September 7, 2016

Medicine Hat College (MHC) has partnered with Prairie Rose School Division No. 8 to offer high school students in Dunmore, Bow Island, Foremost and Oyen access to the health care aide program.

The course, which is set to start in September, will be offered through a combination of distance learning and face-to-face instruction. Students will earn 24 high school credits and the health care aide certificate from MHC. 

“We have a number of students who are already working in health care related facilities, such as nursing homes, so this additional training was seen as an avenue for them to transition from school to permanent employment,” says Reagan Weeks, assistant superintendent with Prairie Rose.

Once students complete grade nine, they are eligible to register for the program, which is offered in conjunction with their other subjects. Classes will be supervised by a credited teacher from Prairie Rose while a MHC instructor will be onsite weekly. Clinical and practicum placements will take place throughout the region.

“We are excited to offer our program to high school students in the surrounding rural communities,” says Susan Sexsmith, coordinator for the health care aide program. “It is important to us that we are ensuring that our methods of instruction are flexible, and that we continue to demonstrate our dedication to serving our region and making education accessible to our future workforce. We are hopeful that the success of this program will continue to open doors for us.”

According to Sandy Vanderburgh, dean for the Division of Science and Health at MHC because of this partnership students are being provided a great opportunity.

“Prairie Rose is very committed to creating unique pathways for students to pursue post-secondary education – we are excited to be part of that way of thinking and see this as just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to opportunities for our institution to offer programming in a less traditional way,” says Vanderburgh.

To learn more about the health care aide program and the college’s work with students throughout southern Alberta visit www.mhc.ab.ca.

For more information on the Prairie Rose School Division No. 8 and their current projects visit www.prrdweb.com.