Personal Support Workers (PSWs) are caregivers who assist clients through the varied activities of their day-to-day lives. These clients, often seniors, usually need help because of old age, illness, or injury, and over the course of an average day, a PSW might support them in a number of ways, from laundering their clothes, to performing housekeeping and personal care, to aiding them with their personal hygiene or mobility. While they often work in clients’ homes, they can also find jobs in long-term care facilities, group homes, or private care facilities.
It can be an enormously rewarding job for those who take pride in helping others. PSWs go to work every day to improve their clients’ standard of living, and those who succeed in the field draw on a range of soft skills and personal qualities to do so.
If you’ve ever considered a new career as a PSW, here are the qualities of top professionals with personal support worker training.
Flexibility and Adaptability Are Important Qualities for PSWs
PSWs don’t perform the same tasks every day, or even necessarily work in the same location. They need to be prepared to work with clients in a variety of situations, each of whom have their own unique set of needs. One client might require light housework and help getting around the house, while the next might need assistance with their medications, their laundry, and their hygiene. One client might suffer from dementia and become easily lost or confused, while another might be a senior with a sharp mind but significant mobility issues. Top professionals with personal support worker training know how to adapt to any new client or situation they’re given.
Being a PSW is not generally a Monday to Friday job, either, and the hours might vary significantly from week to week, so personal support workers need to flexible with regards to their schedule.
PSWs help clients with a variety of tasks, including meal preparation
Professionals with Personal Support Worker Training Communicate Well
Personal Support Workers need to be able to communicate effectively. Whether you’re talking to clients, family members, supervisors, social workers, or other support staff, it’s essential that you can relay information clearly. PSWs are also regularly expected to log information in books and charts, and might sometimes need to write out instructions for other members of staff when switching over shifts, so written communication skills are also important.
PSWs Are Compassionate and Empathetic
Top professionals who have trained at a personal support worker school know the importance of compassion and empathy in their work. Their job often involves helping clients with serious illnesses and injuries, sometimes in vulnerable or sensitive situations, so it’s important that they handle the job with tact, tenderness, and warmth. It can sometimes be a demanding position, so the best PSWs are often those who are most motivated by the desire to care for and help others.
Personal Support Workers Need Patience and a Positive Attitude
Because it can be a demanding position, successful personal support workers also know the importance of patience and a positive attitude. Helping clients can sometimes be challenging, and they may not always be in a good mood themselves, so it’s essential that PSWs can remain calm and not get frustrated. Maintaining a positive attitude is not only important for PSWs to keep their own motivation strong, but also to help motivate their clients and keep them in good spirits.
PSWs can help their clients maintain a positive attitude
Are you ready for a rewarding new career as a personal support worker?
Contact Medix College for more information about our PSW course.
