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Attracting New PSW Graduates to Long-Term Care and Home and Community Care Sectors

Ontario is providing incentive funding to attract personal support workers (PSWs) to work in long-term care homes as well as home and community care organizations.

Available Funding

  • Up to $5,440 to PSW students as a stipend during their clinical placement in a long-term care home and/or home and community care setting.
  • For eligible PSWs making a 12-month employment commitment to a long-term care home or home and community care organization:
    • Recruitment Incentive of $10,000;
    • Relocation Incentive of $10,000 to support relocation costs to a rural, remote, or northern community that is at least 100 km away from their principal residence;
    • NEW: Rural, Remote and Northern Incentive of $10,000 to eligible PSWs recruited to a rural, remote or Northern community.

Information for Employers

All participating employers must be publicly-funded long-term care homes or home and community care organizations in Ontario. All employers must submit an Employer Application Form to participate, even if they were approved through the previous PSW Return of Service (PSW ROS) program.

Clinical Placement Stipend (Up to $5,440)

  • Participating employers must offer clinical placements to students as part of an Ontario PSW training program at a publicly-assisted college, private career college, district school board or Indigenous Institute that meets the 2022 program standard established by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

Recruitment Incentive ($10,000)

  • Participating employers must offer full-time hours to an eligible PSW to deliver publicly funded personal support services for a minimum of 12 months.

Rural, Remote and Northern Relocation Support ($10,000) and NEW: Rural, Remote and Northern Community Incentive ($10,000)

Employer Application Form

Information for PSW Students and Graduates

Funding for PSWs and PSW students is provided through long-term care homes and home and community care organizations participating in the program. Ontario Health can connect you to participating employers and keep you up to date on incentive funding, job search support and program updates. To receive job search support or program updates, please complete the PSW Expression of Interest Form.

Clinical Placement Stipend (Up to $5,440)

To be eligible for the clinical placement stipend, you must:

  • Begin a clinical placement as part of an Ontario PSW training program at a public-assisted college, career college, district school board or Indigenous Institute that meets the 2022 program standard established by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities with a participating long-term care home or home and community care agency; and
  • Begin your eligible clinical placement on or after April 1, 2023.

Recruitment Incentive ($10,000)

To be eligible for a Recruitment Incentive grant of $10,000, you must:

  • Successfully complete an Ontario PSW training program at a publicly-assisted college, career college , district school board or Indigenous Institute that meets the 2022 program standard established by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, on or after April 1, 2023;
  • Begin employment with a participating employer between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2026; and
  • Commit to 12 months of employment at a full-time work schedule offered by a participating employer.

OR

  • NEW: Have previously trained as a PSW and, for the past 12 months, have not worked in a role providing direct patient, client or resident care as part of an organization providing health care or long-term care services in Ontario;
  • Begin employment with a participating employer between November 18, 2024 and March 31, 2026; and
  • Commit to 12 months of employment at a full-time work schedule offered by a participating employer.

NEW: Rural, Remote and Northern Community Incentive ($10,000)

To be eligible for a Rural, Remote and Northern Community Incentive of $10,000, you must:

  • Meet the eligibility criteria for the Recruitment Incentive and commit to 12 months of employment with a participating employer in Northern Ontario or in a community with a Rurality Index for Ontario (RIO) score of 40 or above;
  • Begin employment with a participating employer between November 18, 2024 and March 31, 2026; and
  • Commit to 12 months of employment at a full-time work schedule offered by a participating employer.

Rural, Remote, and Northern Relocation Support ($10,000)

To be eligible for $10,000 in rural, remote and northern relocation support, you must:

  • Meet the eligibility criteria for the Recruitment Incentive and commit to 12 months of employment with a participating employer in Northern Ontario or in a community with a Rurality Index for Ontario (RIO) score of 40 or above; and
  • Relocate a minimum distance of 100 km from your primary residence for the purposes of employment with a participating employer.

Eligible PSWs can combine a Recruitment Incentive Grant ($10,000) with a Rural, Remote and Northern Community Incentive ($10,000) and/or Rural, Remote, and Northern Relocation Support ($10,000).

PSW Expression of Interest Form

Contact

If you have any questions about these initiatives, email info-hfo@ontariohealth.ca.

 
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