You’ve heard it from friends and family, and felt it in your gut for as long as you can remember—it just seems like you were put on this earth to help people! If you’re lucky enough to possess this highly benevolent quality, you should strongly consider the idea of becoming a personal support worker.
Having great people skills and a giving spirit is a fantastic start, but thorough training will also be needed to learn how to adequately support seniors and people living with physical or mental disabilities. Wondering if personal support work is the right fit for you? To help you decide, let’s take a closer look at the role.
What Exactly Does a Personal Support Worker Do?
A personal support worker’s primary role is to help seniors and those with medical conditions and physical or mental disabilities carry out their daily living activities with as much independence as possible. Some examples of daily activities the personal support worker (PSW) may be required to assist with include feeding, dressing, toileting, social engagement, and sometimes even light household tasks like cooking meals.Â
In addition to helping with things like grooming and hygiene, a key part of the role is also to provide companionship and help the person maintain dignity and self-respect.
What Personal Traits Do You Need for this Role?
It takes a special individual to become a personal support worker in order to help seniors, people who have chronic illnesses, and those who have physical or mental disabilities. As a supportive presence to the client, the ideal PSW is both compassionate and caring in order to help build the confidence and self-esteem of the person they’re caring for.
A personal support worker must be honest and trustworthy. Due to the nature of working in a homecare setting, there are some security issues to keep in mind. The sensitive nature of physically handling a client is part of a care regimen. Therefore, personal support workers need to help maintain their clients’ rights and dignity throughout this process. They must also be a great communicator and team player, in order to successfully collaborate with any other health care workers needed in the client’s individualized care plan.
Where Can Personal Support Workers Get Employed?
After graduating with the knowledge learned in a PSW course, a trainee will have the qualifications to pursue work as a PSW. They may also find work as a residential support worker, personal care attendant, child care & personal support worker, or as a personal aide live-in caregiver.Â
Personal support workers will often work under the direct or indirect supervision of a registered nurse. They can be employed in a variety of settings such as: hospitals, group homes, long-term care facilities, and clients’ private homes. Â
What Does a PSW Course Entail?
By attending personal support worker school, you’ll receive professional training to become a qualified PSW in less than a year. As a student of this specialized program, you’ll learn how to provide effective care to clients, and develop the sensitivity needed to help them live with dignity.Â
Your training will cover important subjects such as: nutrition, health conditions, body systems, abuse and neglect, and more. In addition, because of the practical hands-on nature of this career path, hands-on and practical training is also an important part of a comprehensive PSW program. For example, students at Medix complete two externships in real workplace settings—providing invaluable field experience that has helped many students after graduation.
Are you looking for a rewarding and challenging career in which you can also truly do good for others?
Get the training you need through personal support worker courses at Medix College!Â
