Communications for Health Care Assistants 2

Course code HRCA 1261

Credit 3.0

Length 60.0 hours

Course outline View

Students continue to receive professional communication and study skills instruction as they build on the skills of a Health Care Assistant. Professional communication and study skills are developed in conjunction with topics in the Health Care Assistant Term 2 curriculum through real-world communication tasks relevant to the healthcare setting including clinical. Students' professional communication skills are enhanced in class and in lab while simulating care for clients in a complex care setting. Students continue to develop their intercultural competence to support success in their studies and the workplace in a Canadian setting. Upon completion of this course, students have the fundamental communication skills required to provide personal care for clients in a complex care setting and begin to interact professionally and appropriately with clients and health team members.

Prerequisites

HRCA 1161.

Missing prerequisites?

Learn more about VCC's academic upgrading or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, or discover which university transfer options are right for you.

What you will learn

  • 1. Writing development (clarity, organization, sentence structure, mechanics)
    2. Writing for the HCA professional (emails, charts, shift report, documentation)
    3. Reading for the HCA professional (charts, instructions, emails)
    4. Reading Assignments (Health Care Assistant textbook topics)
    5. Reading and vocabulary learning strategies
    6. Intercultural communication skills and strategies for effective professional communication within a complex care setting (including intercultural awareness and cultural humility)
    7. Medical and professional terminology for HCA Term 2 (meaning, use, and pronunciation)
    8. Giving and following direction (acknowledging; clarifying; confirming; responding)
    9. Giving and receiving shift reports for complex care settings (summarizing, restating; explaining)

How to register

This course is offered as part of a VCC program only.

Course schedules

Select your program to see the available course schedules.

CRN# Duration Delivery Location
42358 January 5, 2026
to April 2, 2026
Lecture VCC Broadway Building B See full schedule

Online courses listed without scheduled meeting times can be completed on your own schedule.

Contact us

If you have any question, please email at advising@vcc.ca.

† This information is intended as a guideline only. Program and course details are subject to change with the approval of VCC's Board of Governors.

Indigenous Territory Acknowledgment

VCC is located on the traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, and we acknowledge our privilege to be here.