Personal Support Worker - Whitby (Schlegel Villages - Taunton Mills)
How To Apply
Program Details
- Program Code9118
- SchoolSchool of Community and Health Studies
- CredentialOntario College Certificate
- Program TypePost-secondary program
- Program Length1 year/ 2 semesters
- LocationOff-site
- Emailhealthstudies@centennialcollege.ca
- Telephone416-289-5000, ext. 58068
- Program Overview
- Courses
- Career Options and Education Pathways
- Admission Requirements
- How to Apply
- Vocational Learning Outcomes
- Advising
- Personal Support Worker - Bridging to Practical Nursing
Students will complete a combination of theoretical coursework and practical, skills-based training, followed by supervised clinical and field placement experiences. This integrated approach ensures students develop the competencies needed to care for individuals of all ages, with a focus on older adults and persons with complex health care needs.
Knowledge and Skills Acquired:
-
Fundamentals of Personal Care:
Students will learn how to assist clients with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, mobility, nutrition, toileting, and hygiene. -
Safety and Infection Control:
Training will emphasize the importance of maintaining client safety through proper body mechanics, fall prevention strategies, infection prevention and control practices, and adherence to workplace safety protocols. -
Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills:
Students will develop strong communication skills essential for working collaboratively with clients, families, and members of the interprofessional health care team. This includes active listening, empathy, and culturally sensitive communication. -
Cognitive and Mental Health Support:
Students will gain knowledge of common cognitive impairments, including dementia, and learn strategies to support clients experiencing mental health challenges. -
Supporting Independence and Quality of Life:
Students will be trained to promote client independence, dignity, privacy, and self-determination while providing physical and emotional support. -
Understanding Health Conditions and Aging:
Students will learn about the aging process, chronic diseases, palliative care, and the social and emotional impacts of illness and disability. -
Ethical and Professional Conduct:
The program emphasizes the importance of confidentiality, professionalism, ethical care practices, and advocacy for clients’ rights and wellbeing. -
Teamwork and Collaboration:
Students will develop skills to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary health care team in long-term care, community, and home care settings.
Program Overview
Students will complete a combination of theoretical coursework and practical, skills-based training, followed by supervised clinical and field placement experiences. This integrated approach ensures students develop the competencies needed to care for individuals of all ages, with a focus on older adults and persons with complex health care needs.
Knowledge and Skills Acquired:
-
Fundamentals of Personal Care:
Students will learn how to assist clients with activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, dressing, mobility, nutrition, toileting, and hygiene. -
Safety and Infection Control:
Training will emphasize the importance of maintaining client safety through proper body mechanics, fall prevention strategies, infection prevention and control practices, and adherence to workplace safety protocols. -
Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills:
Students will develop strong communication skills essential for working collaboratively with clients, families, and members of the interprofessional health care team. This includes active listening, empathy, and culturally sensitive communication. -
Cognitive and Mental Health Support:
Students will gain knowledge of common cognitive impairments, including dementia, and learn strategies to support clients experiencing mental health challenges. -
Supporting Independence and Quality of Life:
Students will be trained to promote client independence, dignity, privacy, and self-determination while providing physical and emotional support. -
Understanding Health Conditions and Aging:
Students will learn about the aging process, chronic diseases, palliative care, and the social and emotional impacts of illness and disability. -
Ethical and Professional Conduct:
The program emphasizes the importance of confidentiality, professionalism, ethical care practices, and advocacy for clients’ rights and wellbeing. -
Teamwork and Collaboration:
Students will develop skills to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary health care team in long-term care, community, and home care settings.
Courses
Career Options and Education Pathways
Companies Offering Jobs
- Hospitals
- Long-term care facilities
- Retirement homes
- Community support agencies
- Private duty and home care
- School programs for students with diverse behavioural and developmental profiles
- Learning environments for students with behavioural and developmental challenges
- Inclusive education settings for students with behavioural and developmental differences
Program Highlights
- This Personal Support Worker program reflects the latest practices and policies in the field.
- The Living Classroom is a partnership model that integrates education in long-term care or retirement homes to support workforce development in senior living. Students, faculty and those living, visiting and working in the home are engaged in a culture of shared learning.
- The two-semester PSW program emphasizes hands-on clinical experiences, enabling students to enter the workforce quickly. Career supports and strong employer connections ensure graduates are job-ready, prepared for long-term success in health care, and often gain employment within the organizations where they completed their clinical experiences.
- With one instructor to each small group of clinical placement students, you'll have the support necessary to learn, grow and practice your newly acquired skills.
- Faculty members are experienced, caring and supportive.
- Community agencies and clinical settings recognize the certificate you'll earn.
- From your first class to your first day on the job, we help fund your journey—covering uniforms, textbooks, transportation, food stipends, CPR and First Aid certification, Food Handler permits, and your vulnerable sector check—so you can focus on becoming the health care professional you aspire to be.
Career Outlook
- Personal Support Worker
- Home Support Worker
- Home Health Care Worker
- Personal Care Attendant
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
- Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), or equivalent, or mature student status (19 years or older)
- Grade 12 English (C or U), or equivalent (minimum grade required), or take the Centennial English Admission Test
Additional Requirements
How to Apply
1. Apply Online
Domestic Students
If you are applying through the Better Jobs Ontario Program, please apply at the Employment Training Centre (Progress Campus). The Better Jobs Ontario Program is a funding initiative for those who have been laid-off and are in need of training. For more information go to Better Jobs Ontario Program.
If you have previously attended a full-time program at Centennial College, you may be eligible for a Program Transfer. Visit Enrolment Services at any Campus for information.
