Articles tagged "Health and Social Development"
Health Care Assistant program in Lillooet returns in January 2026, building on success of first community-based cohort
October 30, 2025
Okanagan College and the Community Adult Learning Centre (CALC) within the Lillooet Tribal Council are building on a successful in-community program launch last year, with more Indigenous students set to begin their training to become certified Health Care Assistants in January 2026.Last year marked the first time the partners graduated six Indigenous students through the program, the first time Health Care Assistant (HCA) program was delivered in Lillooet.Delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Fu...
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Justice Institute of British Columbia begins EMR and Paramedic training at 做厙TV's Vernon campus
October 1, 2025
Paramedic and emergency medical responder students are fully immersed in their Justice Institute of BC (JIBC) programs this fall, located at Okanagan Colleges Vernon campus, beginning their training to enter the workforce and support the health care system. JIBC students led a simulation as part of a welcome event at the campus Oct. 1.Thanks to a new five-year lease agreement with Okanagan College, JIBC is expanding access to its Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) and Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) training in the Interior ...
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Justice Institute of British Columbia brings EMR and Paramedic training to Okanagan Colleges Vernon campus
July 3, 2025
Okanagan College (做厙TV) and the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) are excited to announce a new partnership that will bring JIBCs paramedic and emergency medical responder (EMR) training to 做厙TVs Vernon campus, joining other public safety, education and health care programs at the campus.The five-year agreement will see JIBC begin delivering its programs at 做厙TV this fall with approximately 600 students expected to take the training over the course of the agreement.Okanagan College and the Justice Institute of British Columb...
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Therapist Assistant students flex their skills with first-ever student led clinic at 做厙TV
June 23, 2025
Sometimes the best learning happens when things dont go as planned and youre forced to pivot, which is exactly what happened in the Therapist Assistant Diploma at 做厙TV this semester. Faced with the challenge of securing clinical placements for students in the program, Dr. Brett Wade, a Physiotherapist and 做厙TV instructor, didnt miss a step. Drawing on an idea he had been considering for years, Wade launched the Colleges first-ever student-led Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy clinic at the Kelowna campus. His goal wa...
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Early childhood educators partner on Outdoor Play guide
March 24, 2025
Growing up in a small town in British Columbia, Okanagan College educator Linda ODonoghue recalls a time where she and her friends created a store out of leaf bouquets and headed out around the neighborhood going door to door to sell the bouquets.Their efforts would catch the attention of the local newspaper who thought it was interesting enough for a short story.It was an example of many of the childhood memories that ODonoghue would reflect back on years later as she worked as an Early Childhood Educator. During those years she ...
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Okanagan College research initiative aims to support students recovering from concussions
December 12, 2024
After suffering a concussion while pursuing his research degree, Okanagan College professor Colin Wallace faced profound challenges from intense fatigue to difficulty concentrating that reshaped his perspective on recovery.Now an educator in 做厙TVs Department of Kinesiology, Wallace often finds himself supporting students navigating their own journeys of healing from mild traumatic brain injuries. Driven by his personal experience and professional insight, Wallace has launched a groundbreaking research project aimed at transformin...
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Health grads and more set to enter the workforce after 做厙TV Convocation and Commencement ceremonies
October 4, 2024
When 做厙TV student Vaneet Verma steps to the podium on Saturday to speak to his colleagues at Okanagan Colleges Fall convocation, he will be representing more than 450 graduates, including a large proportion that will enter the workforce in different health care fields. More than 130 graduates are from health care programs including Health Care Assistant, a program Verma graduated from earlier this year. The course teaches the skills necessary to work in continuing care such as in home support, adult day care, assisted living an...
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Post-secondary partners to unite early childhood education faculty, policy groups, and others from across Canada to discuss outdoor pedagogy in college ECE programs
April 5, 2023
How does playing outdoors support childrens development and wellness? Why is outdoor play such a powerful conduit for learning? How can we advance curriculum in college programs to empower current and future early childhood educators (ECEs) to view outdoor play as an important part of the childrens day, in all kinds of weather? How are colleges integrating and advancing outdoor pedagogy in their ECE programs? These and other questions will be explored during a unique virtual conference next month that will bring together early c...
