The Personal Support Worker Program is designed to give individuals the skills required to provide personal support services to clients with various needs and complement the roles of those working in the fields of nursing, social work and professional health care providers.

You will be employed to provide services to:

• clients and their families in their homes
• clients in long-term care facilities, retirement homes, community programs, rehabilitation centres and hospitals.

The program consists of a series of theory-based courses which will provide the student with a solid knowledge base of their clientele's needs and practical experience in various work environments.

• Ontario Secondary School Diploma or mature student status.
• It is recommended that students possess a good command of the English language, both written and spoken.

Previous Health Care Aid (HCA) Learning or Experience:

Those who have previously completed a HCA program or have experience working as a HCA are required to take the Personal Support Worker certificate to meet the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care requirements. With the new requirement, HCAs may receive some credit for prior learning and experience, but will not be fully exempted from all courses in Seneca's PSW program. Prior learning and experience is assessed on an individual basis. Please contact program coordinators for more information.

Field Placement Requirements

Students participating in Field Placement will be required to obtain and keep current:

• A completed medical form
• A current Standard First Aid & Basic Rescuer (CPR) Level C-HCP certificate.
• Criminal Record Check vulnerable sector screening.
• Signed freedom of information release.
• Mask Fit test.

Expired documentation may require a student to leave field placement and potentially not being able to continue resulting in academic and monetary loss.

Additional documentation maybe required to meet specific medical requirements of staff at some facilities.

It is your responsibility to ensure that program requirements and course prerequisites as outlined are met. Prerequisites are included for your academic protection. Knowledge of the prerequisite material is assumed by your instructor and instruction will proceed accordingly. Students lacking prerequisites not only jeopardize their own ability to succeed but present unnecessary interruption. If you lack appropriate prerequisites (or Transfer Credit for the prerequisite course) you may be asked to withdraw or transfer to a more appropriate course with the risk of academic/financial penalty.

Note:

Effective winter 2023, COM101/COM111 replaces COM470/SSW101. A student who has taken COM470/SSW101 prior to this date is not required to take COM101/COM111.

Field Placement

As a student of this program, if you meet all the academic requirements, you will have the opportunity to participate in two field placements. Field placements are similar in length to an academic semester and typically involve full-time work hours that may be paid or unpaid.

The Personal Support Worker program will provide opportunities for experiential learning through the hands-on skills lab and two field placements: PSW112 and PSW109 (facility and community).

To be eligible for clinical practicum placements, students must have a completed Clinical Preparedness Permit, which includes:

Medical Requirements

• current immunization records as outlined in the Canadian Immunization Guide for health-care workers
• bloodwork for immune status of hepatitis B/varicella/measles/mumps and rubella
• TB testing/CXR as required

  Non-Medical Requirements

• a current Basic Life Support Certificate (renewed annually)
• Standard First Aid valid for four years (online courses are not acceptable)
• record of mask fit test (renewed every two years)
• criminal record check and vulnerable sector screening (annually)

Students must register for a mandatory PSP001 Field Placement/Practicum Orientation online course before enrolling in placement. Once registered in PSP001, you will receive important announcements/updates regarding PSW placements, along with forms and documents to assist with securing a placement.

PSW Program Vocational Outcomes

1. Work within the personal support worker role in community, retirement homes, long-term care homes and/or hospital care settings in accordance with all applicable legislation and employer's job description, policies, procedures and guidelines.
2. Act responsibly and be accountable for own actions while recognizing the boundaries of knowledge and skills within the personal support worker role that require collaboration with the clients, families, supervisors and/or other members of the interprofessional care/service team.
3. Participate as a member of the interprofessional care/service team and maintain collaborative working relationships in the provision of supportive care in community, retirement homes, long-term care homes and/or hospital care settings.
4. Provide client-centred and client-directed care that is based on ethical principles, sensitive to diverse client and family values, beliefs and needs, and which follows the direction of the plan of care/service plan.
5. Establish and maintain helping relationships with clients and their families reflecting open communication, professional boundaries, employer's policies and adhering to confidentiality and privacy legislation.
6. Identify relevant client information using basic assessment and communication skills and report and document findings in accordance with the requirements of employer policies and procedures and all applicable legislation.
7. Promote and maintain a safe and comfortable environment for clients, their families, self and others including the implementation of infection prevention and control measures and emergency first aid procedures that are in keeping with the plan of care/service plan, employer policies and procedures, and all applicable legislation.
8. Assist clients across the lifespan with routine activities of daily living by applying basic knowledge of growth and development, common alterations in functioning, disease prevention, health promotion and maintenance, rehabilitation and restorative care.
9. Assist clients with medication in keeping with the direction of the plan of care/service plan and under the direction and monitoring of a regulated health professional or most accountable person and in accordance with all applicable legislation and employer's policies.
10. Assist with household management tasks and instrumental activities of daily living in accordance with the plan of care/service plan and considering the preferences, comfort and safety of clients, families and significant others.
11. Assist clients who are caring for dependent individuals considering client and family choices, professional boundaries and the direction of the plan of care/service plan.
12. Identify and report situations of neglect, and potential, alleged or witnessed/actual incidents of abuse, and respond in accordance with all applicable legislation and employer's policies and procedures.
13. Assist in the provision of culturally relevant palliative and end-of-life care to clients experiencing life threatening illness and to their families and significant others, from diagnosis through death and bereavement, and in accordance with clients' choices and the plan of care/service plan.
14. Use identified approaches and best practices to support positive and safe behaviour in clients experiencing cognitive impairment, mental health challenges and/or responsive behaviours.

Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities July 2014

This program is eligible for OSAP funding.

Course load is used by OSAP to determine funding options for programs.

If you are taking one to two courses at the same time, you may be considered for part-time student grants and loans.

• one course (20 per cent)
• two courses (40 per cent)

If you are taking three or more courses at the same time, you may be considered for full-time student grants and loans.

• three courses (60 per cent)
• four courses (80 per cent)
• five courses (100 per cent)

To find out if you qualify and to learn how to apply, please visit the OSAP website.

For information on other awards and financial assistance, please see Financial Aid.