Diploma-trained health-care practitioners will have the opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree and subsequently remove barriers to accessing front-line management positions with the introduction of a post-diploma Bachelor of Health Sciences program at the University of Lethbridge’s Calgary Campus.

Pharmacy technicians, practical nurses, massage therapists, paramedics, respiratory therapists, laboratory technicians and many more with health care experience will now be able to build on their existing diploma educations with a degree option that provides a non-clinical grounding in health. Such degrees will prepare employees for career advancement to managerial or supervisory roles.

“This program provides students with a suite of leadership skills that will allow them to present themselves as qualified candidates for positions they would not previously have been fully qualified to perform,” says Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Dr. Christopher Hosgood.

“For many employees, a post-diploma program does not currently exist, and in order for them to fulfill their potential in the health workforce, they require a Bachelor of Health Sciences or equivalent.”

Responding to student and industry demand, just over a year ago the U of L established a post-diploma degree program in therapeutic recreation. The impetus to establish that program mirrored the creation of this latest laddering opportunity.

“There’s a definite need for this locally provided education to be offered to diploma-trained health professionals," says Colin Zieber, executive director, Senior Health, Alberta Health Services - South Zone. "We have emerging leaders looking to add to their skill set and advance their careers and this program provides this option.”

Classes will be offered at nights and on weekends, as tailored to the needs of working professionals.

“We’ve had conversations with several colleges, as well as employers in health care, who indicated the need for such a program,” adds Hosgood. “There’s a growing student demand for a health sciences program that enables career advancement in the field. They are looking to add foundational knowledge in health leadership through courses such as writing and communications, public health, epidemiology, health research and health management, among others, thereby building on their existing professional practice.”

Career opportunities with a BHSc may include designing and implementing programs that promote health, collecting and analyzing health data, and shaping policy.

The first intake of students for the two-year, post-diploma Bachelor of Health Sciences program on the U of L’s Bow Valley College campus is Fall 2016. Those with a diploma in a health-related discipline from an approved college are eligible (full admission requirements can be found at ulethbridge.ca/postdiploma). Application deadline is August 1, 2016.