Humber’s Personal Support Worker certificate program gives students the skills they need for a career in this in-demand health-care field. Begin a rewarding career helping people in need such as the elderly, the chronically ill and people with physical disabilities.

The program is designed in collaboration with industry, ensuring students are learning current and relevant material. In this program, they will learn:

• the developmental stages across the lifespan, and the communication and interpersonal skills needed for effective client relationships
• the essentials of providing personal care, applying mobility techniques (lifting and transferring clients), and household management and safety
• key issues of mental health disorders
• skills in dealing with common medical conditions including facilitating rehabilitation exercises and assisting with medications

Through assisting individuals at a long-term care facility and in other settings, students will learn to recognize the physical and emotional changes of aging and illness, and become familiar with the restorative techniques used to maximize independence.

Two unpaid work placements take place in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). In Semester 1, the practicum is completed in a controlled lab environment for six hours per week. This practicum is fully supervised by one instructor per group of approximately ten students. In Semester 2, the practicum is completed at a variety of agencies and facilities.

The Semester 2 practicum is divided into two rotations over the 13 weeks: 160 hours in a long-term care facility and 120 hours in a community agency. Hours and number of days per week vary depending on the type of facility and shifts assigned; most range from seven to eight hours per day or evening. Students begin placement in the first week of January.