Are Personal Support Workers Healthcare's Unsung Heroes?

Personal support workers are heroes to their patients.  They regularly perform feats that are very impressive.  Personal support workers do everything from taking and checking vitals such as pulse and blood pressure, to bathing patients.
  
Personal support workers are caregivers who are in it for the long haul.  They are passionate about their jobs and their patients.  The typical personal support worker possesses ridiculous amounts of stamina and patience.  They need it to endure the gruelling repetition of the job.  They come to work each day, not looking for special rewards or recognition.  The results of what they do are reward enough for the typical personal support worker.  Their hard work and dedication shows through, in every shift.

Personal support workers work as a team, wherever their work is.  They support their colleagues and receive support from their colleagues in return.  This is especially important as they need the support to combat the stress, and in some cases, burnout rates.  

Personal support workers are heroes to their patients on a daily basis.

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.

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

Soft Skills and Hard Skills that Personal Support Workers Need to Have

When considering a career in the healthcare field you need not just your basic qualifications but you need another set of skills.  You will need what we call soft skills and hard skills.  In this article we are going to focus on the soft and hard skills needed to become an effective personal support worker.

Soft Skills

These are skills that allow a personal support worker to do their job effectively.  Without soft skills a nursing assistant is not able to convey the impression of compassion to their clients/patients.   Simply put, a personal support worker without soft skills will not be very effective.  Here are some of the soft skills required:

Empathy/Compassion.  Every personal support worker gets frustrated with their patients; however it is important to remember that your patients are just as frustrated as you are.  Remember, your patients are feeling vulnerable and frustrated due to their conditions and the fact that they are relying on you.  Put yourself in their shoes and your frustration, while not going away completely, will recede a bit.

Time Management Skills.  Typically a personal support worker does an 8 hour shift and handles 8-10 patients.  Each patient typically has their4 own unique needs and as a result you cannot simply divide your time equally among them.  As you get to know your patients and their needs you develop a natural timeline for your shift, and you will include your breaks and lunches in this timeline.

Patience.  Personal support workers must have patience to do their jobs.  As we said earlier in the empathy section, sometimes you need to put yourself in your patient’s shoes and then you will have the patience to deal with their resistance to what must be done. 

Ability to Work in a Team.  Personal support workers typically work in teams.  This means teamwork and communication about patient needs and issues is a must.

Hard Skills.

These are the skills needed for a personal support worker to be able to do their jobs.  Specifically we are talking about the physical requirements needed in moving patients with little or no mobility.  A personal support worker needs to know how to pivot or spin a patient with little mobility to move them from a bed to a chair.  Also, a personal support worker needs to know how to use the Hoyer Lift, to move a patient from a bed to a chair, and the Sit-to-Stand Lift to help patients move from sitting to standing.

These soft and hard skills are essential for anyone who wants to become a personal support worker.