MANITOULIN—The administrators of two long-term care facilities on Manitoulin are hopeful that a new provincial funding program will mean more new personal support workers (PSWs) and nurses will train and be employed in the local facilities.
“Hopefully it helps (to fill the gaps being felt),” stated Don Cook, administrator of the Manitoulin Centennial Manor in Little Current. “We have a need for four or five more PSWs and nurses.”
Jaime-Lynn Kalmikov, administrator of the Manitoulin Lodge Nursing Home in Gore Bay said, “It’s great to hear the government is continuing to invest in healthcare to keep strengthening our healthcare system with human resources. Healthcare is a very rewarding and demanding industry for anyone to spend their careers in. We can always build our staffing pool with qualified and dedicated employees to serve our residents well. We will see how this increased enrollment with nursing and PSWs benefits us in the future.”
The Ontario government is investing more than $100 million in two programs that will train more than 32,000 new PSWs and nurses in long-term care over the next three years. The investments are part of the government’s ‘Your Health’ plan to recruit and retain tens of thousands of long-term care staff over the coming years.
“Our government is fixing long-term care by training, hiring and retaining thousands of healthcare workers to provide high-quality care for residents,” said Stan Cho, minister of long-term care. “We’re investing in programs that are building a pipeline of talent for the future and giving them more hands-on clinical training, so our long-term care residents get the high-quality care they deserve.”
Ontario is investing $94.5 million over three years to extend the Preceptor Resource and Education Program for Long-Term Care (PREP LTC) Since its launch in 2021, the program has already helped 500 long-term care homes provide clinical placements for over 17,000 nursing and personal support worker students. With the new investment, the program now aims to train more than 3,000 new preceptors and support 31,000 new clinical placements by 2027.
Clinical placements are key to providing nursing and PSW students with hands-on experience on-site in long-term care homes under the supervision of preceptors, experienced staff who are trained for this role. Positive clinical placement experiences drive recruitment, as students often take jobs in the homes where they complete their placements. Meanwhile, becoming a preceptor gives existing long-term care staff the opportunity for career development and growth.
Ontario is investing nearly $11 million over three years to expand Living Classrooms, a program that helps students train to become PSWs on-site in local long-term care homes. With this investment, the program will double the number of living classrooms from 20 to 40, which will support the training of up to 1,300 new PSW workers by 2026.
Unlike traditional PSW training programs, where students start with a classroom education and then move on to clinical placements, living classrooms integrate education into a long-term care home. Students alternate between in-class learning, delivered in the home or nearby, and applying what they learn as they work with residents within the home. The program is especially beneficial to rural, remote and Northern regions, as homes can grow their own staff and students can train without having to leave their communities.
Ontario is offering incentives of up to $25,400 to students and recent graduates of PSW education programs to launch careers in long-term care homes and in the home and community care sector.
Mr. Cook said the Manor is already registered for the program, “and we would definitely take them if they want to do their practical here, and hopefully stay on. Hopefully this will be good news.”
“The government has this program to pay for the students’ practical training, getting people in PSW and nursing work at long-term care facilities, pay their tuition and provide us (LTC facilities) some money to train them.”
Mr. Cook said under the government program, “for students, the government is offering an extra $5,400 for a student completing clinical placement. So, they will be paying them while they are taking a course, and if they stay on, they will receive a $10,000 bonus and another $10,000 if they stay in a rural, Northern long-term facility like the Manor on top of what they are getting paid. If we can get more of these students to come here and get training and hopefully stay on, we will definitely take them. Hopefully this new funding program will help.”
Donna Duncan, chief executive officer of Ontario Long Term Care Association said, “Thank you to the Ontario government for continuing this significant investment to train and provide clinical placements for personal support workers and nursing students. Both the PREP LTC and Living Classrooms programs are making a tremendous difference in growing a much needed and skilled long-term care workforce to care for Ontario’s seniors.”
