Nominations Open for Personal Support Worker of the Year Award

Nominations are now open for the PSW of the Year Award.  With number of outstanding PSW’s in Ontario, this award will recognize the work of one exceptional PSW.  The award will be presented in October.  Nominees must work in the Province of Ontario, be nominated by a third party, and must consent to their nomination.  Nominations are evaluated on the following criteria:

·         Work History

·         Professional Knowledge

·         Advocacy

·         Patient Care

·         Going Beyond The Call of Duty

·         Team Support

Nominations must arrive at the offices of the PersonalSupport Network of Ontario no later than Friday, September 19, 2014.  For more information visit PSNO PersonalSupport Worker of the Year Award website.

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.

Labour Market Information For Personal Support Workers

By Cynthia Herron
As the Canadian economy emerges from the current recession, a number of industry sectors will see above average growth to 2015. Among these are occupations in the healthcare field. 　The demographics of the Canadian population will be a major factor in the Canadian economy, affecting both labour market demand and supply. Seventy percent of new jobs to 2015 will be as a result of attrition (retirements, deaths) of existing employees. At the same time, the aging population (and its disproportionate medical needs) will create even greater demand for jobs in occupations in the healthcare field (e.g., personal support workers). 　

Now, more women work outside the home and cannot give full-time care to family members who are elderly, ill or have a disability. As well, the Ontario government has an Aging at Home Strategy. This means that more people may get health care at home instead of at the hospital. This has resulted in substantially more job openings for Personal Support Workers. 　

As healthcare costs rise, that industry will continue to look at cost-cutting strategies. One of these is to "push down" duties currently performed by higher-cost employees (e.g., nurses) to lower-cost staff (e.g., personal support workers), creating more of these types of job opportunities. As a result, the outlook or job prospects for this field are rated as exceptionally good by HRSDC