Supportive Care Assistant Program: Caring for Community

As the mother of five children, Christine Garbitt knows a thing or two about caring for other people. No surprise, then, that she decided to enter the health care field. 

“I want to make a difference by learning everything I can so I can help [the people I care for] — and myself — live a longer, healthier, happier and more comfortable life,” she explains. 

Christine, who is a member of the Saulteau First Nation and lives in Fort St. John, has the goal to become a health care assistant and is working toward the education requirements to enter the program. While she was doing that, however, an opportunity came up to enter the new Supportive Care Assistant Program developed by the North East Native Advancing Society (NENAS) and Northern Lights College, with funding from the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.  

“I thought to myself, this is a good step into the health care industry. So far, I have learned a great deal about how to properly care for a wide range of people — whether it be about nutrition, exercise, [or] what it takes to live a long, healthy life,” says Christine.

NENAS has been working for more than 30 years to provide Indigenous training and employment programs in the northeast region of the province. Margrit Carter, NENAS’ Quality Assurance Program Officer, explains that even before the pandemic the organization was in talks with Northern Lights College to develop a Supportive Care Assistant Program. She explains that the program developed out of a need for Indigenous-led care: “Home care is a challenge — more so than in urban areas. We want to be able to keep Elders and others in their homes and communities.” 

Because the Health Care Assistant Program is quite lengthy, NENAS and the college wanted to create a shorter program with a stronger Indigenous focus and a greater focus on community-based care. 

The result was the Supportive Care Assistant Program, which involved seven weeks of online learning — in topics such as first aid, nutrition, and COVID protocols — a week of face-to-face education at the college and a 12-week work practicum. 
“The training the students received is comparable to a personal support worker,” says Margrit. “We had envisioned them working under a care aid and attending to non-medical needs of clients in a home or facility setting and to expose the students to a potential career in health care.”

The pandemic created an even greater need for these kinds of workers. It also presented some challenges related to online training and delivery, as some participants experienced issues with rural internet connectivity and other technical matters. Pandemic restrictions also prevented a few of the participants from attending the in-person training or completing the work practicum in their own community. Nevertheless, the program partners worked hard to deal with every challenge. On the plus side, they found the situation offered a partial antidote to the isolation imposed by the pandemic. 

“The participants said forming new relationships with other people outside their community was a great experience, especially with COVID-19 isolation and community shut-downs and security [restrictions],” Margrit explains. “The students mentioned how they formed bonds with each other.”

At the end of the seven weeks, eleven students successfully completed the program. Margrit says the participants felt proud of themselves, and they are planning to work in their communities with some — like Christine — intending to continue with further health care education. 

“I know there is a lot to learn,” Christine says. “But this course has helped me to not only better my life but to give knowledge to those around me who may need it. I highly recommend it.”

Interested in a supportive health care career? Check out Other Assisting Occupations in Support of Health Services (NOC 3414) career profile to learn how to get started.

The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills has invested $15 million to help Indigenous communities manage the economic impacts of COVID-19. The skills training funding goes to Indigenous training partners throughout B.C. to address COVID-19 recovery in the workforce.