Personal support workers (PSWs) care for people who are ill, elderly or need help with daily tasks.
NOC Code: 4412
Personal support workers (PSWs) care for people who are ill, elderly or need help with daily tasks. You make sure your clients are comfortable, safe and enjoy emotional and physical well-being. You may work for a long-term care facility or in your clients' homes as an employee of a home care agency. You may also be self-employed and provide your services on a contract basis. This is considered an entry-level position in the healthcare field as it does not require a lot of training. People often say "PSW" when talking about this job. You may also be called a personal aide, home support worker, or personal care attendant.
Generally, PSWs:
Source: HRSDC
This job requires: High School
This job requires 0 - 2 years of work experience.
As a PSW, you need to:
Source: Ontario Skills Passport
You need to communicate in person, on the phone and in writing with clients and their families. You also need to take notes and write reports about your clients. You need to read instructions about your clients' medicine. You may need to read books in English to your clients to comfort them.
In Canada, the population is aging – many people are above age 65. Now, more people work outside the home and cannot give full-time care to family members who are elderly, ill or have a disability. As well, the Ontario government is promoting home health care such as Aging at Home Strategy. This means that more people may get health care at home instead of at the hospital. This may lead to more job openings for PSWs.
The work prospects for this job are: GOOD
The average hourly wage for this job is: C$14.85/hour.
Source: Job Bank
These links will give you a list of related educational programs or where you can search for them. There may be other schools that have similar programs, such as private career colleges. You may be able to get advanced standing.
Here is a list of some bridging programs. These programs can help you assess your education and skills, get practical training or improve your language skills so that you can work in your field.
Here is a list of some language training programs, such as Enhanced Language Training (ELT) and Occupation Specific Language Training (OSLT).
Many college programs and bridging programs in this field include co-operative (co-op) work experience.
The data in this profile is provided for informational purposes only. Some of the information may have changed since this profile was written. Please check the source for the most up-to-date information.