Personal Support Worker
Personal Support Worker (PSW) — NACC-Aligned Diploma Program
Our flagship vocational program — a full 700-hour pathway to a career in Ontario healthcare, built on the NACC national curriculum and the 2022 Ontario PSW Training Standard.
The Personal Support Worker program at Mississauga College of Technology is the College's flagship vocational program. It is delivered in alignment with the National Association of Career Colleges (NACC) curriculum and the Ontario Personal Support Worker Training Standard (January 2022). Across fourteen modules of theory, supervised laboratory practice, and clinical placement, students prepare to provide compassionate, person-centred support to clients of all ages — including those experiencing cognitive impairment, physical disability, palliative needs, and complex mental health challenges. Graduates sit the NACC certification examination and emerge ready for employment across Ontario's long-term care, home care, retirement, hospital, and community sectors.
What makes this programme worth your time.
Built on the NACC National Curriculum
Our program follows the same fourteen-module framework recognised by NACC member colleges across Canada — including the Life and Death Matters palliative module and AGE Inc.'s Gentle Persuasive Approaches dementia module.
Hospital-Grade Simulation Lab
Students practise transfers, vitals, ADL care, and emergency response on clinical mannequins, adjustable hospital beds, and a fully equipped lab — long before stepping into a real placement.
Real Clinical Placement
Supervised placements in our partner long-term care, retirement, and home-care providers across the Peel region — every student graduates with documented bedside hours.
Registered Practitioner Faculty
Every PSW instructor is an actively registered RPN, RN, or senior PSW with Canadian long-term care or hospital experience. No textbook-only teachers.
Career Services Through Graduation
Resume coaching, interview rehearsal, and direct introductions to our employer network — including LTC homes, retirement residences, and home-care agencies hiring across the GTA.
Compassionate, Small Cohorts
We cap each cohort at eighteen students so every learner receives one-to-one feedback during clinical skill checks and exam preparation.
A careful progression, in four modules.
Module 1 · The Role of the Support Worker
- —Scope of practice within the Ontario healthcare system
- —The interdisciplinary care team
- —Professional ethics, confidentiality, boundaries
Module 2 · The Canadian Health Care System
- —Public, private, and community-based care settings
- —Ontario regulatory framework
- —Legal and accountability frameworks
Module 3 · Foundational Concepts of Care
- —Working with diverse populations
- —Culturally responsive and trauma-informed care
- —The lifespan approach
Module 4 · Interpersonal Skills & Professionalism
- —Therapeutic communication
- —Conflict de-escalation
- —Documentation and reporting standards
Module 5 · Personal Care Skills (ADLs)
- —Bathing, grooming, dressing, toileting
- —Feeding and hydration support
- —Maintaining dignity and independence
Module 6 · Home Management, Safety & Mobility
- —Body mechanics, lifting, and transfers
- —Infection prevention and universal precautions
- —Household management and meal preparation
Module 7 · Care of the Family
- —Family dynamics in care settings
- —Caregiver support and respite
- —Childcare and pediatric considerations
Module 8 · Care of the Older Adult
- —Normal aging vs. pathology
- —Mobility, falls, and skin integrity
- —Polypharmacy awareness
Module 9 · Assisting the Dying Person
- —A palliative approach to care (Life and Death Matters)
- —Pain and symptom comfort
- —Grief, loss, and self-care for the worker
Module 10 · Working in the Community
- —Home-care environments and safety planning
- —Independent practice considerations
- —Community resources and navigation
Module 11 · Working in Long-Term Care & Retirement
- —Workflow and routines in LTC
- —Resident-centred care planning
- —Working effectively in a regulated setting
Module 12 · Working in Hospital / Acute Care
- —The acute-care environment
- —Working with the interdisciplinary team
- —Patient safety in transitions of care
Module 13 · Gentle Persuasive Approaches in Dementia Care
- —Understanding responsive behaviours (AGE Inc.)
- —Person-centred dementia communication
- —Safe, compassionate intervention
Module 14 · Mental Health, Cognitive & Behavioural Conditions
- —Common mental health diagnoses across the lifespan
- —Substance use and harm reduction basics
- —Crisis recognition and escalation
Clinical Component · Lab + Placement
- —Hospital-grade simulation lab assessments
- —Supervised clinical placement in LTC / retirement / home care
- —Final NACC examination preparation
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