Certificate in Office Assistant - Medical

at MacEwan University Canada

The Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant (SLPA) major provides the theoretical knowledge, skill development and practical experience required to work as an SLPA. SLPAs primarily work with children and support the implementation of treatment for communication disorders.

The Medical major provides you with a solid foundation in office and unit clerk procedures as well as in medical terminology, transcription, medical office procedures and patient chart management. In addition, students use current computer and software skills necessary for today’s health care fields.

One of the benefits of the Office Assistant program is its practicum component, which gives you hands-on experience in a real world setting. The practicum placement often helps you get your foot in the door and may even lead right to full-time work.

Students who have successfully completed their first and second terms and who are registered for Term III courses are eligible for a practicum placement.

To complete the Medical major you are required to take a practicum with a duration of four weeks. Due to hospital and collective agreement regulations, instructors must assist you with your placement in hospital sites. You need to have complete vaccinations and security checks before you begin your practicum.

Bachelor of Applied Human Service Administration (BAHSA) is a distance-delivered program designed for individuals working in the health or human service field who hold, or strive to hold, supervisory or management positions. Distance study makes the program accessible to students regardless of geographic location and provides the flexibility to balance studies with professional and family responsibilities. Students access their course material and readings online and become part of a virtual community of learners. Faculty guide student learning through online class discussions and activities.

The curriculum includes theory in administration, with an emphasis on leadership, supervision and management. Studies include human, financial and physical resource management, managing change, communication, community-based practice, research practices and trend and issue analysis. Assignments are practical in nature and generally involve the application of theory to the student’s workplace. Building on a previous diploma or degree, the program consists of ten 3-credit theory courses and two 15-credit directed field studies. Students may complete the directed field studies in their current workplace or in an appropriate agency. Study may be full or part-time. Students have six years to complete the program; however, it may be completed in as little as three years.

Police professionals are quick thinkers, effective decision makers and can keep a level head in stressful situations. The police studies program teaches you to use these strengths to serve your community.

In this two-year diploma program, you learn about current theories of criminology, investigative techniques, law, psychology, evidence collection and forensics. You gain the knowledge, practical skills and field experience you need to prepare for a career in policing.    

Theatre Arts is an intense, two-year diploma with an emphasis on musical theatre actor training. The first year is spent in studio, private coaching, and classroom instruction, mastering the basics of all three disciplines while studying music theatre history, textual analysis, music theory and ear training.

The year culminates with workshop productions of a play and musical for invited audiences. In the second year, studio and laboratory courses continue while students apply their training in public productions in our new state of the art performance spaces.

To gain admission to this program, applicants must meet the academic admission requirements and be successful at an audition, demonstrating an aptitude in all three disciplines of acting, singing and dancing. A diagnostic will assess applicants’ basic skills in music theory and ear training.

The two-year Fine Art diploma program prepares students for degree completion (Bachelor of Fine Art or Bachelor of Arts) and for starting a professional art practice. Students study historical and contemporary art in studio and art history courses, along with English, FFAC options and university electives. Students work in studios in Allard Hall on MacEwan University’s downtown campus, walking distance to campus facilities and services, as well as to museums and galleries in Edmonton’s downtown arts district.

The Fine Art program exposes students to the diversity of contemporary art practice, and emphasizes the development of creative, research and professional skills. In the first year, students learn elements and principles used in visual composition, art themes and media, creative research and histories of art and visual culture. In the second year, they develop a personal direction as they study and explore contemporary art theories and practice, professional practice, and pursue idea and process within studio course objectives. Digital technologies along with traditional approaches are incorporated throughout the curricula in coursework in drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, performance art, digital art, video and emerging forms. Studio assignments are designed to foster creative problem-solving skills, fluency with creative language and a strong work ethic. Through critiques, lectures and seminars, and visiting artist lectures, students learn to discuss their own art as it relates to contemporary art and its influences and contexts.

Early childhood educators care for our youngest citizens and foster their growing sense of identity and well-being through play-based learning. They are essential.
As a Bachelor of Early Childhood Curriculum student, you learn about the unique curriculum needs for early childhood learning, with a focus on equity, social justice and advocacy. You work closely with children in early childcare settings at MacEwan and in the community. Through field placements and a fourth-year internship, you connect theory to professional practice.

The first two years of the degree meet the certification requirements for Child Development Supervisor (Level 3) Certification through Alberta Children’s Services. You have the option to exit the program with a diploma after you complete the first two years of course work.

To respond to society’s increasing concern for security, the demand for educated personnel in both the public and private sectors of protective services continues to grow at a phenomenal rate. To meet the emerging challenges and responsibilities of this growing profession, the two-year diploma emphasizes the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct investigations and develop and implement comprehensive security programs.

Evidence of the growth in this profession is often visible. However, there also exists a less visible side of private investigations and security that includes a diverse group of specialists who engage in investigative work for banks, retail outlets, corporations and government. As the roles continue to expand and become increasingly complex, individuals must be well-grounded in the law and investigative techniques and develop a broad understanding of the field.

The diploma consists of 61 credits and can be completed through full-time day or part-time evening studies. The full-time day program is completed over a two-year period, with one intake in the Fall term. Part-time evening studies can be completed over a three-year period or longer, with one intake in the Fall term.

Admission to the program is competitive and is subject to a quota. The competitive admission average may be considerably higher than the posted minimum.

Project-based course work, creative research, visiting artists, off-campus activities and arts and culture venues—as a Studio Arts major at MacEwan University, you receive a truly hands-on education. Let your artistic expression soar, while learning to manage the many paths your career will take you.

Our dedicated faculty maintain a range of professional art and research practices, sharing their skills in performance and sound art, painting, drawing, video, sculpture, fibres and more. In this interdisciplinary environment, you are challenged to think critically and creatively about contemporary art.

What to expect
After building a rigorous and comprehensive foundation in the first two years of the program, you can choose from three pathways in the Studio Arts major:

• Two-dimensional art
• Three-dimensional art
• Intermedia/extended media art

The technical and theoretical foundations supporting each pathway prepare you for both traditional and emerging media and concepts.

Starting in the fourth term, you choose to focus in one area or to combine paths for greater breadth. As you progress academically and develop the flexibility and fluidity prevalent in contemporary art practice, you also take courses from the other arts and communications disciplines.

In your final term, you undertake a project that prepares you for a contemporary, multi-dimensional career or for future studies at the graduate level.

The Public Relations diploma offers a unique opportunity for people with previous post-secondary education to ready themselves for an exciting new career in communications in less than a year.

Public relations is a vibrant, dynamic field in the business environment, simply because organizations are being challenged by their publics – clients, shareholders, communities, employees – to do a better job of communicating.

This program has an excellent, nationwide reputation in the business community. It focuses on training students to be functional, entry-level practitioners the minute they leave the program. While theory receives the necessary attention to develop the students’ understanding of the “big picture” and the potential for growth, the primary goal of the program is to give students the practical tools and skills to make an immediate, positive contribution.

Critical-thinking skills, problem-solving ability, creativity and the ability to rise to a challenge are all valuable assets in this fast-paced program. Group work is extensive and students must work effectively in a team setting. Students should have excellent language skills and be prepared to excel in writing.