Diploma in Occupational Therapist Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant

at Humber College North Campus Canada

Hearing instrument specialists (HIS) are valued members of a hearing health-care team. They conduct comprehensive diagnostic hearing assessments, develop hearing health-care plans, dispense advanced digital assistive hearing devices and evaluate outcomes using evidence-based verification methods.   

In the Hearing Instrument Specialist diploma program, you develop the academic knowledge and hands-on, real-world experience required to become a valued hearing health professional.  We combine online and in-person learning models, work-integrated learning, exceptional faculty and state of the art facilities to prepare students to skillfully work within their scope of practice and collaborate effectively as part of an interdisciplinary health-care team. Graduates of our program develop the confidence to adapt to the evolving needs of today’s patient and the emerging technologies for patient care and hearing devices.   

This program develops holistic and critical thinkers, confident clinicians and compassionate communicators who will become outstanding professionals, effective practitioners and leading contributors in their field. 

Program Highlights
Experience a number of interesting and unique courses within the program such as:

• Fundamental Principles of Hearing Devices
• Learn the history of hearing aids, basic principles of electronics and circuitry, and how this relates to the circuitry of hearing devices and styles of hearing aids. Apply this knowledge to choose the appropriate hearing device for a patient profile, and how to compare the benefits and limitations of each hearing aid style.
• Patient Psychology and Counselling Skills
• Explore the individual, familial, and societal impacts of hearing loss on a psychological, emotional, and social level. Formulate the necessary skills to connect with patients on an empathetic, culturally sensitive, and professional level. Become adept at in-depth case history taking and having goal-oriented discussions to motivate patients in their hearing rehabilitation.
• Disorders
• Identify various pathologies within the peripheral and central auditory system. Collaborate confidently with other medical professionals if referral is warranted. Through this course, you will understand the pathologies behind different types of hearing loss such as hyperacusis, tinnitus, and noise induced hearing loss.

Humber’s Nursing degree program focuses on the nurses' role in community/public health, primary health care, long-term care and acute settings. Our small class sizes of 35 to 40 students in our theory and science courses provide you with both individual and group learning opportunities. In our simulation labs, students will practise and improve interpersonal and technical nursing skills in a safe and active learning environment. 

Students will also receive hands-on experience across a number of clinical placements at health-related agencies across the Greater Toronto Area. 

Humber is the only English speaking college in Ontario with access to an on-campus cadaver lab for nursing students. Combine that with small class sizes, leading-edge simulation labs, bioscience and anatomy labs, and extensive clinical work placement opportunities -- Humber students have the competitive edge. 

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
  • Integrate and apply knowledge, from nursing and an array of disciplines in the arts and sciences to provide comprehensive nursing care in times of health and illness.
  • Communicate orally and in writing using structured coherent arguments to convey accurate and reliable information to diverse audiences in practice. Graduates will engage in authentic purposeful and collaborative communication using the concepts and techniques of the discipline.  
  • Engage in critical, reflective, and holistic analysis to evaluate the strength of a wide spectrum of evidence to formulate decisions. 
  • Develop a dynamic and evolving professional identity  and capability, incorporating personal and professional attributes and skills for practice in complex and unpredictable contexts.  
  • Be responsible global citizens, by engaging the principles of Primary Health Care and the ethics of caring and social justice in diverse contexts.  

Work Placement
Students receive practical experience through clinical placements at health-related agencies across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). 
Placements will provide students the opportunity to integrate nursing skills and knowledge in a supervised setting. Clinical experiences will be diverse, covering a broad range of settings including community agencies, schools, long-term care facilities and hospitals. Humber has relationships with many community agencies and makes every effort to assist you to develop, establish and maintain the required standards for academic success. 

Humber’s award-winning Multimedia Design and Development diploma program offers the opportunity to participate in an extensive multimedia design education where you’ll build a range of interactive digital media production skills including web design, mobile interface design, experience design, motion graphics, 2D animation, web coding, streaming, user testing, video and sound editing, user interface prototyping, digital storytelling, and interactive design. Through this hands-on learning process, you will develop the fundamental creative and technical multimedia design and development capabilities needed to pursue employment in videography, motion graphics, web design and interactive content development.

Multimedia Design and Development is one of the three programs within our interaction and design common platform cluster. The first semester of this program is shared with the three-year Web Design and Interactive Media program, and the three-year Graphic Design program. This offers you exposure to the different areas of programming, common elements of design and creative thinking, and collaborative work with students studying to work in complementary career fields. Greater exposure to the ever-evolving exciting world of design and development will allow you to investigate the edges of this area of study, and then you will confirm your focus prior to your second semester of study. 

Under the guidance of experienced and knowledgeable professors, you’ll learn on and become experienced with industry-standard software such as Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Adobe Brackets, Illustrator, After Effects, Audition, Adobe Animate, Final Cut Pro and Premiere. Web technologies such as HTML5, Extensible Markup Language (XML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS3), JavaScript, jQuery and Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) and MySQL are employed in hands-on learning situations in our applied teaching environment with relevant industry projects.

