PSW Resume Example: 7 Samples for Personal Support Workers
By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published · Updated
8 min read
A PSW resume example that gets interviews shows four things in the top third of the page: your PSW certificate, the setting you work in, how many residents or clients you care for on a shift, and the shifts you can take. Everything else supports those four lines. The duty wording below comes from the federal occupation profile for personal support workers, NOC 44101, and the resume advice from Job Bank, both checked in October 2026. Seven complete PSW resume samples follow, from a new graduate to a team lead. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, a qualified care worker who has hired care staff and been hired as one.
Every PSW resume says "compassionate". So does every greeting card. The scheduler reading yours wants to know whether you can do a full morning care run on a unit of 30 without falling behind, and whether you can start on nights next week.
The new graduate sample comes first, because it is the PSW resume most people are writing right now.
New graduate PSW, entry level, after a long-term care placement (123 words)
Personal Support Worker Certificate, Fanshawe College, London ON. Completed 2026
Clinical placement, Riverbend Long-Term Care Home, London ON. 300 hours
- Provided morning and evening care for 8 residents on a secure dementia unit under the direction of a registered practical nurse. - Assisted with bathing, dressing, toileting and oral care, using a two-person transfer and a mechanical lift as the care plan required. - Fed and assisted 4 residents at meals, including modified texture diets, and recorded food and fluid intake. - Documented care in PointClickCare at the end of every shift. - Reported changes in skin, mood and appetite to the nurse the same shift.
Certifications: Standard First Aid and CPR Level C, Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA), safe food handling.
What a PSW does, in the words employers copy
The federal occupation profile for this work, NOC 44101 Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations, lists "Personal support worker - home support" among its titles. Its duties read: "Administer bedside and personal care to clients such as aid in ambulation, bathing, personal hygiene, and dressing and undressing" and "Plan and prepare meals and special diets, and feed or assist in feeding clients."
It also lists the delegated work that separates a strong PSW resume from a weak one: "May perform routine health-related duties such as changing non-sterile dressings, assisting in the administration of medications and collecting specimens under the general direction of home care agency supervisor or nurse."
Do not paste those lines onto your resume. They describe the job, not you. Your version adds who, how many and which tool: 8 residents, a mechanical lift, PointClickCare, a modified texture diet.
Put the certificate and the shifts at the top
Ontario's become a personal support worker page says that "Training involves classroom learning and a clinical placement. Some certificate programs can be completed in as little as 5 months, others take up to 8 months." That means the scheduler expects to see the certificate, the school and the placement hours. Put them under your name, not at the bottom of page two.
The profile's employment requirements are short: "First aid certification may be required" and "Completion of a training program in care of the elderly, care of persons with disabilities, convalescent care or in a related field may be required." Name both, with the level of CPR.
Then add one line with your availability: days, evenings, nights, weekends, full time or part time, and whether you drive. Home and community care agencies schedule by geography, so a driver's licence and a car belong on that line.
Six more PSW resume samples, by setting and level
Long-term care PSW, mid level, four years (106 words)
Personal Support Worker, Maple Court Long-Term Care, Mississauga ON. 2022 to present
- Provide full personal care for 10 to 12 residents per shift on a 32-bed unit, days and evenings. - Complete mechanical lift and sit-to-stand transfers safely, and train new staff on the lift checklist. - Reposition residents at risk of pressure injuries every two hours and record it on the turning schedule. - Assist residents at meals, including thickened fluids and pureed diets, and record intake for the nurse. - Support residents with responsive behaviours using Gentle Persuasive Approaches. - Chart all care and observations in PointClickCare before the end of each shift.
Home and community care PSW, mid level (102 words)
Personal Support Worker, Lakeside Home Care, Barrie ON. 2021 to present
- Visit 7 to 9 clients a day in their homes across Barrie and Innisfil, using my own vehicle. - Provide bathing, dressing, toileting and mobility help to the care plan for each client. - Prepare meals and special diets, including diabetic and low-sodium menus. - Assist clients with medications from blister packs under the direction of the agency nurse. - Do light housekeeping, laundry and grocery runs for clients who live alone. - Report falls, missed medications or changes in condition to the care coordinator by phone the same visit.
Hospital PSW, mid level, acute medicine (91 words)
Personal Support Worker, Lakeshore General Hospital, Kingston ON. 2023 to present
- Support a team of nurses on a 36-bed acute medicine unit with personal care, mobility and meals. - Take and record vital signs, blood glucose readings and intake and output for the nurse to review. - Collect urine and stool specimens and send them to the lab with the correct labels. - Help with patient transfers and early mobility after surgery, using slider sheets and ceiling lifts. - Keep rooms stocked and clean between admissions to cut turnaround time.
