Sheridan College’s new Living Classroom at Erin Meadows training the new generation of PSWs
The full spectrum of student experience was on display when Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, The Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, stopped by the Village of Erin Meadows in Mississauga. She’d come to meet Sheridan College’s first Personal Support Worker students to train in the Village’s recently minted Living Classroom, and she also connected with leadership team members from the Village who graduated from Sheridan more than 20 years before.
“Think about the future,” the minister told the group of PSW students standing before their desks in the lab, surrounded by the simulation beds that represent the first steps of their training. “Think about all the different opportunities you could have while working in long-term care.” She spoke of ongoing education and the possibility of working in LTC while upgrading skills to become a Registered Practical Nurse, and she spoke of the great need within the province for dedicated, knowledgeable healthcare professionals.
It was a message that resonated with Kiara Sousa-Almeida, a keen student who said she plans on taking that exact path into a nursing career.
“I’m feeling very enthusiastic about the program,” Kiara said. “We’re being taught very well by our professors; they’re putting in a lot of time and effort in teaching us the proper skills we need and they go beyond what we should know, which is very helpful.”
Her fellow student, Gokul Nath Suresh added that they’ve enjoyed opportunities in their first weeks to hear directly from residents about their lived experience, and the class is looking forward to spending more time in the Village neighbourhoods with residents in the coming weeks.
That interaction between student, resident and team member and the opportunity to experience the culture of true resident-centred care is what makes the Living Classroom model so special.
“Thanks to the partnership between Schlegel Villages and Sheridan College, a new generation of PSWs will be trained with real world experience while learning the skills and knowledge they need,” said Minister Kusendova-Bashta.
A generation before, Sami Kermani and Chi Adwah were also Sheridan students in different cohorts of the Social Service Worker/Gerontology program. Upon graduation, they joined Erin Meadows and are now long-standing leadership team members – Sami as the Director of Recreation and Chi as the Resident Support Coordinator.
As Minister Kusendova-Bashta walked along Main Street in the Village, she had the opportunity to hear about Chi and Sami’s experience serving in long-term care for more than 20 years each.
Sami reflected on forging a new life in Canada, and the decision she made to work with seniors and study at Sheridan College.
“To me, it seems that I went into a dark room and Sheridan turned all the lights on so I could see different paths, different rooms and what I could do,” Sami explained. “I always wanted to be a social worker and I’ve always loved seniors.”
As a new Canadian, Chi also chose to return to school when she arrived in Mississauga, “and there I found my passion,” she said.
It’s the same passion students in the Living Classroom displayed earlier, and the passion needed to nurture a workforce of healthcare professionals that can meet the demands of and aging population.
