Overview

Working in long-term care is more than just a job. It is an opportunity to build a fulfilling career meeting the growing needs of Ontario’s seniors.

In long-term care, you’ll work as part of a highly specialized team and develop lasting relationships with residents and their families.

Long-term care staff are in high demand. Thousands of workers are needed across Ontario.

On this page you can find career information about the different careers in long-term care, and the job requirements and training you need to get started.

Become a personal support worker

Right now, Ontario is offering incentives of up to $5,400 for students and up to $20,000 for newly graduated personal support workers.

Becoming a personal support worker in long-term care is a great way to launch a career in health care.

Personal support workers can make the biggest difference to residents’ quality of life. They help with activities of daily living, including:

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

This is an in-demand role. The long-term care sector is looking to hire thousands of personal support workers in the coming 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)
    • some district school boards offer PSW training programs that include Ontario high school diploma credits
  • 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

Financial aid may be available. Find more information about:

Students enrolled in PSW programs at the following Indigenous institutes are eligible for student subsidies, including support for tuition, textbooks and childcare, plus clinical education stipends to support them during their placements:

Become a registered practical nurse

Registered practical nurses (RPNs) are integral members of an interdisciplinary team that includes:

  • physicians
  • social workers
  • dietitians
  • speech language pathologists
  • physical therapists
  • occupational therapists
  • pharmacists

Registered practical nurses care for residents with stable and more predictable medical needs. They exercise a wide range of skills and have opportunities to pursue different medical specializations.

Caring for residents over a long period of time, registered practical nurses are indispensable members of their care teams. They 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 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
  • at 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

Financial aid may be available. Find more information about:

Students enrolled in registered practical nursing programs at the following Indigenous institutes are eligible for student subsidies, including support for tuition, textbooks and childcare, plus clinical education stipends to support them during their placements:

Next steps

Become a registered nurse

Registered nurses working in long-term care provide comprehensive care to residents with increasingly complex needs.

Registered nurses:

  • lead residents’ care teams
  • 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

Due to the wide scope of their role, registered nurses can achieve leadership roles in long-term care 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 (BScN) degree offered by a university, college, Indigenous institute, 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 universities and colleges throughout the province.

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

Financial aid may be available. Find more information about:

Students enrolled in the BScN program at Seven Generation Education Institute are eligible for student subsidies, including support for tuition, textbooks and childcare, plus clinical education stipends to support them during their placements.

Next steps

Grow your career

Learn about opportunities and programs to help you advance to the next stage of your career:

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

Learn and Earn Accelerated Program for Personal Support Workers

The Learn and Earn Accelerated Program for Personal Support Workers trains existing long-term care staff, such as dietary aides or resident support aides, to become personal support workers.

The program consists of full-time online coursework followed by a paid clinical placement at the long-term care home where you already work — meaning you don’t have to leave your home community to go to school.

The Learn and Earn Accelerated Program for Personal Support Workers is delivered by Humber College.

A version of this program for French-speaking staff is delivered by Collège Boréal.

Accelerated Personal Support Worker Program for Resident Aides

The Durham Catholic District School Board offers an accelerated program for health care aides working at local long-term care homes to upgrade their education and obtain their personal support worker certificate. For more information, visit Accelerated Personal Support Worker Program.

Grow from a personal support worker to a registered practical nurse

Bridging programs prepare students for entry into the next education level. Bridging programs for personal support workers who wish to pursue a career in nursing are available at publicly-assisted colleges across Ontario.

Grow from a registered practical nurse to a registered nurse

If you are a registered practical nurse and want to grow your career to become a registered nurse, you can take advantage of bridging programs offered at 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 – Provides tuition and other supports for personal support workers and registered practical nurses to pursue further education to become registered practical nurses and registered nurses.

The OntarioLearn Nursing Transformation: PSW to PN pathway – A bridging program for working PSWs who wish to continue their studies toward qualifying to practice in Ontario as a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN).

The OntarioLearn Nursing Transformation: RPN to BScN pathway – A bridging program for registered practical nurses (RPNs) who are interested in completing a BScN program at a participating Ontario college.  

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. The program also offers 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 and supports to become registered in Ontario:

Education

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

CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses – Helps internationally educated nurses succeed in the nursing profession by providing:

  • one-on-one case management
  • language and communication skills development
  • exam preparation
  • professional development
  • mentoring
  • networking support

Services for Internationally Educated Health Professionals – Offers free services to support newcomers through the registration process.

Ontario Bridging Participant Assistance Program – A one-time bursary that helps internationally educated professionals pay for bridge training that helps them enter the Ontario workforce.

Ontario Bridge Training Program – Helps internationally trained, highly skilled immigrants get employment in the field they were trained, or a related field, without duplicating existing skills and education.

The Nursing Program Transformation in Ontario’s Colleges – Provides financial support to internationally trained nurses to gain the credentials required to work in Ontario.

Nursing Graduate Guarantee Program – An online portal that connects newly graduated nurses and employers.

Supervised Practice Experience Partnership (SPEP) – Provides eligible internationally educated nurses with the opportunity to meet their evidence of practice and language proficiency requirements to qualify for registration to practice as a nursing professional.

Become a cook or food service worker

Good food is important to long-term care residents’ quality of life.

Cooks and food service workers:

  • collaborate with dietitians, nutrition managers, personal support workers and nursing staff to ensure that residents’ nutrition and hydration needs are met 
  • ensure meals and snacks are prepared according to individualized care plans
  • prepare tasty and culturally appropriate meals that meet residents’ diet, texture and consistency requirements

Food service workers also help prepare, portion and serve food. They may also provide feeding support to residents.

Job requirements

To be a cook at a long-term care home, you should have one of the following:

  • a chef training or culinary management diploma or certificate
  • a certificate of qualification in the trade of cook or institutional cook
  • experience as a cook in an institutional, health care, long-term care, restaurant or hospitality setting

To be a food service worker at a long-term care home, you should have one of the following:

  • a food service worker program certificate
  • completion of an apprenticeship program or a training agreement in the trade of cook, institutional cook or assistant cook
  • food service experience in an institutional, health care, long-term care, restaurant or hospitality setting.

Successful completion of food handler training may also be required.

Education

Cook and food service worker education programs are offered by:

Programs take from one to two years to complete.

Financial aid

Financial aid may be available. Find more information about:

Other careers in long-term care

Many professionals provide other health-related services in long-term care, including:

  • nurse practitioners
  • dietitians
  • nutrition managers
  • physiotherapists
  • social workers
  • occupational 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: