PERSONAL SUPPORT WORKER (NACC)
Diploma Program
Become a Personal Support Worker
Program Overview
The Personal Support Worker (PSW) program prepares graduates to provide supportive care to individuals across their lifespan by assisting them with their activities of daily living, including clients experiencing cognitive impairment, physical disability, and mental health challenges.
The range of services provided by Personal Support Workers depend upon the individual needs of each person they support and may include personal care such as dressing, personal hygiene, mobility and other routine activities of living in accordance with the Regulated Health Professions Act, home management such as shopping, light house cleaning and meal preparation, family responsibilities such as routine care giving to children and assisting with social and recreational activities.
As front line workers, Personal Support Workers must develop a broad range of abilities beyond dexterity skills. They must provide not only for the comfort, safety and well-being of their clients, but also demonstrate sensitivity and respect for those in their care. The attitude, abilities and approach of the PSW are critical to the well-being and health of the people they support.
Graduates may find employment in a variety of care settings including:
- Long-term care facilities
- Home care services giving care to clients living in their own homes in the community
- Supportive housing settings including senior’s apartments and retirement homes
- Group homes
- Hospitals
- Adult day programs
- Educational facilities
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Admission Requirements
- 18 years of age or older.
- Assessment: Online or In-person Counselling
- Result to Prove English Proficiency:
- IELTS (Academic) – 6.0 overall
- IELTS (General) – 6.0 overall with each band 6.0
- PTE (Academic) – 51 overall
- TOEFL IBT – 60 overall
- CELPIP – 7 overall with each band 7
- In the absence of the above ESL required.
- Secondary or Post Secondary Degree Diploma.
Learning Outcomes
- Graduates of the Personal Support Worker (PSW) program at Futures Canadian College will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide comprehensive support to individuals of all ages, addressing their diverse needs and requirements.
- Our PSW program prepares students to help with activities of daily living, including personal care, mobility, and routine tasks, ensuring compliance with the Regulated Health Professions Act to maintain the highest standards of care.
- Students will gain the expertise needed to support clients experiencing cognitive impairment, physical disabilities, and mental health challenges, adapting their care strategies to meet specific client conditions and preferences.
- The program equips learners with the ability to manage household tasks such as shopping, light house cleaning, and meal preparation, enabling them to provide holistic care that encompasses both personal and domestic aspects of daily life.
- As front-line healthcare professionals, PSWs will develop a wide range of skills and competencies that go beyond physical care, encompassing emotional and psychological support to ensure the comfort, safety, and well-being of their clients.
- Our program emphasizes the cultivation of a compassionate and respectful attitude, highlighting the importance of empathy, cultural sensitivity, and ethical considerations in providing quality care to individuals in need.
Job Responsibilities
- Co-operates with all members of the health team
- Promotes safety and works in a safe manner
- Assists with walking, movement and positioning
- Assists with mechanical and physical lifts and/or transfers
- Assists with personal care, personal hygiene, dressing, including laundry related tasks
- Assists with meal preparation, grocery shopping, feeding, dietary planning, food handling
- Answers call bells
- Checks and records vital signs
- Teaches life skills
- Assists with range of motion exercise and other rehabilitative measures
- Practices universal precautions and maintains a clean working environment
- Provides emotional and social support services to care-receivers and their families
- Is aware of common allergies and related first aid measures
- Works as a supportive care worker for palliative care and hospice patients
- Observes and reports clinical and treatment findings, behavioural changes and changes in ongoing conditions.
- Maintains records, documents procedures
Program Modules
- PSW Foundations
- Safety and Mobility
- Body Systems
- Assisting with Personal Hygiene
- Abuse and Neglect
- Household Management Nutrition and Hydration
- Care Planning, Restorative Care, Documentation, Working in the Community
- Assisting the Family, Growth and Development
- Assisting the Daying Person
- Assisting with Medications
- Cognitive and Mental Health Issues and Brain Injuries
- Health Conditions
- Clinical Placement (Community)
- Clinical Placement (Facility)
