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Personal Support Worker (PSW)

Program Details

  • Type: Certificate
  • Start Date: April 7, 2025,
  • Duration: 35 Weeks (includes placement)
  • Campuses: Online and Placement
  • Admission Requirement: Details
Financial aid is available to those who qualify. Ask AAPS for more details.

Overview

  • PSW01 PSW Foundation
  • PSW02 Safety and Mobility
  • PSW03 Body Systems
  • PSW04 Assisting with Personal Hygiene
  • PSW05 Abuse and Neglect
  • PSW06 Household Management, Nutrition, and Hydration
  • PSW07 PSW Care Planning / Restorative Care / Documentation /
    Working in the Community
  • PSW08 Assisting the Family, Growth and Development
  • PSW09 Assisting the Dying Person
  • PSW010 Assisting with Medications
  • PSW011 Cognitive and Mental Health Issues and Brain Injuries
  • PSW012 Health Conditions
  • PSW013 Gentle Persuasive Approach
  • Clinical Placement (Facility) – 200 Hours
  • Clinical Placement (Community) – 100 Hours

Program Overview

Personal Support Workers (PSWs) are the backbone of compassionate care, providing essential support to individuals in various healthcare and community settings. As the demand for PSWs continues to grow, this program is designed to equip students with the skills, knowledge, and hands-on experience needed to thrive in this fulfilling career.

Our PSW program offers a comprehensive education that combines online learning with hands-on training in a hybrid format. You’ll learn the fundamentals of personal care, safety, communication, and health management, all while gaining real-world experience through extensive placement opportunities.

Program Length: 700 hours, including:

  • 400 hours of theory and lab practice (in-class and online)
  • 300 hours of clinical placement:
    • 200 hours in a facility
    • 100 hours in community care

Graduates who meet all requirements will earn a PSW Certificate, preparing them to meet the needs of clients in diverse healthcare environments.

Key Program Features

  • Hybrid Learning for Flexibility: Study theory online while completing practical training at our state-of-the-art Toronto campus, allowing you to balance education with other commitments.
  • Extensive Placement Opportunities: Develop hands-on experience through 300 hours of clinical placements, giving you the confidence and competence to enter the workforce.
  • Modern Training Facilities: Train in our well-equipped facility that mimics real-world healthcare settings, ensuring you gain valuable technical skills.

Why Choose a Career as a PSW?

PSWs provide essential support to individuals, assisting with daily living tasks, mobility, personal hygiene, and more. This career path offers:

  • A growing demand for skilled professionals due to an aging population
  • Opportunities to work in long-term care homes, hospitals, private residences, and community organizations
  • The chance to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives

Career Outcomes

Graduates of our PSW program are prepared for roles such as:

  • Personal Support Worker in long-term care facilities
  • Home care aide in private residences
  • Support staff in retirement communities
  • Community health worker

Course Outline

PSW01 PSW Foundation

The introductory module provides an overview of the scope of responsibilities of PSWs in a variety of settings. Students will learn about client-centred versus client-directed care; and emphasizing the individuality of the client and his/her relationship with family, friends, and others. Key topics include work relationships, stress and time management, interpersonal skills, and communications, including conflict resolution and problem solving, and applicable legislation.


PSW02 Safety and Mobility

The second module covers safety as it relates to both the client and the worker. One of the fundamental activities of the PSW is that of assisting the client with routine activities of living. Students will learn about risks of unsafe equipment or settings and appropriate actions to take when unsafe situations are identified. Topics include infection control methods, body mechanics, and transferring and lifting techniques using equipment to increase safety and reduce client anxiety.


PSW03 Body Systems

This module will introduce the student to the basics of anatomy and physiology. Students will gain an understanding of human body systems in order to apply that knowledge in their daily work as a Personal Support Worker. These body systems are: the musculoskeletal, digestive, urinary, integumentary, reproductive, cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and endocrine. Common disorders and age-related changes for each body system will also be covered.


PSW04 Assisting with Personal Hygiene

PSW’s assist clients with all activities or routines of daily living. Students will learn how to care for the ill, disabled, injured and/or confused client. Frailness, dignity and levels of dependence will be considered. Personal hygiene includes oral care, perineal care, bathing, grooming, dressing, bed making, shaving, hair care, and skin care. It includes mobility considerations and involves personal safety, self-esteem and dignity. The foundation of this module is humanistic health care.


