Personal Support Worker

Staying Professional in the Workplace: What You Should Know During PSW College

March 15, 2019

March 15, 2019

Personal support workers (PSWs) are an essential part of our healthcare system. They provide quality care to clients, assisting with everything from light housekeeping to grooming and personal hygiene. They get to work closely with their clients, spending time with them and making a real difference.

Because of the important work they do, PSWs place a particular emphasis on professionalism. They work hard to demonstrate respect, compassion, and a commitment to their clients. Here are just some of the ways they maintain a high degree of professionalism.

Compassion Is Important to Personal Support Workers
If you’re a compassionate person, you might be ideally suited to personal support worker training. That’s because PSWs turn their incredible compassion into quality care, and their respectful and genuine approach is one that clients truly cherish.

Compassionate individuals are well-suited to a PSW career

Top PSWs know that part of staying professional in the workplace includes balancing their compassion with maintaining healthy boundaries, as well as managing stress effectively. Because PSWs often provide care to those most in need, this career can bring emotional challenges. For this reason, PSWs know to maintain a healthy balance in order to remain professional and avoid compassion fatigue.

Communicating in a Professional Manner After PSW College
Good communication skills are at the heart of maintaining professionalism in the workplace. PSWs are constantly communicating with their clients, as well as with colleagues and other healthcare professionals. When communicating with clients, PSWs know how important it is to speak clearly so that clients can feel informed and empowered. PSWs also know that another essential element of professional communication is attentive listening. A PSW who doesn’t listen well or who cuts off clients may appear rude or unprofessional. By developing top communication skills, and helping your clients feel heard, you can help maintain a professional environment and excel during and after the training you complete at PSW college.

Punctuality Is Important to a Career as a Personal Support Worker
Because the work that PSWs do is so essential, punctuality is an important part of this career path. Punctuality helps to demonstrate that you are a reliable professional that your co-workers and clients can count on.

PSWs demonstrate professionalism by being punctual

In addition, punctuality also helps to convey respect. PSWs who provide care in their clients’ homes, for example, know that their visits can sometimes be the highlight of their client’s day. By staying punctual, PSWs help to build trust and demonstrate reliability: two key qualities that convey a high degree of professionalism.

Teamwork Is Another Essential Part of Professional Conduct in the Workplace
Providing quality care to clients is a team effort. PSWs often work as part of a team with several other personal support workers, as well as nurses and other healthcare professionals. As such, the ability to work well with others is essential to this career path.

Being a team player helps demonstrate that you care deeply about the overall care that clients receive. It also establishes you as someone your colleagues can rely on. This reputation can serve you well, both during and after your training. During your off-site externship placement, for example, your teamwork skills can help you build up your professional network. Indeed, it could be the key to launching your career!

Would you like to train for a rewarding career that you can feel proud of?

Learn more about Medix College and our personal support worker courses.

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