College Certificate in Personal Support Worker

Courses

Mandatory

Take all of the following Mandatory Courses:

• Foundations of Personal Support
• Health and Wellness
• Self and Others for PSW
• Human Body Structure and Function
• PSW Laboratory Practice
• Life Transitions
• Ongoing Health Challenges
• Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment
• PSW Laboratory Practice 2
• PSW Clinical Preparation
• PSW Clinical Professional Practice
• PSW Consolidation Professional Practice
• PSW Professional Practice Community Setting
• Professional Communications for PSW

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 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-centered 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, and 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, themselves, 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 behavior in clients experiencing cognitive impairment, mental health challenges, and/or responsive behaviors.

Graduates of Fanshawe’s Personal Support Worker program demonstrate empathy, flexibility, patience, honesty, and an ability to provide encouragement to those in need. They make a difference in the lives of people who are ill, elderly, or need help with daily tasks. Graduates are employed in long-term care facilities, retirement homes, hospitals, and community agencies.

Here are some examples of career opportunities for graduates of Fanshawe’s Personal Support Worker program:

Personal Support Worker

Work in a private home or hospital setting providing personal care, laundering clothing, and feeding clients.

Home At Last Attendant

Responsible for meeting clients at the hospital, assisting them in discharge procedures, and helping them at home.

Caregiver

Part of a team focused on enhancing the lives of aging adults in need throughout the community.