Registration with HSCPOA for PSWs Employed in Long-Term Care Settings
The Ministry of Health’s intention for HSCPOA’s Path 2: Employed as a PSW in Ontario (legacy pathway) is to provide an application pathway for as many individuals currently working as Personal Support Workers (PSWs) in the province to become registered. The goal is to reduce any barriers for applicants and any negative impacts on the PSW workforce in Ontario. As commonly done with new regulatory bodies, a legacy pathway is time limited. For HSCPOA, the legacy pathway will close on December 1, 2027.
PSWs are eligible for Path 2: Employed as a PSW in Ontario if:
- They are currently employed as a PSW in Ontario, OR
- They have been previously employed as a PSW or equivalent, in Ontario, within the past three years before the date of their application for registration with HSCPOA.
To assist system partners, the following information provides HSCPOA’s interpretation of section 52, Qualifications of PSWs, in the General Regulation under the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021, (FLTCA). HSCPOA recommends that LTC homes consult their organization’s legal counsel and/or the Ministry of Long-Term Care for definitive guidance.
The regulation under the FLTCA states that PSWs working in licensed long-term care (LTC) settings must either:
- Be registered with HSCPOA,
- Be eligible for registration, or
- Meet one of the limited exceptions in regulation.
If a PSW working in LTC is only eligible for registration with HSCPOA through Path 2: Employed as a PSW in Ontario, and they wish to remain employed in LTC, they must become registered (and remain registered) with HSCPOA before Path 2 closes on December 1, 2027. Once registered with HSCPOA, individuals are ‘future-proofed’ and can continue working in LTC beyond December 1, 2027, when Path 2 closes.
LTC PSWs eligible for registration with HSCPOA under Path 2 are not required to go back to school/retrain if they become registered with HSCPOA by December 1, 2027, the date Path 2 closes.
Resident Support Personnel
Resident Support Personnel (RSP) who were hired by LTC homes during the Ministry of Health’s pandemic-related exemption period have two ways to register or remain eligible for PSW registration with HSCPOA:
- They can apply for PSW registration with HSCPOA through Path 2 if the LTC home feels the RSP is qualified. The LTC home must sign the Employer Confirmation and Verification of Skills as a Personal Support Worker Form, OR
- They can upskill to remain eligible for PSW registration with HSCPOA through Path 1: Ontario PSW Education. Training can include the Living Classroom and the Learn and Earn Programs.
Otherwise, LTC homes may continue to employ RSP, but their tasks should exclude what is considered personal support services under the FLTCA.
What happens after Path 2 closes?
After December 1, 2027, if a PSW working in LTC has not registered with HSCPOA, they would be required to complete a recognized PSW education program in Ontario to become or remain eligible for registration under HSCPOA’s Path 1: Ontario PSW Education.
Note: There is an exception under the FLTCA regulation to continue PSW employment in a LTC setting after December 1, 2027, if the PSW employee has not registered with HSCPOA but is enrolled in a recognized PSW education program that would qualify them to become eligible for registration with HSCPOA under Path 1: Ontario PSW Education. This exception requires supervision of the PSW employee by a member of the registered nursing staff and an instructor from the program (refer to section 52(2)(c) of the General Regulation under the FLTCA).
PSWs registering with HSCPOA must meet the requirements of one of the four registration pathways as set out by HSCPOA. See HSCPOA ‘How to become a registrant’ web page for more details.
To learn more, visit: HSCPOA.com | How to Become a Registrant
