Personal Support Worker Program Takes One Year to Complete
Are you interested in attending a Personal Support Worker program that prepares you for the field through a focus on hands-on approach? If so, you may want to consider applying for Centennial College’s Personal Support Worker courses, which can be completed in a year and result in an Ontario College Certificate. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, as well as community agencies and clinical settings, recognize this certificate. Interested parties are required to have completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. In addition, applicants must have finished the compulsory English 12C or U credit or skills assessment, or equivalent and can prove English proficiency.Once accepted, Personal Support Worker program students study out of Morningside Campus, which is Centennial College's most technologically advanced location and offers other School of Community and Health Studies offerings. The Personal Support Worker courses themselves focus on the full range of home- and health-related services required by a variety of clients. The courses also reflect the latest practices and policies in the field. Knowledgeable Personal Support Worker program instructors guide students through clinical and laboratory aspects in courses such as Anatomy, Foundations of Personal Support, Developmental Stages & Alterations in Health, Personal Support Communication, Foundations of Mental Health, Supporting Clients in Palliative Care and more.
As previously mentioned, the Personal Support Worker program emphasizes hands-on practice. Because of this, students spend more than half of the total program hours in a field placement working with teams in long-term care institutions, the community and at in-home settings. The 15 weeks of extensive practical experience in field placement allows them to apply what they have learned in-school, network and absorb knowledge from practicing professionals.
Thanks to its extensive training, Personal Support Worker program graduates have the flexibility to adapt to a variety of settings, such as in the home, schools, community residential facilities, nursing homes or chronic care facilities. Graduates of the Personal Support Worker program have demonstrated the ability to: act within the personal support worker role, under supervision, and by following care/service plans and established policies and procedures; participate as members of the care service teams in both community and institutional settings; collaborate and report observations to appropriate health care team members in an ongoing, timely manner and document this information promptly; support clients' personal and home management care requirements and preferences by following care service plans and established policies and procedures; demonstrate effective oral, written and nonverbal communication techniques; and assist in the promotion and maintenance of a safe and caring environment for clients, their families, self and others.
According to the Ontario Network for Internationally Trained Professionals, in the course of remaking the health care system in Canada, Personal Support Workers are reported to be in growing demand. As such, personal support worker course graduates should be able to enter long-lasting careers.