All other applicants must apply online at Ontariocolleges.ca. A non-refundable application fee of $150 must accompany applications. The fee is payable online, by telephone, online banking, by mail, or in-person to Ontariocolleges.ca. For more information go to Ontariocolleges.ca Application Fees.
International Students
Apply directly to Centennial College here.
2. Submit Documents
Domestic Applicants
Current Ontario high school students and graduates from Ontario high schools: Notify your guidance counsellor that you have applied to college and your school will forward transcripts to Centennial College via Ontariocolleges.ca.
Graduates of college/university, or high school outside Ontario but within Canada: You are responsible for requesting that your educational institute sends any required documents and transcripts to Ontariocolleges.ca.
Domestic applicants who attended school outside of Canada: If you are submitting transcripts to meet admission requirements, you must have the transcripts assessed by an independent credential assessment agency such as World Education Services (WES) or International Credential Assessment Service (ICAS). For more information go to Submitting your Transcripts.
International Applicants
Please refer to the International Education Application Guide.
3. Confirm Your Offer of Admission
Offers of Admission are sent by mail to eligible applicants. When you receive your offer, you must login to your account at Ontariocolleges.ca and confirm before the Deadline to Confirm noted in your offer letter.
You may confirm only one college and one program offer at a time.
You must confirm your offer by the Deadline to Confirm noted in your Offer of Admission letter or your seat may be given to another applicant.
When you confirm your Offer of Admission at Centennial College you are given access to your personal myCentennial account where you can check your email, grades, register for courses, pay tuition fees, and see your class timetable.
4. Pay Fees
Centennial fees statements are sent by email to your personal email account and to your myCentennial email account. Fees statements are not mailed.
You must make a minimum payment by the Fees Deadline noted in your Fees Statement or your seat may be given to another applicant.
5. Build Your Timetable (Register for Courses)
Build your timetable (web-register for courses) at my.centennialcollege.ca.
Fall registration begins mid-July
January registration begins mid-December
May registration begins mid-April
Your web-registration will not open if:
You have not submitted your minimum fee payment by the deadline
You received a Conditional Offer of Admission and you have not met the conditions of your offer.
Once you have paid your fees or have made appropriate arrangements, register for your courses online through myCentennial.
Vocational Learning Outcomes
Vocational Learning Outcomes
The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:
- Work within the personal support worker role in various care settings in accordance with all applicable legislation, standards, employer job descriptions, policies, procedures and guidelines.
- Practice professionally, and be accountable for one's own actions by applying problem-solving, self-awareness, time management and critical thinking to the provision of care as a personal support worker, whether working independently or as a member of a team.
- Practice as an engaged member of the interprofessional team to maintain collaborative working relationships for the provision of supportive, safe, responsive and competent client-centred care within care settings.
- Provide person-centred care, based on ethical principles, sensitive to diverse personal and family values, beliefs, cultural practices and other needs, which follows the plan of care.
- Establish and maintain therapeutic relationships with clients and their families using effective communication skills to build a genuine, trusting, and respectful partnership, in accordance with professional boundaries, employer policies, confidentiality, and privacy legislation.
- Identify relevant client information within the roles and responsibilities of the personal support worker using observation, critical thinking, and effective communication skills to report and document findings.
- Create, promote and maintain a safe and comfortable environment for clients, their families, self and others by implementing current infection prevention and control measures, emergency and first aid procedures, and best practices in pandemic planning that are in keeping with the plan of care, all applicable legislation, and employer policies and procedures.
- Assist clients across the lifespan with activities of daily living by applying fundamental knowledge of growth and development, psychological concepts, common alterations in functioning, health promotion, disease prevention, rehabilitation and restorative care, and holistic health care.
- Assist the client with medication following the client's plan of care, and if a delegated act, under the supervision of a regulated health professional or done by exception under the most accountable person and in accordance with all applicable legislation and employer policies.
- Assist with household management services and instrumental activities of daily living in accordance with the plan of care and considering the preferences, comfort, safety and autonomy of clients, families and significant others.
- Assist and support clients who are caregivers, considering individual and family choices, professional boundaries and the direction of the plan of care.
- Identify, respond to and report potential, alleged, suspected or witnessed situations of abuse, and/or neglect, as required by all applicable legislation, including the Retirement Homes Act, 2010 and the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007, and as required within the employers' job description for the personal support workers.
- Assist with the provision of holistic health care and advocacy for culturally safe and spiritually sensitive palliative and end-of-life care to clients and to their families and significant others from diagnosis through to death and bereavement, and in accordance with clients’ choices and the plan of care.
- Provide client-centered and client-directed care to individuals experiencing various mental health illness and challenges, cognitive and intellectual impairments, and/or responsive behaviours by using supportive approaches and evidence-based practices to promote positive and safe behaviours in clients.
Personal Support Worker - Bridging to Practical Nursing
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Renzo Baniqued, Personal Support Worker, GraduateThe best part of this program was the clinical experience. The faculty here in the Personal Support Worker program ensured that we entered our placements with not only knowledge, but also pure confidence and faith within our own selves.
This clinical experience tested each student in multiple areas, such as time management, heath assessment, documenting, critical thinking, and communication skills. I successfully graduated with honours and got an acceptance to the Practical Nursing Program here at Centennial College. I’m currently in my third semester, and with no hesitation, I can honestly say, that taking the PSW program helped make me excel in the nursing program. I highly recommend the Personal Support Worker program to any students wanting to experience what It means to be a personal worker, or wanting to understand if the health care field is for them.
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