- Graduates of the BDM Program are recognized under the eligibility qualifications to write the professional certification examinations for the designations of:
-
- Certified Disability Management Professional – CDMP
- Certified Return to Work Coordinator – CRTWC
Once they have met all of the following eligibility criteria:
- Successful completion of the Bachelor of Disability Management (BDM) degree
- Completed a minimum of 1 year performing the roles and responsibilities (during the last 5 years) with at least 50% or more of the time in the delivery of DM services, supervised by a qualified DM supervisor or management representative responsible for DM.
- The BDM is accepted by the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University as a qualifying program for consideration of acceptance to its:
-
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Science in Management
- Master of Health Administration
- In a survey by the Canadian HR Reporter, it was found that 90 percent of business leaders say the value of professional designations is increasing.
The Special Federal initiative Scholarship is designed to:
- Significantly increase availability of Disability Management Professionals for Canadian employers.
- Support a key public relations strategy to build enhanced recognition of the importance of effective Return to Work programs and the priority of maintaining employment for disabled workers.
- Reduce the unacceptable poverty rate of persons with disabilities.
- Improve socio-economic outcomes for disabled workers, employers, and society at large through greater professionalization of those working in the Return to Work / Disability Management field.
Successful applicants will be notified by July 15, 2022.
Successful applicants must notify PCU-WHS that they have accepted the Scholarship by July 20, 2022. If the Scholarship is declined, it will be awarded to an individual on the waiting list, who will be notified of their success by July 30, 2022.
For More Information:
Application packages must be received in their entirety no later than June 15, 2022.
Scholarships are awarded on a first-come first-qualified basis.
All expressions of interest and applications must be addressed to the Office of the Registrar at PCU-WHS (see contact information below).
Once you have determined your interest, you may submit a Special Federal Initiative Scholarship application package which includes:
• Completed Federal Initiative Scholarship Application Form
• An application fee of $100.00
• Reflective Essay – Details are outlined in the Special Federal Initiative Scholarship information booklet.
• Official transcripts issued from previous post-secondary education institutions
• Letters of Attestation (2) for previous work experience
The Special Federal Initiative Scholarship can only be applied to the first 2 years of the 4-year part-time program. Applicants will be responsible for covering the full tuition and all other expenses of the final 2 years of the part-time program.
Applications packages must be addressed to the Office of the Registrar at PCU-WHS, and can be sent by Canada Post or courier to:
Special Federal Initiative
Office of the Registrar
Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Sciences
4755 Cherry Creek Road
Port Alberni, BC
V9Y 0A7
Full-time BDM program: For students who are not also employed full-time.
- Completion of the BDM program in 2 years (Scholarship is applied to both years.)
- Completion of a minimum of ten (10) 3-credit courses per year
- Typically: 4 courses in the Fall trimester, 3 courses in the Winter trimester, 3 courses in the Spring trimester.
- The courses for the Full-Time program are 12-week courses, with an anticipated time commitment of 8-9 hours per week per course, including approximately 4 hours on the required readings and 4 hours on either a discussion exercise or assignment. Expect to be enrolled in at least 3 courses per trimester.
Part-time BDM program: For students who are also employed full-time.
- Completion of the BDM program in 4 years (Scholarship is only applied to the first 2 years.)
- Completion of a minimum of five (5) 3-credit courses per year
- The courses for the part-time program are distributed throughout each academic year, 5 per year consecutively (one course at a time), with 2 or more weeks between courses.
- The courses for the Part-Time program are 6-week courses, with an anticipated time commitment of 16 hours per week, including approximately 8 hours on the required readings and 8 hours on either a discussion exercise or assignment.
Only students enrolled in the Full-Time program are eligible to take the 12-week BDM courses.
Only students enrolled in the Part-Time program are eligible to take the 6-week BDM courses.
|
BDM Program |
| Full-Time |
Part-Time |
| Time to completion of program |
2 years |
4 years* |
| Number of courses per year |
10 |
5 |
| Duration of each course |
12 weeks |
6 weeks |
| Number of courses taken at one time |
3 or 4, depending on trimester |
1 |
| Time commitment per week per course |
8 hours |
16 hours |
* The Special Federal Initial Scholarship Program can only be applied to the first 2 years of the 4-year Part-Time program. Applicants will be responsible for covering the full tuition and all other expenses of the final 2 years of the Part-Time program.
PCU-WHS is located in Port Alberni, British Columbia, but all BDM courses are offered exclusively online. Residents of Canada can study from their province or territory of residence.
All courses at PCU-WHS are offered online by highly qualified faculty with a depth of multidisciplinary experience.
