Can You Take Health Care Aide Courses Online?

If you are interested in the health care field, becoming a certified health care aide is an easy entry into an ever-growing industry. As a health care aide, you can work in residential and hospital settings in a variety of roles that provide comfort, dignity, and lower costs for your clients. In Alberta, health care aides are paid around $20 per hour, making it a lucrative career.

Most people who are curious about becoming a health care aide have some experience in caring for others such as nurses, parents, and other caregiving roles. Perhaps you have searched for ways to earn your health care aide certification online as a means to begin your new career as soon as possible and work around your schedule. Another possibility is to train at a college with flexible course schedules instead of trying to do your health care aide training online.

Here are some of the important factors to consider about web-based health care aide training.

Legitimate Online Courses & Certifications

As in all areas of the internet, there are people lurking who will try to trick you into a program that is not real or is not certified. When you research online health care aide programs, you’ll want to be sure that you choose a program that has the experience and infrastructure to support your education, one that will provide you with a recognized certificate or diploma, and that you’re going to receive adequate training to feel confident and prepared when you enter the workforce after graduation.

Passing Your Certification Exams

One of the most important aspects of any health care aide training program is preparing you to successfully pass your health aide exams on the first try. With in-person training, you can ask any questions you have in the moment and learn directly from professionals in the field. When evaluating online health care aide training programs you’ll want to look into how much support is available to you as a student, such as ESL assistance, tutoring opportunities and Skype/Facetime calls with instructors to answer your questions. 

Getting a Job in Health Care

Whether it’s fair or not, having in-person classes and hands-on training on your CV really boosts your attractiveness to future employers. While an online health care aide training program might give you the credit you need to get your certification, you may need to prove your degree’s worth over and over in interviews. Taking a hybrid course that allows for coursework online and in-person hands-on training helps to show that you have practical experience as well as the technical knowledge to do a good job. 

Networking is another hidden benefit to taking an in-person health care aide training program. You’ll get to network with your teachers, successful health care professionals, and with fellow students, who are also future referral sources.

Learning with ESL

If English is not your first language, programs offered at MaKami College have the added benefit of free English as a Second Language (ESL) assistance on-campus. You can learn alongside fellow students who are also overcoming a language difference to enter their new career as a health care aide and can study together.

Online versus Classroom Learning

Some people find that they do very well and learn a lot in online courses, while others need the tailored and hands-on approach of an in-person classroom setting. Traditional classrooms allow for questions and let students engage with professors and fellow students in real time to answer important questions about your future work as a health care aide. A hybrid setting of interactive online learning with one-on-one training with your instructor tends to work well for all learning types.

What Is Right for You?

Online and in-person health care aide training both offer the courses you need. In-person training also offers the benefits of hands-on training and the confidence that comes with it. Most students prefer to know that they are getting a quality training program with real-life experience that will help them when they are working on their own later on.

If you’re ready to begin your career as a health care aide, book a tour with MaKami College today!