What’s The Difference? PSW Home Care vs. Nursing Home (Career Paths)

Personal support workers (PSWs) have undergone specialized training to provide supportive care to patients or clients. They are responsible for ensuring the physical and psycho-social well-being of the person/people they care for, which is vital to their patients, their families, and the community.

Today, more PSW jobs are opening than new PSW graduates stepping into the field. There’s a growing demand for PSWs in Canada, with over 34,500 new job openings expected through 2031. One possible reason for this is that the benefits of this career are not well-known. In truth, becoming a personal support worker, like many careers in healthcare, is highly stable and offers competitive salaries. However, an even lesser-known benefit is that PSWs have various work environments from which they can choose.

This article will discuss two common work environments or PSW career paths: home care and nursing homes.

Let’s get started!

1. Training and Experience Needed for a Home Care vs. Nursing Home PSW

The level of experience required for PSW jobs varies. It ultimately depends on the experience level the home care agency or nursing home is looking for. However, adequate training is the minimum requirement for a PSW job in these environments. It is important to note that certification programs are not all equal. To be considered by employers in both environments, one must undergo training from a trusted and recognized institution.

The trusted institution’s training program must be standardized according to the Ontario PSW Training Standard and Ontario’s laws; this is the level of standardization used by the NACC Personal Support Worker Course at Cestar College. Additionally, this program includes 310 hours of clinical placement, which gives aspiring PSWs valuable experience in a community and facility setting. Employers from nursing homes and home care agencies value this diversified hands-on training and experience.

At this point, however, you may wonder if experience in nursing homes can help you secure a future job in-home care or vice versa. Due to similarities in the day-to-day tasks of these roles, experience in one or the other can likely help when seeking a different work environment within the same field. Ultimately, this still depends on the employer.

2. PSW Job Tasks in Home Care vs. Nursing Home

Whether a PSW cares for a client in their own home or works in a nursing home, most tasks remain the same. One difference is that home care PSWs focus on just one client, while nursing home PSWs may need to budget their time to care for multiple residents. Another difference is that PSWs working in a nursing home need a good sense of teamwork to get daily tasks done effectively. Developing a customized care plan is crucial to delivering home care services. This plan meets the specific needs of clients and their families, incorporating traditional healing methods, ongoing assessments, and adjustments to ensure optimal care. 

Either way, the job tasks of these two PSW career paths are as follows:

• Assist with activities of daily living (e.g., feeding, medications, grooming, etc.).
• Prepare meals and do light housekeeping.
• Report any unsafe conditions.
• Report any sudden, alarming changes in the client’s appetite, attitude, and behavior.
• Maintain any needed documentation regarding the client.

PSWs provide essential services in both home care and nursing home settings, including essential medical services like dementia, palliative, and respite care, which are fundamental to supporting patients and improving their overall health outcomes.

Personal support services are crucial assistance for individuals facing challenges with daily personal care due to aging, injury, or illness. These services enable individuals to maintain independence and comfort at home, alongside related services like homemaking.

3. The Schedule in Home Care vs. Nursing Home

Patients/clients in both home care and nursing homes tend to need care 24/7. However, just one person can’t carry this responsibility, so here’s how scheduling works.

There are usually two scheduling methods: live-in home care and 24-hour home care.

Respite care is also essential to home care services, providing much-needed breaks for family caregivers and ensuring continuous support for the individual receiving care.

When it comes to work schedules for PSWs in nursing homes, there are typically three shifts within 24 hours. Depending on the employer, PSWs can be assigned any of these shifts—the first, mid-shift, or night shifts.

In some cases, PSWs can choose which shift they prefer. Some may have familial obligations with young kids and would then need to be assigned a daytime shift, while some may not have pressing commitments and would prefer the night shift. The availability of preferential scheduling depends on the employer. As with any job, shifts have paid breaks and lunch breaks. Typically, night-shift PSWs do not sleep in nursing homes—similar to how night-shift medical personnel in hospitals go home to rest.

4. The Salary in Home Care vs. Nursing Home

Personal Support Workers in nursing homes typically earn slightly higher wages than those in in-home care. Despite this, their salaries are relatively similar. With comparable pay scales, PSW graduates have the flexibility to select the option that best aligns with their personal preferences and lifestyle.

PSWs can earn an average of $25 per hour in-home care, while the hourly average wage for nursing home PSWs is $26 per hour.

Other PSW Career Paths

This article covers two common PSW career paths: working in home care and nursing homes. However, these aren’t the only career paths for personal support workers. PSWs can also work in hospitals, surgical suites, and assisted living communities. We discuss these more in our Career Opportunities for Personal Support Workers article. If you’re curious, please feel free to read that!