course.
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- This introductory course will set the foundation for understanding and valuing basic human needs, respecting each client as a holistic human being. Students will be introduced to the dimensions of professional caring behaviours and become oriented to the important skills and conduct for success in the program. Professional responsibilities and the role of the health care worker will be explored. The hierarchy and communication among team members as well as the role of staffing will be addressed. The role, scope of practice and responsibilities of the health care aide will be defined. Students will learn to incorporate the roles of the interdisciplinary team while caring for the individual. The Canadian Health Care System will also be explored in this module, with emphasis on the structure and policies of the Manitoba Ministry of Health.
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- In order to graduate and receive a diploma, students must complete 240 hours (6 weeks) of clinical training. This component of the program ensures that students will gain valuable hands-on experience, putting into practice the theory and skills gained in the classroom. Students are encouraged to participate in various work shifts so that they may experience both daytime and evening tasks. Students are placed with the instructor for 120 hours of supervised clinical placement in a long-term care facility. Once the supervised clinical placement is successfully completed, students must undertake a total of 120 hours with a preceptor. Forty of those hours must be in an acute care setting and the remaining 80 hours must be with clients who require assistance with their activities of daily living in the community such as in a home care setting or in a retirement home.
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- This course is designed to foster confidence and competence when dealing with potentially violent situations. The student learns to recognize behavioural responses to crisis and to respond with non-violent conflict resolutions through verbal and non-verbal intervention. Interpersonal and group dynamics, problem solving, and adaptive skills as they relate to conflict resolution and mediation will be explored.
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- This module will build cross-cultural understanding around the issues of death and dying. Attitudes about death as well as the needs of the dying will be addressed along with physical changes, grief process, bereavement, levels of prevention and postmortem care. The roles of family are discussed as well as active and inactive family participation and support networks, psychologists, social workers and paraprofessionals in community health care.
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- This course covers accountable care, including the theory and practice behind promoting safety and comfort; proper body mechanics for safety, positioning, transfer and ambulation; personal care and hygiene; general comfort and rest measures; nutritional needs and feeding. Students will learn how to care for the different types of wounds and their responsibilities to clients with wounds. This hands-on module will provide students with key practical skills for Practicum.
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- This course is designed to equip students with interpersonal skills identified by employers as essential for success in the professional world. Using a variety of instructional methods including case studies, group exercises and discussion, students learn and practice key communication skills.
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- This course will introduce students to skills and concepts that will help them achieve personal, academic, and career success.