Personal Support Worker (PSW)

You can become a certified Personal Support Worker while earning secondary school credits to earn your OSSD, and gain quality employment in the healthcare field.

Pre-registration for the fall 2026/2027 PSW program is now open. The course fills up quickly, so if you are interested, apply early! If your application is incomplete, you will automatically be disqualified. It is important to ensure that you follow directions and that all answers are complete and thorough. You can only apply to one site. If you are interested in a second site, please indicate this in your paragraph.

Benefits of studying to become a personal support worker:

Teacher-led instruction by Registered Nurses who are also certified teachers (OCT)
10 month, 20 hours per week program Monday to Friday, September to June with the option to fast track and finish earlier
Supervised clinical placements

Program lengths and options:

Bridge Program (5 credits)
8-month accelerated program (6 credits)
10-month full program (6 credits)
10-month PSW Program plus Pre-health (up to 10 credits)

What you will gain:

PSW Certification following provincial learning outcomes plus six Ontario Secondary School credits
First Aid & CPR, GPA, PAC, WHMIS, Safe Food Handling
Portfolio development

Employment Possibilities:

Hospitals
Long term care facilities
Homecare agencies
Retirement homes
Group and residential homes
Day programs

Most students are employed before finishing the program.

Entrance Requirements:

18 years of age or Ontario Secondary School Diploma
Medical clearance
As per facility mandates you will need to meet all medical requirements (flu shot, COVID vaccines, Hep B and 2-step TB test)
Clear vulnerable sector screen police check
2 professional reference letters
Basic computer literacy and access to a computer

Registration for the 2026/2027 September start Loyola PSW Program is now open. The course fills up quickly, so if you are interested, apply early! If your application is incomplete, you will automatically be disqualified.

It is important to ensure that you follow directions and that all answers are complete and thorough. You can only apply to one school site. If you are interested in a second site, please indicate this in your paragraph.

Please note: You must meet all entrance conditions to qualify for admission to the program, which include but aren’t limited to:

Completion of the online pre-registration form, questionnaire and literacy test

Criminal record check including a vulnerable sector screening
Proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, all immunizations up to date and completed medical form
Interview

A conditional acceptance letter will be issued to successful applicants once the above steps are submitted and reviewed, at which point the individual is then required to pay a $250.00 deposit at this time.

Tuition

There are NO tuition fees. However, there are Materials Fees. Please contact the school for more information.

International Student Fees may apply. Please contact the school for more information.

If you have any questions, please contact the site in your area:

Belleville and Picton: 613-966-9210 or [email protected]
Kingston: 613-544-3361 or [email protected]
Trenton: 613-965-5840 or [email protected]

The Personal Support Worker program at Loyola, School of Adult and Continuing Education is accredited and has met all professional and educational requirements.

Learn more about the role of PSWs.