Personal Support Worker

Overview

This Ontario College Certificate program prepares students to provide personal care and support services to individuals and families. Responsibilities of the Personal Support Worker may include assisting with home management, facilitating social and recreational activities, and promoting health and well-being with clients of all ages of the lifespan.

The program has been developed to meet the standards published by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. These standards reflect the increased pre-employment education and training required by Personal Support Worker graduates entering the increasingly diverse health and social care environment.

Personal Support Workers are unregulated healthcare providers. They work as a member of the care and support team under the supervision of a regulated health professional or supervisor, or in the supported independent living environment, under the direction of the client.

Vocational Learning Outcomes for the Personal Support Worker

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. Work within the personal support worker role in the community, retirement homes, long-term care homes and/or hospital care settings in accordance with all applicable legislation and the employer’s job description, policies, procedures, and guidelines.

2. Act responsibly and be accountable for your 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 the 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 by 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 potentially, 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.