Community‐based personal support workers' satisfaction with job‐related training at the organization in Ontario, Canada: Implications for future training

Abstract

Background and Aims Complexity of community‐based homecare for older adults has increased significantly in the past decade in Ontario, Canada. Personal support workers (PSWs), who are unregulated and vary in formal education, provide the majority of community homecare work for increasingly complex clients. This paper seeks to understand community‐based PSWs' satisfaction with opportunities for job‐related training at their employing organization to provide the skills and knowledge to meet the demands of their evolving role. Methods Data for this paper are from a cross‐sectional survey of 1746 community‐based PSWs in Ontario, Canada entitled, “The PSW Health and Safety Matters Survey” http://www.pswshaveasay.ca. This survey was part of a research project “Keeping Community Based PSWs Safe in a Changing World of Work,” funded by the Ontario Ministry of Labour. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlations, multivariate regression, and thematic analysis. Results Quantitative analysis revealed most community homecare organizations offer PSWs job‐related training to help them retain and update their skills and that PSWs have a moderate level of satisfaction with their job‐related training. The analysis revealed that PSWs' satisfaction with organizational training is greater when the organization provides work‐related training on challenging tasks, lifting and transferring tasks, and tasks delegated by nurses and supervisors. Data from the open‐ended question highlighted seven key themes for desired training by PSWs: safe body mechanics for moving/lifting clients, managing aggression primarily with clients, infection control, CPR/first aid, mental illness, equipment training, and basic health and safety. Conclusion Implications for factors associated with PSWs' satisfaction with opportunities for job‐related training are discussed along with recommendations for mitigating variability in education and training to meet the demands of their evolving role.

“You Have to Be Careful About Every Detail” How the COVID-19 Pandemic Shaped the Experiences of Canadian Personal Support Workers Working in Home Care

“…These public organizations employ home care workers such as nurses, rehabilitation therapists, and PSWs and are responsible for creating their own policies and practices for care delivery, training, terms of employment, travel incentives, and management of employees. 1,4,6 At present, PSW employment is often precarious. [2][3][4] Although employment models vary and PSWs may be classified as full-time, part-time, or casual, they are typically paid based on client care visits provided and often have irregular hours and workdays that may include unpaid gaps between client visits, leading to chronic concerns about income instability.…”

“…2,3 This precarity makes it more challenging for PSWs to manage long-standing and well-documented hazards of providing home care such as risks associated with travel, exposure to verbal and physical abuse, and high rates of musculoskeletal injuries. 1,4,6,7 Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence was mounting concerning the lack of regulations in place to support this workforce from an occupational health and safety perspective, with concerns exacerbated by critical labor supply shortages. 2,4,[7][8][9][10][11][12] Given existing occupational health and safety challenges and the heightened infection risk associated with the high-touch nature of the care provided, the PSW workforce has been especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…In Canada, public home care services are primarily funded by provincial and territorial governments and delivered by service provider organizations (SPOs) contracted by the government. These public organizations employ home care workers such as nurses, rehabilitation therapists, and PSWs and are responsible for creating their own policies and practices for care delivery, training, terms of employment, travel incentives, and management of employees 1,4,6 …”

“…Furthermore, many members belonging to marginalized groups: it is composed primarily of women who are part of visible minority groups in Canada, many of whom are recent immigrants 2,3 . This precarity makes it more challenging for PSWs to manage long-standing and well-documented hazards of providing home care such as risks associated with travel, exposure to verbal and physical abuse, and high rates of musculoskeletal injuries 1,4,6,7 . Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence was mounting concerning the lack of regulations in place to support this workforce from an occupational health and safety perspective, with concerns exacerbated by critical labor supply shortages 2,4,7–12 .…”

Strategies Used by Home Health Care Professionals Working With Older Adults to Navigate the Institutional Context: An Integrative Review

“…While some interventions may be shifted to non-professional workers, studies suggest that interventions shifted to non-professional HHC workers are predominantly focused on medical aspects. [75][76][77][78][79] The lack of a shift toward non-professional workers in HHC is concerning, as several studies indicate that professional practices within HHC have deviated from their original forms. For instance, social work, which was initially aimed at empowering vulnerable individuals, 5 has shifted to a more medically centered approach within HHC.…”