FREE PSW COLLEGE TUITION
Province paying to boost numbers
St. Clair College starts taking applications in early March for those interested in studying for free to become personal support workers.
Classes start April 5 for an abbreviated six-month course that aims to have graduates job-ready by fall.
In an effort to address a provincewide shortage of personal support workers (PSWS) in longterm care and nursing homes, the Ontario government announced Wednesday it was providing $115 million to cover and subsidize tuition in 24 community college programs.
“Today's announcement is another major step towards hiring enough personal support workers to provide the nation-leading four hours on average of direct daily care to residents,” said Minister of Long-term Care Merrilee Fullerton. “Modernizing long-term care requires innovative solutions and programs that allow us to recruit and train PSWS quickly so that they can begin their meaningful work caring for our loved ones.”
The province said 8,200 new PSWS would be ready by fall, with a goal of providing four hours of direct daily care per resident within the next four years.
The accelerated program allows students to fulfil program requirements quicker by increasing the number of study hours per week. And students will be placed in paid clinical placements after three months. Normally, placements are unpaid.
“This is a tremendous opportunity,” said Linda Watson, chair of St. Clair's nursing program. “With COVID and the pandemic, everyone is aware of the importance and the need for PSWS.”
Watson has seen enrolment numbers decline for the program in recent years. This past September's intake saw 70 students enrol at the Windsor campus and another 30 at the Chatham campus.
“We could have taken more,” Watson said.
The government plan has space for 6,000 applicants to get free tuition plus a paid clinical placement.
There are 60 students in Windsor and 25 in Chatham that started the program in January. They will be among the 2,200 students across the province eligible for a $2,000 rebate and a paid clinical assignment.
While it remains unclear at this point, according to Watson, it's expected those students will continue on a course to complete the program in the regular eightmonth time frame.
A shortage of PSWS provincially and nationally has existed for years. Two years ago, three Ontario employers and four community colleges — including St. Clair — launched a $1,000 reimbursement program in an effort to entice more candidates into the field.
“It's a difficult position but it's a heartwarming position,” Watson said. “You have to be committed to working with people and caring for people.”
The pandemic hit nursing homes and long-term care facilities exceptionally hard. Provincial statistics show 6,600 nursing home workers contracted COVID -19 and 11 died. More than 15,000 nursing home residents tested positive for the virus and almost 4,000 died.
“We are taking monumental steps to protect our most vulnerable and provide the highest quality of care when and where residents need it,” Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday. “This will improve the quality of life for our seniors and begin to correct the decades of neglect in this sector.”
Students will use a hybrid-learning model of online instruction and in-person practical experience.