Developing a Common Education Standard for Personal Support Workers in Ontario
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Abstract
In July 2014, the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) released the Personal Support Worker (PSW) Program Standard. Prior to this, there were three educational standards, inconsistently applied across a multitude of education and employment settings, governed by three distinct pieces of legislation. The primary goal of the reform is to address variance in available educational options in which one can receive a certificate or diploma as a PSW. The decision emerged in response to a growing group of unregulated workers providing care for an increasingly complex long-term and community care population. The reform was achieved through a small consultation led by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). A technical working group at the MTCU was responsible for developing the standard. The PSW Program Standard has the potential to simplify a complex educational landscape through standardization but is only the first step in addressing broader health workforce problems facing the long-term care sector in Ontario.
En juillet 2014, le Ministère de la Formation et des Collèges et Universités (MFCU) a établi le Cahier des Normes pour le Programme des Préposés aux Services de Soutien à la Personne (PSSP). Avant ce cahier trois normes existaient, appliquées de manière non uniforme à une grande variété d'établissements de formation et de travail, et gouvernées par trois textes de loi différents. Le principal objectif de la réforme est de résoudre ce problème de variabilité dans l'offre de formation délivrant un grade ou un certificat de PSSP. La décision a été prise en réponse à la croissance du nombre de préposés non régulés devant fournir des services à une population elle aussi croissante et aux besoins de plus en plus complexes, en institutions aussi bien que dans la communauté. La réforme a été promue après une courte consultation menée par le Ministère de la Santé et des Soins de Long-Terme (MSSLT). Un groupe de travail technique au MFCU a pris la responsabilité de développer le cahier des normes. Le Cahier des Normes pour les PSSP peut standardiser et donc simplifier un paysage de formation complexe mais ne représente qu'un premier pas vers la solution des problèmes généraux liés à la main d'oeuvre dans le secteur des soins de long-terme de l'Ontario.
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