Aurora College has expanded in-person delivery of the Personal Support Worker Certificate program to include Thebacha Campus (Fort Smith), Aurora Campus (Inuvik), Behchokǫ̀ and Yellowknife North Slave Campus.
In additional to full-time and part-time options in Yellowknife, students can now take courses in-person part-time in Behchokǫ̀, Fort Smith and Inuvik, as well through a blended distance option. The blended distance pairs online theory courses with in-person practicums and can be accessed from any NWT community.
Personal Support Workers (PSW) provide compassionate care while promoting and maintaining physical, psychological and social well-being. They work as part of the health care team to provide basic care, assistance and support with activities of daily living. Building relationships to keep clients/residents at the centre of care is essential to the role.
The expansion of the Personal Support Worker Certificate program is possible due to a five-year, $5.3 million federal investment to support the education, recruitment and retention of new Personal Support Workers (PSWs) in the Northwest Territories. Aurora College expects to receive approximately $3.2 million of the funding to deliver and support PSW education across the NWT.
The announced funding will allow Aurora College to educate more Personal Support Workers across the NWT at a time where they are critically needed. With an aging population, demand for Personal Support workers continues to rise in the North and across the country. Increasing the number of PSWs will strengthen the northern health care workforce and safeguard the quality of care for vulnerable populations.
Aurora College’s Personal Support Worker program is a ten-month certificate that allows graduates to work in a variety of health care settings, such as long-term care facilities, hospitals, community agencies or private homes. It has been delivered full-time in person at Yellowknife North Slave Campus since 2008, and has been delivered in Behchokǫ̀ and Inuvik as well.
Since 2020, with support from the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA), the PSW program has expanded to include a blended distance model. The blended distance model has provided access to the program to residents from any NWT community, many of whom would have been unable to relocate to attend the program in person. The part-time option also allows employed individuals to access the courses. Since 2021, the distance program has resulted in graduates from the Beaufort Delta, Sahtu, Tłı̨chǫ and South Slave regions. Applications are open online for Aurora College’s Personal Support Worker program at: www.auroracollege.nt.ca/program/personal-support-worker or email advising@auroracollege.nt.ca