PSW05 Abuse and Neglect

This module introduces students to the concepts of violence and abuse, including its possible signs, and the appropriate actions and legal requirements if abuse is suspected. Personal beliefs and attitudes about family violence and abuse are examined, as is the concept of worker abuse of the client and, abuse of the worker. PSW will learn to recognize both indicators and causes, and the requirements of legislation, employer policy, and provisions of the service contract or support plan.


PSW06 Household Management, Nutrition, and Hydration

Students will learn to assist the client with their nutritional needs, household activities, and household management according to client preferences, comfort and safety within employer guidelines as required. Nutritional needs include planning balanced menus, preparing shopping lists and shopping, safe handling of food, and storage and specific cooking techniques. The special dietary needs of certain clients and their cultural and religious preferences will all be addressed.


PSW07 Care Planning / Restorative Care / Documentation / Working in the Community

This module identifies the support provided through the care plan or service contract to the client to relearn or regain routine abilities. They will understand its significance, and the rights of the client as a receiver of support and the purpose, methods, and persons involved in its creation. Student will also be introduced to working in the community health care environment, providing support to patients and families in communities, conducted in accordance with employer guidelines.


PSW08 Assisting the Family, Growth and Development

Students learn to understand family characteristics in terms of structure, functions, roles, lifestyles and relationships. The influence of cultural values, practices, religious beliefs as well as the effects of illness, stress, and disability on family relationships will be emphasized as central to the PSW’s ability to provide effective support. This module also explores the stages of growth and development throughout the life cycle and the role of the PSW in providing respite to families.


PSW09 Assisting the Dying Person

In this module students learn about hospice, palliative and end-of-life care, the integration of a palliative approach to care, ways of being, communication and practical strategies to provide psychosocial support and physical comfort care for both the person and their family. This module addresses provincial palliative care competencies (2018-2020) including competencies for caring for First Nation, Inuit, Metis and urban Indigenous peoples.


PSW010 Assisting with Medications

Within the PSW scope of practice, students learn about medication administration versus assistance. They gain basic knowledge of the drugs used in the treatment of common diseases and disorders including use, classification, effects, and routes of administration. They identify purposes, required instruction, and cautions; and the importance of observation for both desired and undesired outcomes, as well as the procedures to be followed in the event of a concern or problem with medications.


PSW011 Cognitive and Mental Health Issues and Brain Injuries

This module introduces students to common psychiatric conditions such as affective disorders, schizophrenia, substance abuse, cognitive impairment, and brain injury. The possibility of multiple conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression will be discussed along with the role of the family caregiver and the importance of observation, documentation, and reporting in order to recognize changes in behaviour that can be related to psychiatric conditions or an increased risk of suicide.


PSW012 Health Conditions

Students are introduced to ongoing conditions and basic concepts of assistance, as well as the general effects on the person of common disabilities, conditions and diseases. Students will gain skill in the necessary techniques while focusing on the importance of providing support safely, effectively and comfortably. Concepts of maintenance, rehabilitation and restoration are discussed, as is the importance of the support team in providing assistance and training of these additional skills.


PSW013 Gentle Persuasive Approach

Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA) is a multi-disciplinary education program designed for everyone who interacts with older adults in the workplace. Participants are guided to fully understand responsive behaviours in order to be able to respond effectively and appropriately in a workplace setting.


Clinical Placement (Facility) – 200 Hours

Clinical placement provides students with an opportunity to practice their new skills in a work setting. Students gain experience in a wider range of PSW skills, become more self-confidant, and may receive offers of employment from the placement site. They spend time working in a facility setting for 100 hours under the supervision of their instructor and under a preceptor provided by the host site for 100 hours. The instructor will be available by phone and email during the placement.


Clinical Placement (Community) – 100 Hours

Clinical placement provides students with an opportunity to practice their new skills in a work setting. While on placement, students gain experience in a wider range of PSW skills, become more self-confidant, and may receive offers of employment from the placement site. In this module the students will spend time working in a community setting under the supervision of a preceptor provided by the host site. The instructor will be available by phone and email at all times.


Certifications

Graduates of the Personal Support Worker (PSW) program will receive a Certificate for the NACC Personal Support Worker DE 2022, issued by the National Association of Career Colleges (NACC). This certificate is widely recognized within the healthcare field and demonstrates a high standard of training and competency.

This program is approved as a vocational program under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005, ensuring that graduates meet the regulatory and professional standards expected by employers across the industry.


To register, enroll into any online course or contact us via telephone at 416-502-2277 or by email at info@aaps.ca.