You will cultivate important collaborative teamwork and project management skills through group assignments both within this program, and through interdisciplinary work with students in sister programs. This will prepare you for collaborative projects in the field and help you gain real-world perspective on the nature of multimedia work. You will be prepared to pursue new media opportunities by developing a comprehensive portfolio that you can present to potential employers or clients, and have exposure to the entrepreneurial opportunities open to professionals in this rich field. Students in this program will also build real-world user experience skills through the use of our unique, state-of-the-art mobile usability lab and through a work placement.

Work Placement

• Students will participate in a mandatory work placement which takes place in the last semester of study.

Humber’s Game Programming advanced diploma program is project-driven and focuses on programming and designing game engines for the purpose of game development, from indie to AAA. You will work on team projects using programming tools to develop, test and maintain game applications through the practice of theories of usability, information architectures, network architecture and industry standards of practice. Topics such as coding, game engine design, game production, artificial intelligence, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and platform-specific programming are all covered by a comprehensive set of courses.

Throughout your study, you will have access to peers in related programs such as Visual and Digital Arts and Animation - 3D which will allow you to participate in collaborative work, as well as the opportunity to build high-quality assets for use in the games you are developing as a student programmer.

You will graduate with a significant capstone project to demonstrate your coding talents, and a well-rounded skillset that combines high levels of mathematics, physics and visualization within the field of computer programming. With a high degree of game engine expertise, familiarity with 3D modelling, scripting, and technical direction, you will have the tools you need to compete and succeed in the rapidly expanding field of game development.

Humber’s Culinary Management diploma program teaches you the skills you need to excel as a chef in the culinary industry. Work in the world’s finest dining establishments, and take advantage of international study opportunities. Kick your career up a notch by competing in on-campus, national and international skill competitions.

This program will also prepare you to to design, organize, implement, serve and execute your own dinner event in the “Chef's Table” course. Using a market-related themed menu, mise en place and à la carte cooking, students will showcase classical and contemporary techniques and skill. The Charcuterie and Advanced Garde Manger courses involve students using contemporary level food presentation, styling techniques and becoming proficient with various butchery processes on a wide range of meats. The Emerging Trends course is unique among Ontario colleges, providing students with the opportunity to work alongside local guest chefs. Students also have the opportunity to experience preparing meals on the Humber Food Truck, Humber’s classroom on wheels. In addition, students work alongside some of the country’s best chefs. Students receive unmatched time spent with several leading chefs about what’s happening in today’s restaurant scene and food industry.

Note: A fast-track program is implemented for the January start. The first semester (January to April) is immediately followed by the second semester (May to August), resulting in a short summer break. The third semester begins in September, allowing students to complete the two-year program in just 16 months.

Qualified students will complete work placements in the kitchen of a leading hotel, restaurant or golf course of their choice for seven unpaid weeks in the fourth semester (40 hours per week). Students are also able to apply for placements across Canada and internationally, which has jumpstarted many successful careers.

The demand for passionate, well-trained chefs around the world is constant, and with more than 7,000 restaurants reflecting a wide variety of cultures and cuisines, Toronto is the ideal place to launch your culinary career. The creative culinary and management skills you’ll gain at Humber will put you in high demand in hotels, restaurants, golf clubs, resorts, hospitals, corporate settings and more. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you’ll be inspired by the potential to start your own business in the future. Food service is a constantly evolving industry that has never been more in the spotlight, and culinary management at Humber is your gateway.

Humber’s Landscape Technician diploma program is based on the principles of sustainability, conservation and environmental sensitivity. You’ll learn about landscape design and development, site construction, general horticulture, grounds maintenance, and related technologies through a combination of in-class studies and hands-on landscape training.

At Humber, we have exceptional facilities for landscape education. The Humber Arboretum, for example, is a 250-acre botanical garden centred on the west branch of the Humber River, surrounding Humber’s North Campus. It includes ornamental, woodland and wildlife gardens serving as a unique living classroom for plant studies, construction, arboricultural and horticultural skills. Our construction lab is housed in a weather-protected 8,000-square-foot facility which allows you to build full-scale structures such as decks, gazebos and retaining walls. Our computer labs use the latest in computer-aided design (CAD) software which enables you to prepare professional construction documents.

In Humber’s Animation 3D advanced diploma program, you will develop a well-rounded knowledge base and skillset that includes strong art, animation, modelling and visualization abilities. You will be prepared for the ever-expanding 3D art field with a thorough understanding of the latest 3D digital art technologies in a program developed with the input of industry advisors. Learn to work like the pros do — using the same 3D animation software and tools to render creative thoughts into compelling images and fully-realized design.

This program will allow you to develop a blend of the most relevant digital and analog art skills, as well as an understanding of creative and technological processes. A full understanding of art and design theories will help you draw, visualize and apply colour principles to create appealing work. You will also gain a mastery in adhering to a pipeline, as you develop content across courses; and teamwork, as you collaborate with students from other programs to better simulate a studio/production environment.?