Students require a computer, an Internet connection (high-speed internet is recommended), and internet browser software to participate in the courses. Students should have a computer with a sound card and speakers to listen to course videos and audio, plus a microphone to participate in synchronous sessions. All courses require a word processing application such as Microsoft Word. Individual courses may have additional software requirements. Technical assistance is available for all courses.
The online platform provides you with:
- 24-hour access to course resources and materials.
- More opportunities to directly communicate with faculty.
- Constructive interaction with other students.
- Greater flexibility and convenience in managing your time. (Courses are not self-paced, however; timelines for course work are provided.)
- An environment to participate at a time and place best suited to your needs.
- Additional time to reflect before responding to discussions and other activities.
- An environment where the independent learner flourishes.
Students will have 24-hour access to most course resources, activities, and materials. The few synchronous activities (Zoom sessions, student presentations) will be scheduled in the Pacific time zone, but scheduling will aim to accommodate other time zones in which the students are residing, when possible.
The Special Federal Initial Scholarship will apply to:
- the full 2 years of the full-time BDM program, commencing with the Fall 2022 trimester and
terminating with the Spring 2024 trimester
OR
- the first 2 years only of the 4-year Part-Time BDM program, commencing with the Fall 2022
trimester and terminating with the Spring 2024 trimester. You can anticipate completion of the
part-time program 2 years later (Spring 2026 trimester) without scholarship funding.
The Special Federal Initiative Scholarship is open to candidates with landed immigrant or Canadian citizenship status who are permanent residents of any Canadian province or territory except British Columbia. Permanent residents of BC are invited to apply for the WDA Grant Scholarship.
Successful candidates must:
- Meet the admission criteria of PCU-WHS.
In addition, successful candidates must qualify for Admission Directly into Year 3 of the BDM program. To qualify for Admission Directly into Year 3, applicants must:
- Have graduated with an associate degree, 2-year diploma, or other relevant educational prerequisite which provides 60 transferable academic credits (or equivalent) in a range of disciplines (preferred domains listed below).
- Current students must be attending a Canadian post-secondary institution.
- Students converting from an existing career path may have graduated from any university or college.
- Candidates with an average post-secondary GPA of 3.0 or higher will be preferred.
OR
- Be eligible for Admission Directly into Year 3 on the basis of Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR). A combination of professional experience and career education will be assessed under Flexible Admission policy on a case-by-case basis. Applicants under Flexible admission should have a minimum of 5-10 years of relevant experience in a related field.
Preferred domains of previous study include:
- Human Resources
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Healthcare
- Business
- Social Work
Eligible individuals may apply for a scholarship for either the Full-Time or the Part-Time Bachelor of Disability Management.
The Special Federal Initiative Scholarship will provide:
- $6,500 annual for each of the 2 years of the Full-Time BDM program, to cover most of the course tuition for the specialized courses required to complete the BDM degree. Applicants will be responsible for covering the balance of the tuition which is approximately $1,120 per academic year for a student entering with 60 credits. Textbooks, which are required by several courses, are not covered by the Scholarship.
OR
- $3,250 annually for the first 2 years only of the 4-year Part-Time BDM Program, to cover most of the course tuition for the first 2 years of specialized courses required to complete the BDM degree. Applicants will be responsible for covering the balance of the tuition for each of the first 2 years which is approximately $560 per academic year for a student entering with 60 credits. Textbooks which are required by several courses, are not covered by the Scholarship.
- Applicants will be responsible for covering the full tuition and all other expenses of the final 2 years of the Part-Time Program.
The circumstances within the workplace that can enhance or reduce mental health and wellness—the organizational context—are the focus of this module. To be effective, workplace strategies need to address mental health in an integrated manner, including initiatives aimed at prevention, health promotion and remain at/return to work.
The first section of this module describes the context and influences that need to be taken into account in discussions about mental health and mental illness with stakeholders. It describes the main workplace stakeholders addressed in the module; addresses the distinction between mental health and mental illness; briefly describes the meaning of common mental health disorders (CMDs); explores the mental health impact of Covid-19; and overviews electronic and mobile mental health tools. The second section provides an overview of an integrated approach to workplace mental health and covers the business case for more effective workplace mental health programs; the cost of presenteeism and the benefits of self-disclosure; and the components of an integrated approach to workplace mental health including workplace strategies to protect psychological health and safety, creating mental health promoting organizations, and addressing the accommodation needs of workers experiencing mental distress or illness.
$250
Addressing the sensitive issues of mental health or mental illness with an individual worker who is believed to be at risk of, or experiencing, mental distress can be challenging for DM professionals.
