Cert in Health Care Aide is a certificate in Health Sciences programme taught at Medicine Hat College in Medicine Hat, Canada. The programme runs for 8 months. Tuition for international students is CAD 17,972 per year (CAD 5,616 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Health Sciences
Duration: 8 months
Local tuition: CAD 5,616 / year
International tuition: CAD 17,972 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This certificate program at Medicine Hat College teaches the knowledge, skills, and values needed to work as a front-line health care aide, aligned with the Government of Alberta's 2019 Health Care Aide curriculum. Coursework covers the health care aide role, human anatomy, chronic illness, communication and documentation, and person-centred care, combined with clinical practice in real health care settings across two integrated placements. The program runs over two 16-week semesters (eight months total) and is offered as full-time in-person study in the fall or as synchronous online lectures with in-person labs in the winter, delivered at the Medicine Hat campus. High school students can complete the first four courses through blended dual-credit delivery while still in secondary school. Applicants with related work experience may qualify for a Prior Learning Assessment. The program suits students seeking a front-line caregiving career, in a field that will become a fully regulated health profession in Alberta beginning in 2026.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Applicants need English 20-1 or 20-2 at a minimum of 60%, English 30-1 or 30-2 at a minimum of 55%, an equivalent Next-Generation ACCUPLACER score of at least 237 in reading and writing, or a GED/Canadian Adult Education Credential. ESL candidates instead show English Language Proficiency through a Canadian high-school equivalency diploma, three consecutive years of full-time Canadian high-school study, two consecutive years of full-time post-secondary study in English in Canada, or an approved test with a minimum CLB of 7 in each of the four language skills (not an average) - accepted tests include IELTS Academic 6.0 with no section below 5.5, TOEFL iBT 71, and CELPIP General 7 with no section below 6, with results no more than two years old. Applicants must also show basic digital literacy, and before clinical placement must provide a Police Information Check with vulnerable-sector search, current CPR certification renewed yearly, immunization records, N95 mask fit testing, and an emergency contact and health form. No minimum GPA or interview is required.
Application Details
Start Date:Fall and Winter
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants to Medicine Hat College apply through ApplyAlberta: for the Fall 2026 intake (September) applications opened October 1, 2025 and the domestic deadline was September 2, 2026; Winter 2026 (January) closed December 19, 2025, and Spring 2026 (May/June) closed May 1, 2026. International applicants face earlier fixed deadlines for the same intakes: June 1, 2026 for Fall 2026, October 1, 2025 for Winter 2026, and February 2, 2026 for Spring 2026. Several competitive programs, including the Paramedic degree and Social Work diploma, close ahead of the general deadline. MHC had not yet published Winter, Spring, or Fall 2027 dates as of this check; admission is not described as rolling. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
