Special Feature Honouring Personal Support Worker Day

By SLC Communications 

Next Tuesday, May 19 is Personal Support Worker Day in Ontario. In honour of that day, we spoke to Pankti Bakulkumar Trivedi, a student in St. Lawrence College's Personal Support Worker program at Maple View Lodge that started in 2024 as an innovative “living classroom” learning environment and community partnership that benefits the students and residents equally.  

Pankti and her classmates are involved in resident care from day one, which will give them a great head start to their careers. "I didn't pick the SLC PSW program with Maple View Lodge because it was the easiest option," Pankti says. "I picked it because it felt the most real. Maple View Lodge isn't just a placement; it's a place where people live their everyday lives, and that changes how you learn. You're not practicing on paper. You're part of someone's routine, their comfort, and their dignity. That mattered to me."  

That distinction, between simulated learning and lived experience, shapes everything about how the program runs. Students like Pankti are building confidence from the start, inside a working long-term care facility where real relationships form and real skills develop.  

Ask Pankti to name the three best things about the program, and the answers come quickly.  
"First, the hands-on experience. You're not waiting until the end to feel useful; you start building confidence early. Second, the environment. Long-term care teaches you patience in a way no classroom ever could. You learn how to read people beyond words. And third, the connections. Not just networking in a career sense, but real human connections: with residents, staff, even classmates who are going through the same intense, meaningful experience."  

For anyone considering the program, Pankti has a clear message: show up fully, or don't bother.  
"Don't go into it halfway. This isn't just a checkbox career path. Some days will test your patience, your energy, even your emotions. But if you show up fully, willing to learn, willing to listen, willing to be uncomfortable, you'll come out stronger, and honestly, more grounded as a person. Also, ask questions. The people around you have years of experience, and most are more than willing to share if you're genuinely interested."  

"This kind of work changes how you see people. You stop rushing past moments. You start noticing the small things: a smile, a story, even silence. It sticks with you. And whether you stay in this field long-term or not, that perspective is something you carry forward in every part of life."  

I chose the path where care is lived, not just taught, Where Maple View's halls hold stories time has not forgot. Hands learn gently what no textbook can explain, In patience, presence, and quiet moments of pain. Go in with heart; half effort won't see you through, And you'll leave seeing the world a little more true.  
— Pankti Bakulkumar Trivedi