University Diploma - Rehabilitation Assistant

The University Diploma in Rehabilitation Assistant is a 16-month program with clinical practicum, training graduates to work under the direction of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists.

Coursework covers functional anatomy and physiology, common conditions and pathologies, therapeutic exercise and mobility techniques, transfers and safe patient handling, activities of daily living and adaptive equipment, communication disorders and speech therapy support, neurological rehabilitation, geriatric and paediatric practice, documentation and professional ethics, and interprofessional teamwork. Supervised practicum placements run in hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and community health settings.

The appeal is speed to employment in a genuinely short-staffed part of the health system: 16 months to a recognised clinical role, with placement experience already on the resume. The admission process is correspondingly involved — information session, references, letter of interest — because practicum hosts are committing supervision capacity to each admitted student.

CapU is a fully public teaching university on Vancouver’s North Shore — a Designated Learning Institution (DLI O19280078102) with university status since 2008. Classes are small, faculty teach rather than delegate to assistants, and tuition sits well below the big Vancouver research universities while the credential carries the same public-institution standing.

Its field maps to CIP 51.0803 (Occupational and physical therapy assistant). Important: this is a non-degree credential, so unlike CapU’s bachelor’s programs it is not exempt from the November 2024 PGWP field-of-study restriction — eligibility depends on this CIP field appearing on IRCC’s current eligible list at the time you apply. Confirm the live list with an Apply Study Visa counsellor before committing. Final decisions rest with IRCC.