Continuing Care Assistant

The Continuing Care sector is one of the fastest growing fields of health care. Contributing to this growth is the significant aging of our population and the systematic shift towards delivering more health care services to individuals in their homes or nursing homes. Every human being has basic needs for security, shelter, nutrition and affection, and the right to have these needs met. The Continuing Care Assistant (CCA) program is designed to educate and equip Continuing Care Assistants with the ability to provide respectiful, appropriate care to all clients that need assistance in the client's home or long-term care facility.

The Continuing Care Program’s purpose is to prepare students to deliver appropriate short or long-term care assistance and support services.  Through the use of classroom, laboratory and supervised field placements in home care and licensed nursing homes, the program will educate and equip graduates with the necessary tools and skills to deliver appropriate, timely, and respectful client-focused care to the elderly, persons with disabilities, or those recovering from illnesses or injuries and their families.

The CCA program was introduced in Nova Scotia in 2000 to replace earlier education programs and designations for personal care workers, home support workers and home health aides. The education program prepares CCAs to work in either facility-based or home care settings. The CCA program is a provincial standard program required as an entry-to-practice standard for designated care settings under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health. Learners write a provincial certification exam upon completion of an approved education program to receive the CCA designation.