Overview

Working in long-term care is more than just a job. It is an opportunity to develop a broad skillset to meet the growing needs of Ontario’s seniors, work as part of a highly specialized team, and develop long-lasting relationships with both residents and their families.

Professions in long-term care are in high demand across Ontario: thousands of health care workers are needed in the sector to meet the province’s growing demands in senior care.

Personal support workers

Help residents with their daily needs

Registered practical nurses

Care for residents with stable and more predictable medical needs

Registered nurses

Care for residents with more complex conditions

Grow your career

Build on your existing knowledge and skills to move to the next stage of your career and find possible financial supports to help get you there

Internationally educated nurses

Programs designed to help you become eligible to practice in Ontario

Other careers in long-term care

Provide other health-related services, such as dieticians, physiotherapists and social workers

Look for a long-term care job or see what opportunities are available for your future career.

Become a personal support worker

Personal support workers are the backbone of the long-term care sector. On a day-to-day basis, they are able to make the biggest difference to the residents’ quality of life and are involved in every single aspect of care-planning, including:

  • personal care
  • social and emotional well-being
  • housekeeping
  • culturally-specific supports

Given the support they provide across a spectrum of needs, becoming a personal support worker in long-term care is a great opportunity to develop a wide range of valued skills like interpersonal communications, teamwork, adaptability and collaboration.

It is also a much-in-demand role, with the long-term care sector alone looking to employ thousands of personal support workers over the next four years.

In long-term care, you get the opportunity to provide holistic care, and build long-term bonds with residents and their families. I really value that.

Personal support worker, Ottawa

Job requirements

To become a personal support worker, you will need:

  • a high school diploma or equivalent (such as mature student status)
  • a personal support worker program certificate

Education

Personal support worker education programs are offered by:

Programs take from five months to a year to complete.

Financial aid may be available. Find more information about:

Become a registered practical nurse

In long-term care, registered practical nurses (RPNs) play a vital role in creating individualized care plans that meet the unique needs of each resident. They work as an integral member of an interdisciplinary team that includes physicians, social workers, dieticians, speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, and more.

Registered practical nurses care for residents with stable and more predictable medical needs. However, the varied demands on registered practical nurses in long-term care means they not only exercise a wide range of skills, but also have the opportunity to pursue different medical specializations. Caring for residents over a long period of time, registered practical nurses not only become indispensable members of their care teams, but also develop strong, personal relationships with residents and their families.

You can grow no matter what program or department you come into in long-term care. There are growth opportunities 100% through across the board.

Registered practical nurse, Windsor

Job requirements

To become a registered practical nurse, you must:

  • complete an approved program of practical nursing
  • complete the national registration examination
  • be registered and in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario

Education

Registered practical nurse programs approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario, are offered at publicly-assisted colleges, as well as some Indigenous institutes in partnership with publicly-assisted colleges.

Admission generally requires:

  • Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent academic achievement
  • individual college or program prerequisites

Programs are two-years long and lead to an Ontario college diploma.

Financial aid may be available. Find more information about:

Next steps

Become a registered nurse

Registered nurses working in long-term care provide comprehensive care to residents with ever-increasing levels of complex needs.

They are clinical leaders in assessment, care planning, carrying out care and measuring what’s working or not for all residents in a long-term care home. Registered nurses are also responsible for leading residents’ care teams, which can include a number of different designations and practitioners. Due to the wide scope of their role in the sector, registered nurses with experience in long-term care can achieve leadership roles in their careers much sooner, than in other sectors.

As a nurse, if you are looking to develop leadership skills while also working to your full scope of practice, long-term care is a terrific place to be.

Registered nurse, Toronto

Job requirements

To become a registered nurse, you must:

  • complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree offered by a university, college, or through a college-university partnership
  • complete the national registration examination
  • be registered and in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario

Education

In Ontario, Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs are provided by:

  • six university stand-alone programs (Queen’s University, Brock University, Nipissing University, University of Ottawa, York University and University of Toronto)
  • eleven collaborative university-college programs
  • eight college stand-alone programs (Humber, St. Lawrence, Seneca Georgian, Sault, Canadore, Loyalist, and Cambrian colleges)
  • University and Indigenous Institutes collaborative programs (Seven Generation Education Institute)

Admission generally requires:

  • Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent
  • minimum academic achievement average
  • individual college or university program prerequisites

Programs are typically four years in length. However, some compressed and accelerated options are available for students with prior education and experience.

Financial aid may be available. Find more information about:

Next steps

Grow your career

Learn more about opportunities and programs that will help you build on your existing knowledge, skills and educational credentials, and move to the next stage of your career.

In this section:

Grow from a health care aide or residential care aide to personal support worker

PSW Prior Learning Program

A pilot project at Confederation College to determine demand for personal support worker bridging opportunities. The program seeks to shorten the pathway to a personal support worker certificate for people with prior education and health care experience, such as a:

  • developmental service worker
  • social service worker
  • recreation therapist

For further information, email Confederation College at de@confederationcollege.ca.

Accelerated Personal Support Worker Program for Resident Aides

A pilot project at Durham Catholic District School Board that supports health care aids working at local long-term care homes to upgrade their education and complete their personal support worker certificate. For more information, please visit Accelerated Personal Support Worker Program.

District school board PSW programs also provide recognition for prior learning and work experience in the health care field, which may shorten the pathway to a personal support worker certificate.

Grow from a personal support worker to a registered practical nurse

Bridging programs are available at the following publicly-assisted colleges across Ontario. Bridging refers to specialized short-term programs that prepare students for entry into the next education program level.

Grow from a registered practical nurse to a registered nurse

Bridging programs are available at some publicly assisted colleges and universities:

Support programs for career advancement

  • PSW Education Fund for Long-Term Care
    Provides funds to long-term care homes for supporting personal support workers to participating in continuing education and professional development initiatives.
  • The BEGIN initiative
    Tuition supports for PSWs and RPNs to pursue further education to become RPNs and RNs.
  • The Nursing Program Transformation in Ontario’s Colleges
    Supporting increased access to bridging programs for the 2022–2023 academic year. Bridging refers to specialized short-term programs that prepare students for entry into the next education program or career level.
  • Nursing Education Initiative
    An education and training fund that provides nurses with access to continuing education and professional development opportunities through education grants.
  • Community Commitment Program for Nurses
    Offers registered nurses, registered practical nurses and nurse practitioners a $25,000 incentive in return for a two-year commitment to practice in an Ontario hospital, long-term care home or home and community care employer in an area of high need, and an education grant of $1,500 to employers for each nurse they hire through the program.
  • Micro-credentials programs supported by Ontario Student Assistance Program
    Micro-credential programs to help learners swiftly develop skills for in-demand jobs, supported by loans and grants.

Pathways for internationally educated nurses

If you are an internationally educated nurse, Ontario offers programs designed to help you become eligible to practice here in a short time.

Learn more about nursing in Ontario:

Education

The following postsecondary institutions offer programs to help internationally educated nurses address any gaps in competencies in order to work as a nurse in Ontario.

Other supports for internationally educated nurses

Other careers in long-term care

Close to 10,000 professionals provide other health-related services in long-term care. These include:

  • nurse practitioners
  • dietitians
  • physiotherapists
  • social workers
  • occupational therapists
  • recreational therapists

These specialists promote residents’ quality of life through services that:

  • assess, diagnose, treat and monitor a wide range of health problems
  • improve strength and mobility
  • reduce risk of falls
  • improve medical outcomes
  • improve sleep, diet and emotional well-being

Job requirements and education

All these professions have unique education and training paths.

For more information: