Below is a list of our most FAQs from students across Canada and beyond. If you cannot find an answer to your question, please feel free to contact us.

I WANT TO TAKE ONE OF YOUR COURSES. WHERE CAN I APPLY?

You can find a list of our Member colleges and the types of programs they offer on our website here.

You can search by category keywords (e.g. Trades, Healthcare, Technology) to see the categories of programs that our Members offer. You will have to contact any college you are interested in directly to discuss their programs.

I LOST MY CERTIFICATE AND I NEED A REPLACEMENT. WHERE CAN I GET ONE?

As of December 1, 2022 we are now offering Digital Credentials to replace a lost or damaged previously issued certificate. You can complete an order form on our website here. Once everything is reviewed and an invoice paid ($56.50 CAD) you will receive your new digital credential.

If you don’t have all of the items outlined on the order form, still get in contact us at mcomeau@nacc.ca so we can review everything together. 

I LOST MY TRANSCRIPT AND NEED A REPLACEMENT. WHERE CAN I GET ONE?

NACC does not have access to student’s transcripts and therefore does not have a copy of them in our database. We advise that you first contact the college you graduated from to request a copy of your transcript. 

If the school you graduated from has since closed, you may still be able to obtain a copy of your transcript. As of roughly 2005, it was mandatory for RCCs (Regulated Career Colleges) in Ontario to submit a copy of all transcripts to a Transcript Vendor. To view a list of Transcript Vendors and their contact details, please view our Transcript Vendor contact sheet here

I HAVE A CERTIFICATE / DIPLOMA IN ANOTHER HEALTHCARE FIELD AND I WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A PSW. HOW CAN I TRANSITION TO BECOME A PSW?

You may be eligible to take one of our PSW Bridging courses, which is designed for persons with prior Certificate and/or Diploma and/or Degree in:

  • Health Care Aide – Canadian Graduate
  • Home Support Worker – Canadian Graduate
  • Personal Support Worker – Canadian Graduate
  • Nurse or Registered Nurse – Domestic or Foreign Trained with Degree in Nursing
  • Practical Nurse: Registered Practical Nurse (RPN); Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) – Domestic or Foreign Trained

You would need to contact one of our member colleges to speak with about being eligible to take the PSW Bridging course. 

There is a list of our member colleges on our website here. From here, you can type “PSW Bridging” in the NACC Curriculum field to see which colleges in your area offer the PSW Bridging course. 

You will need to contact colleges you are interested in directly to discuss the programs.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PSW CERTIFICATE / DIPLOMA I HAVE AND NACC’s CURRICULUM?

There are different PSW programs running in different colleges. Both public and private colleges submit programs to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) for approval before they can be taught at their respective college. All programs are developed using the standards set out by the MTCU and the Ministry of Health and they approve them based on what the college submits for approval. 

Students taking a PSW program and successfully passing all modules and exams will receive a certificate from their college. The NACC program is a program made up of 700 hours including theory and practicum, and has a final exam of 2.5 hours in length that tests the students on all components of the program in detail. The NACC program is recognized in the community as a high standard program. Only NACC Member colleges can purchase the program from NACC and run it at their college. We do regular audits to make sure the standards are being met at each college on a regular basis. 

As the profession of Personal Support Worker is an unregulated profession, it is up the hiring company to make their own standards as to what qualifications they want from the people they employ. If an employer is asking for an NACC certificate, it is because they know that you graduated from an NACC program and this is the standard of employee they want at their facility. 

In order to obtain an NACC PSW certificate, you need to enroll in one of our Member colleges that offer the NACC PSW program. You cannot just take the final exam. As a PSW, you would qualify for our PSW Bridging program. This program was designed for people that have taken a PSW program and have a PSW certificate. It is shorter in time, because you already have knowledge of the components of the program. Colleges that offer the PSW Bridging program can be located on our website here.

I’M LOOKING TO ATTEND A COLLEGE THAT CAN GRANT ME A POST GRADUATE WORK PERMIT. WHERE CAN I APPLY?

We are working hard on making this accessible to all Regulated Career Colleges across Canada.