Retirement home PSW, entry level, part time (80 words)
Personal Support Worker (part time), Willow Gardens Retirement Residence, Ottawa ON. 2025 to present
- Provide morning care and medication reminders to 15 residents on the assisted living floor. - Help residents to meals and activities, and join the recreation team for afternoon programs. - Answer call bells promptly and check on residents during evening rounds. - Record care and observations in the residence charting system and report changes to the nurse.
Availability: evenings and weekends, open to nights.
Career changer PSW, entry level, from retail (98 words)
Personal Support Worker Certificate, Seneca Polytechnic, Toronto ON. Completed 2026, placement in long-term care
Customer Service Lead, Northway Pharmacy, Toronto ON. 2019 to 2025
- Served a steady stream of older customers at the pharmacy counter, including help with mobility aids and home health products. - Trained six new staff on the till and on service standards. - Handled complaints calmly and passed medication questions straight to the pharmacist.
Summary line: Newly certified PSW with six years of customer service and a long-term care placement, looking for full-time day or evening shifts in long-term care or retirement living.
Senior PSW and team lead, ten years (101 words)
Personal Support Worker, Team Lead, Cedar Ridge Long-Term Care, Hamilton ON. 2018 to present
- Lead a team of 6 PSWs on a 40-bed unit, assigning residents at the start of each shift. - Orient new PSWs and students on placement, covering lifts, charting and the unit routine. - Act as the link between PSWs and the registered staff at huddles, and flag residents whose care needs have changed. - Audit the turning and bathing schedules weekly and fix gaps before the nurse manager's review. - Hold Standard First Aid and CPR Level C, GPA, and a palliative care course certificate.
The PSW resume layout that works in Canada
Use one page if you have under five years of experience and two if you have more. Order: name and contact, a two-line summary, certificate and certifications, experience, then education and languages.
Job Bank's resume advice is clear about the personal details Canadian employers do not want: "It is best to leave out any personal details such as age, weight, height, marital status, religious preference, political views, or any other personal attributes that could be controversial." On photos it says "it is not the norm in Canada." Leave both off.
It also says "Your job duties will be obvious from your job title." Every PSW bathes, dresses and feeds residents. Write the number, the setting and the equipment instead, and keep each job to five to seven bullets, which Job Bank also recommends.
If you speak a second language, put it in the summary. When a home or agency serves residents who speak French, Punjabi, Tagalog or Cantonese, a scheduler notices that line.
PSW skills to list
Hard skills first, by name: mechanical lifts and sit-to-stand transfers, bathing and peri care, feeding and modified diets, vital signs, specimen collection, PointClickCare or the charting system you used, dementia care, palliative care and infection control. Soft skills belong in the bullets as evidence. "Patient" is a claim; "supported residents with responsive behaviours using GPA" is proof.
For the summary lines above the experience, the resume summary examples show the two-sentence shape, and the resume skills guide shows where the hard skills line sits. If an interview follows, the support worker interview questions cover the scenario questions PSWs get. Moving up to nursing later, the licensed practical nurse guide shows what changes on the page. For the covering note, the Canadian cover letter sample uses the same plain register. The home health aide resume and the caregiver resume are close cousins if a posting uses those titles.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a PSW resume with no experience?
Lead with your PSW certificate, the school and your clinical placement, then write the placement as a job: the setting, how many residents you cared for, the equipment you used and how you charted. Add first aid and CPR, any training such as GPA, and earlier jobs that show reliability and service.
What should a PSW resume include?
Your name and contact, a two-line summary, your PSW certificate with placement hours, first aid and CPR level, experience bullets with resident or client numbers, the equipment and charting system you used, your languages and your availability. Leave out photos, age and marital status, as Job Bank advises.
What are good skills for a personal support worker resume?
Mechanical lifts and safe transfers, bathing and personal care, feeding and modified diets, vital signs, specimen collection, dementia care with GPA, palliative care, infection control and charting in PointClickCare or a similar system. Name the exact tools and training, because postings search for them by name.
Should a PSW resume have an objective or a summary?
A summary. Two sentences: your certificate and years, the setting you work in, and the shifts you want. A new graduate can write "Newly certified PSW with a 300-hour long-term care placement, available for evenings and weekends." That tells the scheduler more than an objective about wanting to help people.
How long should a PSW resume be?
One page for most PSWs, especially new graduates. Two pages are fine after about five years or if you have worked in several settings. Keep five to seven bullets per job and cut duties that every PSW shares.
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