Pathways to Neuro &Healthcare Careers
An innovative workforce development program that prepares individuals for careers in neurorehabilitation while strengthening Ontario's allied healthcare workforce. The program supports both the upskilling of existing healthcare professionals and the training of rehabilitation support personnel to deliver holistic, evidence-informed, brain injury-specific care.
Supported by the Province of Ontario through the Skills Development Fund
Pathways to Neuro & Healthcare Careers
A 20-hour, 4-week workforce development program combining virtual training, simulated patient scenarios, and employer-hosted workplace application.
5 Hours Professional Skills Training (Virtual)
- Workplace readiness and communication skills in neurorehabilitation
- Digital competencies, including responsible use of AI
- Professional profile building for employer/referral network connections
5 Hours Foundational Training + Workplace Application
- Foundations in Brain Injury Care
- Understanding Brain Injury Guidelines & Best Practices
- How To Work With An Individual With Brain Injury
- Overview of Six Lifestyle Modalities of Brain Health
4 Hours Lifestyle Modalities + 2 Hours Simulated Patient + Workplace Application
- Clinical Decision Makers: in-depth applied training on 1 mandatory Lifestyle Modality
- Rehabilitation Support Personnel: training in various lifestyle modalities
- Simulated patient application through realistic patient scenarios
- Full week workplace application with employer
2 Hours Independent Assignment + 1 Hour Clinician Review + 1 Hour Knowledge Check + Workplace Application
- Create intervention or develop plan of action using Lifestyle Modality framework
- Present intervention to mentor clinician
- Final knowledge check
- Full week workplace application with employer
Learning Pathways
Every learner begins with foundational professional skills and clinical training, then advances into a Lifestyle Modality aligned with their scope of practice or support role.
Introduction
Program orientation, digital literacy, career readiness, soft skills, and foundational training on the 6 Lifestyle Modalities of Brain Health. Every learner completes this before advancing to their specialization.
Specialization Pathways
After completing the Introduction, learners advance into role-specific modality pathways.
Physical Exercise
Reduce neuroinflammation, increase blood and oxygen flow to the brain, and promote neurogenesis — the creation of new brain cells.
Cognitive Stimulation
Strengthen connections between brain cells, fostering learning, memory, focus, and neuroplasticity — real, measurable brain changes.
Nutrition
Harness the gut-brain connection. A brain-healthy diet supports healing and optimal cognition following traumatic brain injury.
Limiting Harmful Exposures
Identify and reduce neurotoxic substances in food, drinks, household products, and the environment that impair brain healing.
Sleep
Quality sleep is essential for brain recovery. Healthy sleep habits and routines provide the optimal environment for healing and cognitive function.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness meditation creates positive structural and functional brain changes, helping strengthen new neural pathways through focused presence.
Who Should Register?
Brain Power has two levels of training — Clinical Decision Makers who prescribe and recommend interventions (Hub), and Rehabilitation Support Personnel who assist with implementation (Spoke).
Clinical Decision Makers (Hub)
Prescribe and recommend interventions
Chiropractors
Integrate brain health principles into chiropractic practice with evidence-based neurorehabilitation techniques.
Dietitians
Apply evidence-based nutritional strategies to support brain recovery through the gut-brain connection.
Kinesiologists
Leverage exercise science expertise to design brain injury-informed physical activity programs.
Naturopathic Doctors
Apply naturopathic approaches to brain health including nutrition and limiting harmful exposures.
Occupational Therapists
Apply cognitive stimulation and functional rehabilitation strategies grounded in neuroplasticity research.
Physicians
Lead clinical decision-making for brain injury patients using the Lifestyle Modalities framework.
Physician Assistants
Support physician-led care with specialized brain injury assessment and intervention planning.
Physiotherapists
Enhance treatment protocols with the Lifestyle Modalities of Brain Health to optimize patient recovery.
Psychologists
Apply mindfulness and cognitive approaches to support emotional regulation and neuroplasticity.
Psychotherapists
Integrate mindfulness-based interventions into psychotherapy practice for brain injury clients.
Registered Kinesiologists
Design and prescribe exercise-based interventions aligned with brain health evidence.
Registered Nurses / Nurse Practitioners
Deliver brain injury-informed care including sleep, nutrition, and limiting harmful exposures.
Social Workers
Support TBI survivors holistically with tools for mindfulness, community care, and lifestyle management.
Speech-Language Pathologists
Apply cognitive stimulation strategies for communication and cognitive rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation Support Personnel (Spoke)
Assist with implementation of prescribed care plans
Case Managers
Coordinate brain injury care plans and ensure continuity across the care team.
Mental Health Support Workers
Assist with implementing mindfulness and wellness strategies under clinical direction.
Peer Support Workers
Provide lived-experience support to brain injury clients navigating rehabilitation.
Personal Support Workers
Gain specialized knowledge to support brain injury patients in daily care and rehabilitation settings.
Physiotherapy Assistants
Implement prescribed physical exercise programs under physiotherapist supervision.
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Assist with implementing cognitive stimulation and daily living interventions.
Rehabilitation Support Workers
Implement prescribed care plans and reinforce routines for brain injury clients.
Rehabilitation Therapists
Deliver rehabilitation interventions under clinical lead direction and document progress.
Don't see your role? The platform is open to all healthcare providers.
Register as Healthcare Provider (Individual)For Employers (Organizations)
Receive a $1,100 wage subsidy for a 3-week employer-hosted practicum. Employers compensate participants during 15 hours of training and retain them for 12 months.
Wage Subsidy & Practicum
Receive $1,100 wage subsidy for a 3-week employer-hosted practicum. Employers compensate participants at regular rate of pay for 15 hours of training.
Enroll Your Team
Invite clinical decision makers and rehabilitation support personnel by email. Manage your roster from one dashboard.
Clinical Workforce Development
Equip your team with specialized brain injury care skills through structured, evidence-informed training aligned with the 6 Lifestyle Modalities of Brain Health.
12-Month Retention
Employers retain participants as employees or contract workers for 12 months, building a stable, skilled neurorehabilitation workforce.
Brain Changes Initiative
Brain Changes Initiative (BCI) is a not-for-profit organization that funds groundbreaking research to improve the standard of care for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) patients.
Our mission is to improve the standard of care through research, education, and awareness around the 6 Lifestyle Modalities of Brain Health — Physical Exercise, Cognitive Stimulation, Nutrition, Mindfulness, Sleep, and Limiting Harmful Exposures.
We believe that everyone has the capacity to transform their brain. Through research-backed, non-pharmacological approaches, we're proving that the brain can re-wire, adapt, and change.
Our Commitment to Research
We are committed to a new thinking paradigm highlighting evidence that the brain re-wires, adapts, and changes. Our ongoing research projects are in collaboration with leading brain health organizations centered around non-pharmacological approaches.