Clinical placement is an invaluable and crucial part of your training as a Personal Support Worker. The clinical placement provides real world experience and feedback to improve your skills and knowledge. You will be working with actual clients alongside experienced instructors.
Your clinical placement is also an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your skills and motivation to a potential future employer. Take advantage of this chance to do good work with employers in your field, and it can help your career later on.
There are two major parts to your clinical placement. The first is the institutional practicum. In this section, you will be assigned to a long-term care facility or hospital. After the institutional site comes the community site, where you will be placed with a home care agency.
Before you can begin this important chapter in your Personal Support Worker education, there are a few key things that you will need to prepare:
- Criminal Record Check and Vulnerable Sector Check
Since you will be working with vulnerable persons in a position of trust, you will need to undergo these record checks with your local police service. These checks verify your criminal record, including any record suspensions for sexual offences.
- Immunizations
You will need to show that you are up-to-date with all required immunizations, such as influenza. Clients may have weakened immune systems, so it is important that the workers that care for them are in good health.
- Tuberculosis Test
Before you can start working with clients, you will need to have a Mantoux skin test to check for Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a potentially dangerous disease, but many people who carry it show no outward symptoms. This test makes sure that you do not have it, so that you won’t inadvertently pass it to a vulnerable client.
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid Training
There are different levels of first aid and CPR training courses available. In order to qualify for clinical placement, you will need to complete a Standard First Aid and Basic Rescuer CPR course.
- Mask Fit Test
Many healthcare roles require you to undergo a respiratory mask fit test, and your Personal Support Worker clinical placement is no exception.
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
This is the national standard in Canada for working safely with hazardous materials. You can take the training and test online. You will need to show your certificate of a passing grade.
