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Personal Support Worker Program
About the Program
The Personal Support Worker program is designed to train individuals to give consumers/clients and their families the care and assistance needed to live healthy and fulfilling lives in the community and institutions. The students in this program develop a broad range of abilities which emphasize the value of their role and reflect true sensitivity and respect for the individuality of each consumer/client. Some of the personal support workers' activities include providing their clients with personal care and hygiene, household and family management, meal preparation, assisting clients with their medications and restorative activities.Key Learning Outcomes and Skills
PSW program is designed with an aim to train students on required skills and knowledge for employment as personal care provider, client care attendant or personal support worker in long-term care facilities, retirement homes or in the community care facilities. The program is designed to offer both in class and on job training.
After a three month in-class training, the student is required to take on-the-job training at the designated clinic and community care facilities. This arrangement is made by the college. The hands-on training at the facilities equip the student further with the practical knowledge to succeed in the field of their study.
Why this program?
There are numerous job opportunities for personal support workers at the long term care facilities and retirement homes. Training as a personal support work opens new opportunities in the field be it care for the elderly, developmentally challenged or severely incapacitated clients both in the nursing homes or in community based homes. The skills learnt during the diploma program equip the student with the knowledge and confidence that they will need to fit into the ever growing job market of the personal support workers and allied healthcare opportunities.
Program Outline
- PSW Foundations: Introduces one to an individuals’, rights, interests, need’s, and attitudes.
- Safety and Mobility: Introduces various ways the PSW can aid in a manner that is effective, safe, and provides for client comfort.
- Body systems: Introduces the individual to the basics of anatomy and physiology.
- Assisting with Personal Hygiene: Introduces the student to the knowledge, skills, and sensitivity needed to provide appropriate assistance to a variety of people, many of whom have disabilities that affect their ability to look after their personal self.
- Abuse and Neglect: Introduces the PSW to possible family violence and abuse, including its possible signs, as well as appropriate actions to be taken if abuse is suspected, including legal requirements.
- Household Management, Nutrition and Hydration: Assists the consumer/client with their nutritional needs, household activities, and household management according to client preferences, comfort, and safety within employer guidelines as required.
- Care Planning, Restorative Care, Electronic Documentation, and Working in the Community: To build upon the ability to provide sufficient support to assist clients to do what they wish without inhibiting them. The PSWs will identify the appropriate support to be provided to the client, as well as the significance and need for the support.
- Assisting the Family / Growth and Development: To build upon the foundation for individuals and understand family characteristics in terms of structure, functions, roles, lifestyles, and relationship. It also explores the role of the PSW in providing respite and assistance to families and their children, including those with special needs.
- Assisting the Dying Person: Brings in the discussion to students of the concept of dying as a part of life and the possible impact of life-threatening illness on the person and their family.
- Assisting with Medications: Provides the individual to the knowledge of drugs used in the treatment of common diseases and disorders, including drug classification, use, therapeutic effects, side/adverse effects, brand/generic names, dosage forms, routes of administration, and directions for the use of these medications.
- Cognitive and Mental Health Issues, and Brain Injuries: Enables the PSW to use approaches and techniques to assist clients with these changes or conditions in keeping with the care/support plan and report observations to the appropriate team member.
- Health Conditions: Makes the PSW to understand the effects of disability, disease, or condition on functioning in order to provide appropriate assistance.
- Professional Skills: Prepares the students with every aspect of their transition into their new career by identifying and teaching essential business and interpersonal skills. Students receive in-class lectures, as well as a private one-on-one appointment with a Career Services specialist to perfect their resume package and interviewing skills.
- Practicum: Provides the students with an opportunity to practice their skills in a week setting. The students would work in both a long term care facility and a retirement home.
- Students complete field placements of 310 hours as a part of the program.
ASSOCIATED NATIONAL OCCUPATION CLASSIFICATION (NOC) CODES
After pursuing a Personal Support worker course, you are eligible for positions falling under the following NOC Codes:
NOC - 3413 - Home support workers, housekeepers, and related occupations. Home support workers provide personal care and companionship for seniors, persons with disabilities and convalescent clients. Care is provided within the client's residence, in which the home support worker may also reside. They are employed by home care and support agencies, private households, or they may be self-employed. Housekeepers perform housekeeping and other home management duties in private households and other non-institutional, residential settings.
Common Job Titles which you can apply include - Attendant for persons with disabilities; home care, family caregiver, home support worker, housekeeper, live-in caregiver; seniors, personal aide; home support, personal care attendant; home care, respite worker; home support.
JOB FUNCTIONS
Duties of Home support worker range from providing care and companionship for individuals and families during periods of incapacitation, convalescence or family disruption; administering bedside and personal care to clients such as aid in ambulation, bathing, personal hygiene, and dressing and undressing; planning and preparing meals and special diets, and feed or assist in feeding clients.
The duties performed by the housekeepers: Plan and prepare meals independently or with employer and serve meals; may care for children.
JOB REQUIREMENTS
Completion of a training program in care of the elderly, care of persons with disabilities, convalescent care or in a related field may be required.
First aid certification may be required.
While entry level jobs ask for no experience or one to two years’ experience, higher positions can be sought for once you gain some practical experience in the actual workplace.
EMPLOYMENT AREAS & PROSPECTS
There are numerous job opportunities for personal support workers in the care centres and other settings where personal care and support services are provided.
AFFILIATED PARTNERS
