Program Overview
Bay College is registered as a Private Career College and offers the National Association of Career Colleges (NACC) Personal Support Worker Bridging (PSW-Bridging) program.
After completing this program, PSW students will have developed skills and acquired knowledge that will allow them to be competent support workers. As a Personal Support Worker, you may decide to work in a hospital or long term care facility, or in the community providing basic care to clients in their home. As the Canadian "baby boomer" and general population ages, there seems to be a greater demand for Personal Support Workers in Canada.
The PSW-Bridging program provides students with lectures as well as practical hands on experience. Furthermore, PSW students will have placements in a facility and the community so that they may practice their skills and knowledge in a real live setting.
The scope of practice and responsibilities of a Personal Support Worker includes:
- Works as a supportive care worker for palliative care and hospice patients
- Co-operates with all members of the health team including doctors and nurses
- Checks and records vital signs
- Promotes safety and works in a safe manner
- Assists with walking, movement, mechanical and physical lifts and/or transfers and positioning
- Assists with all aspects of personal hygiene
- Assists with meal preparation, grocery shopping, feeding, dietary planning, and food handling
- Assists with range of motion exercises and other rehabilitative measures
- Provides emotional and social support services to clients and their families
- Maintains records, and document procedures
Topics reviewed in this program:
- Personal Support Worker Foundations
- Safety and Mobility
- Body Systems – including Respiratory and Cardiovascular systems
- Assisting with Personal Hygiene
- Abuse and Neglect
- Household Management
- Nutrition and Hydration
- Care Planning / Restorative Care
- Assisting the Family, Growth and Development
- Assisting a Person Who is Dying
- Assisting with Medications
- Cognitive and Mental Health Issues
- Health Conditions
PSW Examination:
The NACC final examination evaluates the theory component of the training.