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Personal Support Worker Accelerated

Due to demand, this program is currently closed and no longer accepting applications for April, May and June intakes. For information about the College's Personal Support Worker program which starts in Sept. 2021, please visit this program page.


For 120 domestic students in the compressed PSW program, tuition, books and uniform will be covered, and they’ll have an opportunity for paid placement.

Over 21-weeks, students will complete courses online and participate in laboratory classes available at the College and in care settings. This program is funded by the Ontario government and allows participants to graduate with full credentials within six months.

Please note that this program is only available to permanent residents and Canadian citizens.

  • Credential
    • Ontario College Certificate

  • Start Date

    April 5, May 10 and June 14

  • Location
    • Belleville Campus

Personal support workers provide supportive care to clients who are experiencing physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural challenges. PSWs work under the direction of both the client and regulated health care professionals such as registered nurses and registered practical nurses.

  • Opportunities working in hospitals, long-term care facilities, retirement homes, community agencies providing support in the client’s home and self-employment.
  • Graduates are ready for employment in less than one year with no further qualifying exam or certification required.

Our grads get great jobs

  • Personal Support Worker, Hastings Centennial Manor
  • Personal Support Worker, Canadian Red Cross
  • Personal Support Worker, Westgate Lodge
  • Personal Support Worker, Saint Elizabeth Health Care
  • Personal Support Worker, VON

Is it for you?

Personal support workers are caring professionals. People who thrive in this career:

  • Really like interaction with people, talking and listening
  • Are comfortable working as part of a team
  • Come from a variety of backgrounds
  • Enjoy helping others

Help with personal care can mean the difference between people living independently and giving up their homes. The demand for personal support workers is greater than ever and keeps growing in order to meet the needs of a retiring population. Make a difference every day by helping people live with independence and dignity.

In this hands-on program, you will learn to effectively support clients in their day-to-day activities, emphasizing trust, respect and individual choice:

  • Learn in small clinical and lab groups under the guidance of experienced faculty.
  • Practise monitoring and recording changes to clients’ conditions in Loyalist’s Human Simulation Lab with manikins simulating realistic scenarios.
  • Learn from guest speakers about a wide variety of topics pertinent to supporting residents in long-term care and clients in their own homes.
  • Learn how to shop for clients and provide nutritious meals on a balanced budget.
  • Learn and practise skills in a virtual learning environment (VLE) as an avatar.
  • Learning combines theory, laboratory practice and clinical placement all in the same week so students can apply what they’ve learned in a real-life setting.
  • Students have completed placements with Belmont Long-Term Care Facility, Moira Place, Hastings Manor, EJ McQuigge Lodge, Trent Valley Lodge Nursing Home, Pine Meadow Nursing Home, Hastings Centennial Manor, Helen Henderson Care Centre Lodge, the Victorian Order of Nurses, Canadian Red Cross, ParaMed and St. Elizabeth’s Belleville.

Outstanding faculty make the difference

  • Teachers are registered nurses with extensive experience working with all members of the health care team in hospital, long-term care and community settings.
  • Professors participate in ongoing professional development, and many continue to work in their field, keeping their skills up-to-the-minute.

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