“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”  ~Henry Ford

Professional development and continuing education are the two pillars of any successful man or women.

Once you stop focusing on any one of these two, your success gets stagnant.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU, THE PSW

You see, the course to become a Personal Support Worker is relatively a short one. It takes a maximum of two years to complete at a community college and only a year, sometimes even less, at private colleges.

Once you graduate, you start looking for a job, find one and start working.

Other than some online learning that you are forced to do at your facility, there is very little Personal Support Workers do to acquire skills and knowledge for personal development and career advancement.

We don’t realize how important and beneficial it can be.

This is exactly why I am absolutely thrilled to have Brenda Bondy Caldicott on this episode of The Personal Support Worker Podcast.

Brenda has used the mantra of professional development and continuing education to the core.

Apart from being a Personal Support Worker, Brenda has acquired many skills and much knowledge over the years.

Following are some of the roles and responsibilities that Brenda has undertaken over the years of her professional life:

• A former VP with the Ontario Personal Support Worker Association (OPSWA),
• Is an excellent writer and has been a contributor to The Brant Advocate,
• Currently working towards becoming a Psychosocial Rehab Practitioner,
• Currently working as a PSW for the last 15 years,
• Writer of PSW curriculum and best practices,
• Has owned a Homecare business in the past,
• Is a Mental Health Worker,
• A former educator,
• Is a mentor

And last but not the least,

Brenda is co-authoring a book with Joel Lamoure, who is an associate Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry (SSMD), Assistant Director of CME-Department of Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario and Teaching Associate, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto.

On this episode, Brenda shares her knowledge and wisdom gained throughout her professional life. She kicks off the interview with a very interesting view on Personal Support being an occupation or profession.

MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE TALK ABOUT

• Lack of skills and knowledge among Personal Support Workers who work with clients with mental health problems in the community.
• Organizations and colleges that offer courses and training related to mental health problems.
• The lack of full-time PSW jobs and why the jobs out there are mostly casual or part-time.
• Why professional development and continuing education are so important for PSW’s.
• PSW’s salary in general and of those working in the community in particular.
• The challenges faced by PSW’s who work in the community.
• Her forthcoming book on overcoming adversity and grief.
• Three excellent resources to search for PSW jobs.
• Benefits of working in the community.

 RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

• CAMH – Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 
• Alzheimer’s information series at Fanshawe College
• Online non-violent crisis intervention courses at Conestoga College
• Psychosocial Rehabilitation Worker Certificate at Mohawk College
• Continuing Education options for Personal Support Workers
• Some more continuing education options for PSW’s
• Personal Support Worker (PSW) to Practical Nursing (PN) bridging programs
• Personal Support Worker jobs section at pswhq
• A unique way to help you find work with mypsw.ca
• Searching for PSW jobs through Canadian Job bank
• Searching and applying for PSW jobs in indeed.ca

IF YOU FOUND THIS EPISODE USEFUL

One thing that will make this show and website more discoverable is SHARING. If you found this episode to be helpful, please share it!

And you can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. Reviews on iTunes are very important and help the show in a big way.

Due to the positive reviews and five star ratings, The Personal Support Worker Podcast was featured in the “News and Noteworthy” section of iTunes within five days of it’s launch.

This was a dream come true for us and a big thank you to all who listened to the show and left positive reviews and great ratings.

If you have any question that you’d like answered, please contact us and we’ll get you an answer.

No matter what!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed