Government Bureaucracy Harms Workers
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 03:05PM Canada is facing a critical shortage of competent and compassionate caregivers. This will have an impact on all of us.
Public and private colleges, schools, and agencies are all getting into the business of training, which is being driven by the financial realities of a critical shortage of caregivers. Education and training of values and skills are shorted because of the competition that exists to attract students for the lowest cost. This can only lead to a much less knowledgeable worker. Without effective teaching of workplace standards and competency, they have put thousands of ill prepared workers into the marketplace. As a result, the vulnerable members of our society, the ill, elderly and frail are facing compromise.
We have a Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities who is accessing Employment Insurance dollars, purporting to be a consumer protection ministry, and presenting a false notion to the public that the National Association of Career Colleges (NACC) is a national examining board in the interests of Personal Support Workers. There is no board exam offering quality standards and protection of workers or the public under the National Association of Career Colleges. It is simply an exam that some participating private schools, in the membership of the Ontario and National Association of Career Colleges, believe is mandatory, and is providing a government regulated standard. In reality, it is designed for the purpose of taking more money from an unsuspecting consumer.
The community colleges do not participate in this, nor can they offer diplomas, because the program is less than the two year qualifying period needed to offer a diploma. All Community Colleges now have what they refer to as a third party exam within their own structure. You can hardly call this a third party exam towards certification.
There is no follow-up within the agencies for ongoing training, registry of the workers, or even a third party removed from the benefits of either the private schools or colleges.
The Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities/Ministry of Health, in their attempt to create standards and regulations for unregulated health care workers, have recently put together a notice through the Ministry of Health that takes effect in July of 2011. It states that all PSW workers are to have come through training with a registered private college who offers a registered PSW course, or that they must have written the third party exam offered by the National Association of Career Colleges. Now we have the Ontario Community Support Association attempting to sell the same curriculum to schools while exploiting the students and front line health care workers.
Private and public colleges in Ontario offer PSW training at costs between $3,500.00 and $5,000.00 for 640 hours of training in a private sector school or 700 hours in a community college. The training remains inadequate because, when you remove the placement hours, you're left with just 300 to 400 hours of study. In total, there is a minimum of only 40-60 hours of anatomy, physiology, and disease process education. At $5,000 per course for an average of 350 classroom hours, it is an absolute rip off when you consider that university courses are $6-$10 an hour. PSW students pay $14-$15 an hour even though they make less than or equal to that amount after they enter the workforce.
With honesty and transparency, why not sell a 300 hour course without the essentials of anatomy and physiology and with no placement hours? Students are paying for over 55% of the course cost in placement hours. They give up almost $5,250.00 worth of billable work time for this work placement.
Why is the Ministry of Health willing to accept a Personal Support Worker who doesn't have the sufficient academic studies in anatomy and physiology that would make them a knowledgeable caregiver?
What about the provision of training for those who are working? Currently, PSWs who do not reside in Toronto and live in rural areas cannot work and upgrade or train as a PSW unless they give up their income and go back to school full time. This costs them as much as $10,000.00 in time and course costs.
Thirteen years after first implementing the PSW program, I am disappointed to report the gross negligence in training, and the greed and exploitation of necessary front line health care providers. There is victimization and abuse of workers practiced among educators and health care professionals against the person being paid the least and giving the most – the PSW.
The National Association of Certified Caregivers/Personal Support Workers is exactly what it says, a national body of 5000 Front Line Health Care Workers offering you the consumer protection you deserve.
The NACC/PSW provides ongoing training for all PSWs through the Association. We are providing insurance benefits for all registered and certified PSWs with critical care coverage. In addition, we provide and encourage self-employment with discounted professional and general liability insurance.
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance! Review your options for learning and work.
"I forget what I was taught, I only remember what I've learnt."
- Patrick White, Nobel Prize Winner
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