Typical Personal Support Worker Education Program Outline

Major: Personal Support Worker

Length: One Year

Delivery: 2 Semesters

Typical Credential: College Certificate

Sector Screening Check Required

Description

This two semester program is designed to prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed to provide personal support worker services to people living at home and in long term care facilities and to function as integral members of the health care team. Upon graduation from this program, the graduate will have demonstrated the ability to effectively communicate with clients, families and members of the health care team. They will also have demonstrated their ability to provide safe and competent personal support work care for individual clients who are experiencing physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural challenges.

Personal Support Workers are unregulated health care providers who work under the supervision of a regulated health care professional or in the supported independent living environment under the direction of the client. They provide clearly identified personal care and they facilitate routine activities of daily living in order to assist their clients in being as healthy and as independent as possible.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Personal Support Worker program find employment in retirement homes, nursing homes, homes for the aged, various community agencies (private and public) as well as in independent practice.

Program Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

·              work effectively as a team member and demonstrate an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the other members of the health care team;

·              provide personal support worker services for individuals and families from a variety of cultures and diverse backgrounds fostering trust, respect and individual choice;

·              practice under the supervision/direction of the employer, client or family caregiver within their role and the legislation governing the setting in which they work;

·              provide professional, safe and effective personal support work services to individuals and their families in all activities of daily living;

·              support the application of the concepts of health promotion, maintenance and rehabilitation;

·              recognize own strengths and limitations within the concept of providing personal support work services and seek out guidance appropriately;

·              recognize and report changes in the client's condition, health state, situation, and/or routine activities of living and report these changes to the appropriate member of the health care team;

·              recognize indicators of abuse and respond appropriately

Links To Sources Of U.S. Government Student Aid

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PSW’s Need Dementia Specific Training

The role of a Personal Support Worker within the healthcare system has evolved significantly.  The services they provide have become very diverse.  As a result, continuous training and education for Personal Support Workers has become paramount.  One area which tends to be overlooked when it comes to training is the area of Personal Support Worker dealing with patients in various stages of dementia.

Dementia is an often misunderstood disease that primarily affects the elderly.  Because many front line workers such as Personal Support Workers and Nursing Assistants are not specifically trained to deal with the requirements and needs of patients with dementia, they tend to infantilize them, which lead to the exacerbation of the indignity patients suffering from dementia feel.

Seeing the need for dementia specific training for front line workers in Ontario, the Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto developed specific training modules that they offer to front line workers.  These courses are taught in Toronto and offer Certification in Dementia Specific Services.  For more information about these courses you can contact the Alzheimer’s Society at 416-322-6560, or click here to register.

The reality is that 1 in 6 seniors in Canada suffer some form of dementia, and a properly trained front line is essential to provide them services.

Factors That Can Affect Personal Support Worker’s Salary Ranges

Personal support worker salary ranges, like any other career, start low and work up. There are a few factors involved in how quickly they can increase or simply how high a personal support worker can begin a job at. These are wide ranging and can mean the difference between just getting paid and earning a living.

One of the major factors in determining where the personal support worker salary ranges begin at is the amount of schooling and experience they enter with. Typically, a recent graduate with less than one year of experience will start at an hourly rate of $10.00 to $12.00. This also greatly depends on the area of the country that the employer is located in as the cost of living may be higher or lower than other locations.

As with any career, the more experience, the higher the pay. Personal support workers with 20 or more years of experience can earn between $15 and $20 per hour but again does not factor in location or continuing education. Along with the addition of continuing education, more skills are added, thereby making the personal support worker that much more valuable to an employer by boosting the level of client care that much further.

Depending on location, the personal support worker salary ranges may be affected by the employer’s need for someone who is bilingual. The ability to speak, read and write in another language can be invaluable to an employer located on or near the border of another country. This can be a major factor in areas such as Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

There are ways an individual can affect the personal support worker salary ranges in the markets that they are competing in. By choosing a specialty to go along with their standard certifications, such as working with seniors or those clients with disabilities, can make them much more valuable to certain employers.

As with any job, the major contributing factor in salaries is experience. An experienced personal support worker will always fetch a higher hourly rate than a non-experienced personal support worker or someone with very little actual on the job background. This is no different in any respect than any other position available in any field and should be viewed as such.

The best way to insure that the proper hourly rate is being received is by doing some research online. There are many websites that have salary calculators available to tell you what can be expected for an hourly rated based on area, years of experience and educational background. In doing this type of research, one can be assured that whether looking in the area they already live in or maybe searching out that next great adventure, they will be receiving the wage deserved for the service they provide.

Wandering Prevention Education Campaign - Yee Yong Centre

By Cynthia Herron

Yee Hong Centre has launched the Welcome Home public education campaign to raise awareness against wandering behaviour in the senior population with Dementia. The annual campaign currently with a series of forums, and subsequent information displays at Chinese malls and all Yee Hong locations.

To provide families with a keepsake tool, the Yee Hong Centre Social Service division has produced a fridge magnet with tips on what Dementia symptoms to watch out for, what to do to prevent wandering, and what to do when a senior is suspected to be missing.

An informative presentation is available for download here so that caregivers can familiarize themselves with what to watch out for while taking care of seniors with Dementia.

How To Become A Personal Support Worker

By Cynthia Herron
The job scenario for personal support workers is seeing an upward trend. The number of personal support workers employed is expected to grow at a rate greater than average in the coming years. So if you're thinking about becoming a personal support worker, this is the right time to learn the skills required for the job.
Personal support workers generally find jobs in institutions or clinics and many find part-time jobs that require them to work in more than one organization.  
This article gives you information on how to become a personal support worker including the training and education, if any, required for your career as personal support worker.

Personal Support Worker is a Career on the Rise

The job scenario for the designation of personal support workers is on the rise, as not only are newer job openings expected in the field, but entry-level jobs would be open for substituting those who have either shifted to other occupations or have retired from the job. Since the requirement for personal support work is increasing, the workload for personal support work is increasing as well. That leads to a higher demand for personal support workers in order to help do the tasks necessary.

Personal support workers can learn the skills required to perform their duties through on-the-job training, but currently there are a large number of personal support workers being trained at technical institutes, junior colleges, trade schools, etc in various personal support worker programs.

·      For students interested in becoming a personal support worker, the courses they opt for at the High school level should comprise of subjects like health and biology and that of office practices. This is the basic level of education required for the job of a personal support worker.

·      For all those who want to add to their basic education, there are approximately 269 personal support worker programs for personal support workers that have been approved. These programs impart knowledge of theory as well as practical skills for

The educational background needed to help you to pursue a career as a personal support worker are as follows:personal support workers through classroom as well as practical instructions.

·      The above mentioned programs also include internships in hospitals, or senior’s residences and these are certificate programs that span over one year or less than one year.

·      Many community colleges and trade schools offer certification courses. These programs require a high school diploma or an equivalent as a pre-requisite.

·      How long does it take to get certified as a personal support worker? There are many private schools that offer vocational courses in the field of personal support work and span over a period of about 6 to 12 months.

You Can Learn the Skills of Personal Support Work on the Job

Budding personal support workers often learn the required skills on the job. In such cases, their employers or other experienced personal support workers help them learn about the elements of the job that they are required to know.

Even those who are fresh out of personal support workers programs or those having some prior knowledge in the field may be required to undergo the on-the-job training as the prerequisites of the job varies between the style of working of different employers.

It will be more judicious of you to to take up advanced studies in the field if you want to increase your chances of advancing in the job. So with this you can become a personal support worker  instructor, office manager, or can use your experience to get high skilled and high-paying jobs.