Health Care Aide Certificate

Academic Requirements

To be eligible for the Health Care Aide Certificate program at Red Deer Polytechnic, applicants must meet specific academic requirements. Qualified applicants who meet all minimum requirements will be offered admission on a first-come, first-served basis.

Academic Requirements:

• Students applying to the Health Care Aide program must have completed English Language Arts (ELA) with a minimum of 60% in:
  • English 20-1 or English 20-2, or Canadian Jurisdiction equivalent
• OR a minimum of 55% in:
  • English 30-1 or English 30-2, or Canadian Jurisdiction equivalent
• OR deemed equivalent by completion of the ACCUPLACER assessment placement test, achieving a minimum score of 237 on the Reading component, 237 on the Writing component, and 4 on the WritePlacer Test.

Applicants who have not completed the ELA, 20-2 level requirement and achieved the minimum grade are subject to completing the ACCUPLACER assessment test. This includes students from out of province, out of country, or mature students who have been out of school for a significant length of time.

Transcripts may be required to be evaluated by WES in some cases.

Additional Requirements:

• International students must pay their tuition deposit to receive their letters of acceptance.
• This program requires students to obtain a Co-op Work permit.
• Important dates may change.

For any clarification and support regarding the Academic Requirements, please contact LOA Portal's advisors.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

At Red Deer Polytechnic, we support a diverse student population worldwide. Note: Applicants whose first language is English and who declared this on their application are exempt from English Language Proficiency requirements.

Certain RDP programs have unique ELP requirements; ensure you review the program-specific requirements below. Applicants must also meet all other program Academic Requirements to be considered for admission into the program.

Understanding RDP's English Language Proficiency Requirements:

• Applicants whose first language is not English must provide ELP official documentation to the Office of the Registrar by email or regular mail after you have applied.
• ELP tests must be no older than two years before your program start date.
• The Office of the Registrar can review your “unofficial” or scanned documents to initially admit you to a program and provide a Letter of Acceptance. However, official documentation must be received before the deadline, or you will not be granted “clear” admission until this step has been completed.

For the Health Care Aide Certificate, the Government of Alberta Health Care Aide Provincial Curriculum requires one of the following:

• Students must have been in English at an approved Canadian high school (grades 9 through 12) with three consecutive, first language English courses/credits; or
• Completing a recognized post-secondary degree or diploma program in Canada with at least two full years of full-time, consecutive academic study in English; or
• Completion of one of these approved English Proficiency Tests:
  • CELBAN– Canadian English Language Benchmark for Nurses: 7 in each area
  • CELPIP– Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program General: 7, with no section below 6
  • CLB– Canadian Language Benchmark, Milestones Test: Minimum of 7 in each of the 4 language skills
  • Duolingo English Test: 95
  • IELTS Academic– International English Language Testing System: 6.0 with at least 5.5 on each band score
  • TOEFL– Test of English as a Foreign Language: 71 iBT

Please check with our team for more details.

DISCLAIMER: The information above is subject to change. For the latest updates, please contact LOA Portal's advisors. The listed minimum requirements are a guideline and do not guarantee admission. Do not worry, we will notify you of any changes during the application process.