The Humber Advantage

• Usability Lab
  • The Usability Lab is a new facility for students in the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts at Humber College. This “Live Lab” is a full-fledged usability lab where content creators can capture & assess the interaction between user and design.
  • This Usability Lab is specialized, in that it was purposefully built for usability studies to ensure that the environment does not interfere with the testing. Designed with flexibility at its core, it has been equipped with a broad variety of technology, supporting usability testing at many different levels of sophistication.
  • What makes this lab unique is the fact that it is mobile. This one-of-a-kind usability lab can be delivered to those who wish to use and evaluate our designs, as well as their own. For our students, they can participate in, and lead experiments that will truly test the designs they have developed, to make sure they work in the manner they have been designed to work.

Humber’s Cabinet Making certificate program, located at the Humber Centre for Trades & Technology, provides you with the knowledge and skills to construct and install basic cabinets, as well as build traditional furniture using recognized trade practices. By completing a series of woodworking projects, you will explore various types of joinery and construction techniques using hand tools, portable power tools, stationary machines, as well as computer-based technologies. Time management skills and the ability to work to a deadline are developed and stressed throughout the program.

Graduates of the program will be able to produce shop drawings, calculate a list of materials, cut out and assemble basic cabinetry or furniture and also apply a finish. Graduates are able to safely operate most common stationary woodworking machinery, as well as run a number of CNC machines in a limited capacity.

Humber’s Broadcasting - Radio diploma program is designed to prepare you for the performative, creative, technical and business aspects of the radio and audio world. You will learn about radio station operations, broadcast and production equipment, and the fundamentals of gathering, writing, producing, and delivering content for all genres of radio and podcasting. You will also gain in-demand skills in station management, sales, marketing, news, programming and market research.

Your studies will combine practical and theoretical aspects of radio broadcasting including effective speaking skills that can be applied to announcing, and news and sports delivery. You will also be trained in writing and producing for radio using industry software and audio equipment - to fully prepare you for a variety of careers in radio.

Students in our program contribute to 96.9 FM Radio Humber, our fully licensed campus and community radio station, regulated by the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Our signal transmits in the GTA and our station can be heard world-wide via radio.humber.ca. Your radio broadcasting education will include the opportunity to contribute to Radio Humber by creating original content in our digital studios and bringing it to life for our listeners.

Work Placement

• Students will participate in a mandatory work placement during the last semester of study. Our placement partners include 680 News, Global News Radio 640 Toronto, KiSS 92.5, Rogers Sportsnet 590 The FAN, 102.1 The Edge, Indie 88, Z103.5 FM, Newstalk 1010, and CBC Radio, among others.

Humber’s Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioner advanced diploma program is the first and only publicly funded program of its kind offered at a postsecondary institution in Canada. This intensive program is grounded in the TCM Practitioner skillset which has been approved by all provincial TCM regulators in Canada and provides students with the skills and professional experience necessary to become a TCM Practitioner in Ontario. Through a combination of theoretical course-based instruction, as well as several clinical placements, you will gain a necessary understanding of Traditional Chinese and Western medicine practices. Moreover, graduates of the TCM Practitioner program will be trained to conduct a TCM diagnosis and develop appropriate treatment plans by utilizing their skills in acupuncture, herbal medicine, clinical practice management, professionalism and safety. This program is also committed to the promotion of evidence-informed practice of TCM through scientific research.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

• Critically analyze and evaluate Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (TCMP) theories and treatment methods to develop professional knowledge and skills required for the profession.
• Assess, diagnose and treat patients using Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (TCMP) principles, knowledge and treatment methods including acupuncture, herbal medicine, internal and external medicine.
• Perform safe, ethical and effective TCMP skills within a clinical setting.
• Evaluate patients incorporating a bio-medical approach with Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (TCMP) examination techniques to formulate a TCMP diagnosis and treatment strategy, and perform the treatment in a skillful and professional manner.
• Communicate effectively and educate patients, families, the community and other healthcare providers when providing TCMP practices.
• Advocate for Traditional Chinese Medicine as an effective complementary medicine.
• Adhere to the relevant provincial and federal legislation governing the profession while engaging in safe practices.
• Access current and pertinent research regarding practitioner self-care to maintain a healthy practice.
• Maintain client and business records using professional business practices of a TCMP.
• Establish interprofessional relationships with TCM colleagues and healthcare team members.
• Develop a plan for personal and professional development to enhance work performance and maintain currency in the field.
• Evaluate and implement environmentally related initiatives relevant to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (TCMP) profession.
• Apply basic entrepreneurial strategies to identify and respond to new opportunities.

Work Placement

• There are seven mandatory clinical placements that provide students with progressive, professional practice experience in diagnosing, preparing treatment plans, inter-professional collaboration and safe practices. Clinical placements occur throughout the year at community TCM and multi-discipline clinics within the greater Toronto area, as well as at our on-site partner clinic, the Tzu Chi Clinic of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The clinical component of the program offers more than 800 hours of direct patient contact, which exceeds the regulatory body minimum requirement of 500 hours.