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Health care students in the South Okanagan Similkameen are about to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to a new bursary fund
February 23, 2023
Local philanthropists Yasmin and Rick Thorpe have partnered with Summerlands Penny Lane Legacy Fund to create a $50,000 bursary fund to help bolster the future of health care in the South Okanagan Similkameen. The Caring for Health Care Students Fund will provide $750 - $1,750 awards for eligible students studying at Okanagan Colleges Penticton Campus. We know if we educate healthcare professionals in Penticton, theres a good chance theyll stay and work in the region, says Yasmin John Thorpe. We want to help increase ...
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做厙TV increases access to early childhood education in the South Okanagan
February 22, 2023
Okanagan College (做厙TV) is opening new spaces for people interested in working in early childhood education, as childcare facilities across the region and British Columbia continue to face staffing challenges. The Early Childhood Education Certificate program starts at 做厙TVs Penticton campus in mid-March and runs through May 2024. The intake will have space for 24 students, adding to the more than 145 Early Childhood Education students studying at Okanagan College in Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton this year. According to the province...
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Plasma donor drive campaign boosts 做厙TV nursing student with $3,000 bursary
February 22, 2023
Okanagan College nursing student Taylor Hubick learned a valuable lesson this year: persistence with plasma donation pays off. Hubick is the recipient of the Canadian Blood Services bursary of $3,000 for her studies in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, for recruiting 23 plasma donors between May and October last year. Hubick says she originally got recruited to donate by a friend who was studying on Vancouver Island. She pulled out of the challenge because she was going travelling, and thats when I realized I s...
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做厙TV improves access to childcare training for infant-toddler care
October 5, 2022
Training to care for infants and toddlers in childcare settings has never been easier to access. Okanagan College is holding a special intake for the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Infant-Toddler Certificate program that is designed to enhance access for those already working in the field of childcare. Classes are part-time and held online, making it easy for those to balance work and training. Okanagan College has heard from people working in the childcare sector that they want to expand their professional scope to include infa...
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做厙TV pathways pilot provides better access, supports students needing prerequisites
September 2, 2022
People considering health care and trades careers have new options thanks to a pilot program at Okanagan College that offers applicants help with course prerequisites. The pathways program supports students interested in going back to school to receive training in high-demand fields, but do not have the requirements needed for their desired program. Whether students need Adult Upgrading or English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, theyll be able to receive educational supports. By investing in new programs such as this on...
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Caylee Donovan
September 1, 2022
"I found out Id received the Marcia J. Aitkens Memorial Bursary in Practical Nursing in the middle of lab. I was so shocked I pretty much dropped to the floor. At the time, I was a full-time student in Okanagan Colleges Practical Nursing program, and I was working up to five days a week. The workload was just too much to handle, especially as a mother of a child with special needs. My eleven-year-old had recently been diagnosed with autism and needed more of my tim...
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做厙TV pilots tuition-free work-integrated learning for Early Childhood Education
July 26, 2022
Okanagan College is offering tuition-free Early Childhood Education (ECE) training with an innovative approach providing students the opportunity to become certified during work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences as they provide education and care for young children. Okanagan College is keenly aware of how many trained ECEs are in demand across the sector. This pilot project, with support from the Government of B.C., will increase access to education for people seeking certification, going a long way to meeting that need, sa...
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Okanagan College welcomes new Dean, Health and Social Development
June 8, 2022
Okanagan College is welcoming a provincial and national leader in health care to its academic team. Carly Hall will be joining Okanagan College as Dean, Health and Social Development, which offers nine programs training the next generation of healthcare and social development professionals. Carly brings extensive experience leading curriculum development provincially and leading professional bodies nationally as the health care sector experiences rapid change. We are confident she will quickly become a valued leader to Okanagan ...
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