Cert in Personal Support Worker at Cambrian College in Sudbury, Canada is a certificate in Health Sciences programme. The programme runs for 2 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 19,228 per year (CAD 4,186 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Health Sciences
Duration: 2 semesters
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 4,186 / year
International tuition: CAD 19,228 / year
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Improve the dignity and quality of others’ lives as a PSW The perfect storm of an aging population, shorter hospital stays, and a shortage of specialists make the personal support worker (PSW) profession in demand. Our tailored, accelerated program prepares you to be confident, able, and job-ready in just 8 months. By combining classroom learning, simulated experiences with hands-on training, you’ll gain the skills needed to promote independence and quality of life for those who live in a facility or community setting. First, you’ll learn to assist clients with daily living activities and end-of-life care by getting hands-on experience in our 1,200-square-foot apartment simulation lab and nursing skills lab. The second semester is a clinical experience where you will polish your skills with 224 hours in a health care setting under the guidance of experienced PSWs and a faculty member. Upon completion, you’ll become a confident, caring, and job-ready PSW. This program includes 28 weeks of instruction, complemented by two weeks of academic breaks, for a total duration of 30 weeks. Whether you’re a domestic or international student, this 8-month program provides a meaningful pathway into the growing health care field, allowing you to make a lasting difference in the lives of others.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: DOMESTIC ENTRY. Ontario Secondary School Diploma (30 credits) or an equivalent, or mature student status - 19 or older before classes begin and without an OSSD, assessed individually, with pre-testing for readiness possible. Required subjects: any grade 12 English at the (C) or (U) level; and any mathematics at grade 11 (C), (U) or (M) or grade 12 (C) or (U). The page publishes no minimum grade for either subject. Any grade 12 biology (U) is recommended but not required.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS. Cambrian's international English table sets its minimums by credential level and prints three rows only - Diploma / Certificate, Grad Certificate and Degrees. The diploma and certificate line is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band below 5.5; TOEFL 550 on the paper-based test or 80 on the internet-based test; PTE (Pearson) 58; Duolingo 105 to 115. International applicants, and domestic applicants presenting transcripts earned outside Canada, must send official notarised documents with a certified translation where they are not in English, have them assessed by a certified credential evaluator, and include a copy of a valid passport.
AFTER ADMISSION - required before or during the program, not conditions of the offer. Basic Cardiac Life Support at Health Care Provider (HCP) level, renewed each year; a Standard First Aid certificate valid for the whole program; respiratory mask fit testing (N95, 3M models); a criminal record check including a vulnerable sector check - speak to the program coordinator first if you have a positive CPIC; WHMIS certification; AODA certification; and the Ministry of Labour's Worker Health and Safety Awareness in Four Steps training. Proof of immunisation is required at registration for a two-step TB test, varicella, polio, measles-mumps-rubella (two measles doses if you were born after 1970), current diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, current seasonal influenza when available, hepatitis B and COVID-19; hepatitis A is recommended but not required. If you were never immunised against varicella you must show proof of a previous chickenpox infection. The criminal record and vulnerable sector check, influenza immunisation, TB skin test, WHMIS and the HCP life support certificate all have to be renewed annually, each at a fee. Computer competency in relevant software is recommended.
Application Details
Start Date:Intakes Cambrian lists for this program on its own page, read 6 September 2026: September 2026 (Schedule A fall term: Day 1 orientation 8 September 2026, classes from 9 September 2026, term ends 18 December 2026), January 2027 (Schedule A winter term: Day 1 orientation 11 January 2027, classes from 12 January 2027, term ends 23 April 2027) and May 2027 (Schedule A spring term: term begins and classes start 10 May 2027, term ends 20 August 2027). Term dates come from Cambrian's published 2026-27 Academic Schedule A, which most programs follow and which is built from 14-week blocks with September, January and May starts. Not every program admits in every term, and the intakes above are the ones this program's page lists for the 2026-27 year; check the program page before applying, because an intake already under way may be closed.
Application Deadline:DOMESTIC APPLICANTS (Canadian citizens and permanent residents). Cambrian publishes no deadline that belongs to this program alone; what follows is the college-wide Ontario colleges cycle plus Cambrian's own term cut-offs, and it applies to every full-time program. Apply at ontariocolleges.ca. Applications received there by 1 February are given equal consideration - they are assessed together, and Ontario residents are preferred where a program is oversubscribed. After 1 February applications are handled first-come, first-served for as long as seats remain, and your file is judged on what has reached the Admissions Office by the transcript submission deadline. For entry in Fall 2027 the provincial cycle runs as follows: the ontariocolleges.ca application opened on 26 September 2026, colleges may issue offers from 1 November 2026, the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027, an offer must be accepted by 1 May 2027, and tuition deposits fall in June 2027 on each college's own date.
COLLEGE-WIDE LAST DAY TO APPLY. Separately from the equal consideration date, Cambrian's 2026-27 Academic Schedule A sets a hard last day to apply for admission on Day 3 of each term - for this program's intakes that is 10 September 2026 for the fall 2026 start, 13 January 2027 for the winter 2027 start and 12 May 2027 for the spring 2027 start. To begin, all transcripts and documents must already be with the College and you must be ready to pay the deposit and start classes by Day 5 (14 September 2026, 15 January 2027 or 14 May 2027). The schedule prints this as an all-programs date and does not distinguish domestic from international applicants. The non-refundable deposit is due 15 June 2026 for the september start, 16 November 2026 for the january start and 16 February 2027 for the may start.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS. Do not use the domestic ontariocolleges.ca form: apply on the OCAS international service (Cambrian's college code is CAMB, up to three program choices), or have an authorised agent file for you in Cambrian's own application portal. The 1 February equal consideration date is part of the domestic Ontario colleges cycle and Cambrian publishes no closing date of its own for international applicants; files are assessed individually as they arrive. Cambrian does say that some programs fill faster than others and advises acting early, and that the letter of acceptance carries an expiry date past which no student may enrol. Once the offer is accepted and fees are paid you need an Ontario Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) before you can apply for a study permit, so leave time for that step.
