Personal Support Worker (PSW) Careers
Recently, the Ontario Government announced that they are allocating $107 million in increased funding towards the Personal Support Worker profession. The money is to be used by the end of 2011 and is earmarked for hiring 2500 new PSW’s, along with increasing wages, benefits and training for current PSW’s in the province.
With the growth of the baby boomers population in Canada, there will be a noticeable increase due to the need for care and in turn caregivers (such as PSW’s). Personal support workers also care for more than just the elderly but this is the most important and in term of numbers, the most populated sector in need of PSW services.
Quick Facts
- Personal support worker day is May 19th and recognizes the contributions of personal support workers to our health care system.
- There are an estimated 90,000 personal support workers in Ontario with about 57,000 providing care in long-term care homes and 26,000 in home care through community health agencies. About 7,000 personal support workers provide care in hospitals.
- The work of personal support workers ranges from assisted daily living tasks (such as personal hygiene, transferring clients between bed and chair, taking medication and doing light housework) to delegated health procedures (such as changing dressings, tube feedings and oxygen therapy).
What to expect from a career as a PSW, Healthcare Aide or Attendant
Personal support workers play a vital role in the health care industry, working in private homes or health care facilities to help provide patients with care and comfort. Personal support worker college programs train students to work with other health care professionals to provide a number of services for the elderly, disabled and ill, to help them rehabilitate or simply live their lives in the most comfortable manner possible.
Are you looking for a fulfilling career? Do you want to help people? A personal support worker career may be what you’re looking for.
Do you want to make a difference in your community? Want a job that will let you help people? You may be a perfect fit for a personal support worker job.
With the increased average age of the national population, personal support workers are currently one of the most in demand healthcare workers in Canada, and according to Workopolis and Service Canada, this is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
Personal support worker career training is designed to prepare students for these tremendous career opportunities, with a mix of hands-on training and theoretical concepts. Graduates of the Personal Support Worker Diploma program have found employment in nursing homes, hospitals, private homes, non-profit organizations and agencies.
Personal support workers are currently in high demand across the country, and with an increasingly aging population, this is set to continue. In fact, Workopolis and Service Canada both expect this to continue to be one of the fastest growing job markets in healthcare. A career as Personal support worker training is designed to prepare students for these tremendous career opportunities, with a varied mix of hands-on training and theoretical healthcare concepts and skills.
Certified personal support workers can find employment in nursing homes, hospitals, private homes, non-profit Organizations and agencies. Many are also successfully self-employed.
Personal Support Worker (PSW) Pay scale
The amount of data for the PSW salary is somewhat lacking. The pay scale sample consists of fewer than 500 reporting workers. This data is no worse than anywhere else online but it does create a large gap between high and low end starting wages. Pay scale lists the starting wage at $11.71 – $15.04 per hour
According to PersonalSupportWorker.ca; the personal support worker Canada study contains a small sample of 50 job offerings. The average wage is reported via online job advertisements was calculate at an average starting wage of $14.53
CUPE completed a study in 2003 and found the average PSW wage to be $14.43. This includes union and non-union positions.
The average starting PSW Ontario Wage is around $14 per hour.
Find out about the latest Personal Support Worker PSW career trends, wages, and current job requirements for your chosen career path in Home Healthcare sector. It helps you make informed decisions about the best career path and educational options available to you.
Personal Support Worker Job Duties
Given how many different healthcare facilities and settings they may work in, personal support workers often have many job responsibilities. The job duties of a PSW may include:
The life of a personal support worker is varied and full. Some or all of the following duties performed by a PSW include:
- Answering call signals; serving meal trays, feeding or assisting in feeding of patients and assisting patients with menu selection; lifting, turning or massaging patients; shaving patients prior to operations; supervising patients’ exercise routines, setting up and providing leisure activities for patients, and accompanying patients on outside recreational activities; and performing other duties related to patient care
- Taking patients’ blood pressure, temperature and pulse; reporting or recording fluid intake and output; observing or monitoring patients’ status and documenting patient care on charts; collecting specimens such as urine; administering suppositories, colonic irrigations and enemas and performing other procedures as directed by nursing and hospital staff
- Transporting patients by wheelchair or stretcher for treatment or surgery
- Carrying messages, reports, requisitions and specimens from one department to another
- Making beds and maintaining patients’ rooms
- Maintaining inventory of supplies
- Performing maintenance tasks such as assisting with the set-up and maintenance of traction equipment, cleaning or sterilizing equipment, maintaining and repairing equipment, and assembling, setting-up and operating job-related equipment.