There are many things a personal support worker can tell you.

They can tell you about why they chose this career path. They can tell you how becoming a PSW changed their life. They can tell you about all the different people they meet. They can mention how some days are hard and some days are fun. And these are just some of the examples! There are many things that a PSW wants you to know.

Many things occur within a day in the life of a personal support worker. It’s a situation where if you know, you know. Although it might not be suitable for everyone, PSW’s have an important job to do. From early mornings and late nights, PSW’s are the superheroes that people may not fully recognize yet. Whether you are one, you know one or want to be one, here is what a PSW would want you to know:

  1. PSWs don’t work only at retirement homes.

This is definitely the most assumed fact. Yes, being a PSW at a retirement home is a common location to work, but it is not the only place a PSW can work. Other PSW work-settings include: private home-care, long-term care home and clinical care settings.

  1. We care for everyone equally.

There are no favourite patients or people. There is not one person we like less or more than another! We try to make everyone feel as comfortable and equal as possible. Everyone has the right to proper care and responsibility. We know from the moment we walk in, it is someone’s well-being in our hands, most of the time quite literally.

  1. Yes, there are certain emotions we must disregard in our job.

Have you noticed the word ‘personal’ in PSW? Our jobs really do mean personal. We are taught to break our personal bubble in order to be able to care in the best way possible. It takes a certain type of person to do the job that a PSW does, but we are taught how to. PSW’s perform personal care such as: assisting with eating, dressing, toileting, bathing and much more.

  1. We are not the nurse or doctor, we work with them.

Often, the public can assume that PSW’s are the only source of care-giving, which is not true. PSW’s are part of a team that help patients obtain the care they need. PSW’s work under either one or more Registered Healthcare Professionals such as a registered nurse. Together, we follow a strict schedule to perform all tasks properly.

  1. There are certain things we cannot control.

Due to the fact that we are not doctors/prescribers and basically only human, there are some things that are beyond our control. When our shifts are over, they are over because we have a schedule to follow and certain number of hours we can work as well. We are not a mind-readers, nor can we tell the future. The one thing we know we are, is caregivers and when we are with our patients, we give them all the care we can provide and nothing less. Everything we can’t do, is often just not possible within the walls of the workplace.

  1. We always try our absolute hardest.

We push through our days. We work with a smile and try to provide the best experience for every patient – if it is more than one. We focus and give all the attention and compassion we can give. We try to treat the people we help like our own family because that’s what family is all about in the first place. Caring for the people that matter.

  1. If we are taking a break, it’s because we really need one.

Otherwise, we would not stop. Realistically, we are probably taking the only break of the day. Yes, patients are top priority, but if we can’t perform our best for patients then we aren’t doing the job right. We knew exactly what we signed up for, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

  1. We want you to know there is no better feeling knowing we get to make a difference in someone’s life.

They tell us about the amazing feeling in school, but you don’t know until you experience it. In this job, you can make life-long relationships with not just patients. There’s friends, family and coworkers you meet along this journey. At the end of the day, it’s that special feeling inside knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life that tells you everything was worth it.

Giving quality care for others who are unable to do so is an incredible job to take pride in and this is exactly what PSWs do.  If you are someone who is ready to embark or wants to learn more about a career as a Personal Support Worker at Trillium College, visit this page to learn more information.