The primary purposes of this module are to describe first, how best to raise a concern about mental health with a worker who may not have considered that they may face challenges in this regard and, secondly, how to respond to a worker who approaches you with mental health concerns. In any conversation about mental health the way in which the topic is raised and how the conversation is completed are just as important as the key messages that need to be communicated about mental health and wellness.
This module covers three core areas: key messages and themes that must inform discussions with a worker related to mental health and illness, brief descriptions of mental health disorders that are most likely to emerge in work or return to work, and approaches that can create an open space for a worker to explain their perceptions about the challenges they face.
Resources that can be signposted by the DM professional to assist workers in exploring their mental health challenges and personal recovery and coping are reviewed.
$250
Change, both welcome and unwelcome, is inevitable, ongoing and multi-faceted. More than ever, people within organizations need strategies for reacting quickly to problems and opportunities—both external and internal to their workplaces. This course is designed to provide those who are involved with workplace health systems—disability management, wellness, and health and safety programs—with tools and techniques to identify and respond to disruptive events, new situations and changing conditions in the most positive way possible by:
• Recognizing unanticipated problems and challenges or needed changes.
• Applying problem-recognition and problem-solving strategies.
• Using idea generation tools and techniques to identify innovations and solutions.
• Using change management processes.
The course includes print materials and video, a workbook for trying out tools and techniques, discussion forums and a short assignment. Course activities will span 2 weeks, requires an estimated 22 hours of study activity, and has been endorsed for 22 continuing education credit hours for the designations of Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP) and Certified Return to Work Coordinator (CRTWC).
$425
The workforce in many countries is aging. People are living longer and birthrates are decreasing in many developed nations—and when fewer younger workers are moving into the labor market, helping older workers to remain productive and stay in jobs becomes more important. Many older workers prefer to stay in employment because they need the income and because they are able to maintain a sense of purpose. Further many government policies tend to support this including policies related to retirement age and retirement income. There are many ways of characterizing who is an older worker, although most research defines this group as people who are 55 years of age and over.
This module will explore the benefits to retaining older workers and the challenges; push and pull factors related to whether older workers stay at work; the concept of work ability as it applies to older workers; strategies related to the work environment, job design and other supports for older workers; and barriers and facilitators of return to work and remain at work.
$250
While motion is essential to maintaining musculoskeletal health, the wrong kind of motion can result in short and long-term disability. Because people use their hands and arms so much while working, upper limb pain and impairment can be a significant impediment to carrying out work tasks with ease. Upper limb disorders are injuries that affect the shoulders, neck, arms and hands. They include a range of impairments that are most often caused by repetitive movements, force, awkward postures, rapid movements, and heavy loads, often in combination, and often emerging over a period years.
This module covers the causes of upper body disorders, symptoms, treatment, accommodations and return to work/remain at work planning, and the rationale for initiatives that address this common health condition. Participants will also focus on tools that can be used to assess awkward postures and repetitive movements that might cause problems for workers and how these can be eliminated or mitigated in the workplace.
$250
The purpose of this module is to explore the steps that can be taken to assist and retain workers who have been diagnosed with cancer and who, during the course of their treatment, must deal with challenges including treatment effects such as fatigue and pain, anxiety about the future and financial losses and costs. Individuals may wish to continue working during some of their treatment or may need to take time away from work.
The module covers topics including information on cancer in general and why it is approached as a chronic and episodic illness. The benefits and challenges related to retaining workers who are dealing with cancer are examined, and the biopsychosocial impacts on individual workers who are dealing with cancer. Participants will consider how disability management plans address the interplay among a range of factors related to the type and stage of cancer, individual characteristics and situations, and the current job in which the person is engaged and their workplace. They will also identify appropriate job accommodations for workers who are dealing with cancer.
$250
Worldwide, back pain is the most common cause of activity limitations and absences from work. Back injuries are complex and can be difficult to diagnose because the etiology or causes of back pain can lie in muscle, bone and joint and nervous systems; arise as a result of unrelated health conditions such as cancer; result from work, home and leisure activity; and be compounded by mental health issues such as stress and anxiety. In the workplace back injuries affect the physical and emotional wellbeing of workers leading to lowered productivity and lost time.
This module will examine the incidence and causes; job-related factors that might contribute to back pain; approaches that have been successful in treatment and rehabilitation; a multi-faceted approach to work ability and maintain people in jobs; the development and implementation of return to work and remain at work plans for worker with back pain; appropriate job accommodations; and the role of wellness and OH&S programs as an adjunct to disability management programs.
$250
