Skip to content

Healthcare graduates celebrate program completion

Capilano University
health care grads

Students of Capilano University’s Health Care Assistant (HCA) Program celebrated the completion of their program last Friday with a ceremony held at the shíshálh band hall.

Graduating students Casey Shaw and Noel Strobl thanked Capilano University staff, the Healthcare Auxiliary, which supplied the graduates with bursaries, and family and friends in their joint speech. “We came into this program expecting to learn how to better care for people,” Shaw told the class. “What I didn’t expect was to gain such a huge support system and so many amazing friends.”

Instructors Joshua Boyd and Karen McGinnis spoke to the graduating class. “On behalf of Capilano University and the Sunshine Coast Community, we are extremely proud of the 10 graduating students,” said Boyd in an email after the event. “They will provide frontline, holistic care to serve the most basic human needs of vulnerable persons. The already acute demand for HCA’s continues to grow rapidly; these students demonstrate incredible leadership and are role models to us all.”

The eight-month healthcare program teaches students how to care for people in complex care, specialized dementia care and acute care settings. It is offered as a full-time program on the kálax-ay Sunshine Coast Campus. Information sessions will be held on April 29 and May 27 at 5:30 p.m.