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Personal support worker education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Usually, personal support workers don't need a college education. The most common degree for personal support workers is bachelor's degree with 46% graduates, with only 17% personal support worker graduates earning associate degree. Personal support workers who decided to graduate from college often finish Illinois State University or University of Illinois at Chicago. Some good skills to have in this position include cpr, meal preparation and home health.

Popular personal support worker certifications include Medical Assistant, First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor, or Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS). To improve personal support worker qualification and skills, we prepared some online courses to help in personal support worker education paths.

What education do you need to become a personal support worker?

What degree do you need to be a personal support worker?

The most common degree for personal support workers is bachelor's degree, with 46% of personal support workers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 17% and associate degree degree at 17%.
  • Bachelor's, 46%
  • Associate, 17%
  • High School Diploma, 17%
  • Diploma, 8%
  • Other Degrees, 12%

What should I major in to become a personal support worker?

You should major in psychology to become a personal support worker. 15% of personal support workers major in psychology. Other common majors for a personal support worker include business and nursing.

Best majors for personal support workers

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology15.2%
2Business14.3%
3Nursing8.0%
4Criminal Justice6.1%
5General Studies5.5%

20 best online courses for personal support workers

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1. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

2. Introduction to Technical Support

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Technical Support professionals are in great demand! This is the first course in the IBM IT Support Professional Certificate program, designed to prepare you for a rewarding career in technical support. You will begin this self-paced course by learning what Informational Technology (IT) support is all about. You'll find out the roles and responsibilities of Technical Support professionals and become familiar with all the different career paths you can take in Technical Support. You will also...

3. IT Support Technical Skills Bootcamp

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4. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

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5. Palliative Care Always Capstone Course

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The Palliative Care Always Capstone course is designed to let you test your knowledge about palliative and help others understand the value of palliative care, while showing your creative side. In this course, you will impact community awareness about palliative care, promote self-care and wellness, show-off your communication skills in a virtual environment, and finish the course off by proving your thoughts on ways to offer psychosocial support to a patient and family...

6. Network Support Fundamentals

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Dive into the realm of network support with the Network Support Fundamentals course. This online course is meticulously designed to introduce you to the essential skills needed for supporting enterprise networks - one of the most in-demand skill sets in the digital landscape. By the end of this course you will be able to explain network security basics, monitor network performance, and provide essential professional support. Ideal for beginners aiming for an entry-level IT career or current IT...

7. IT Support Technical Skills Helpdesk

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8. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

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Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

9. Customer Service Fundamentals

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There are a growing number of exciting, well-paying jobs in today’s tech industry that do not require a traditional college degree, an one of the hottest areas with high demand is in IT customer service and support. Customer Service is a perfect entry point to start your career in IT, with a multitude of job openings ranging from onsite or remote help desk work to customer care or client support. We can help you get there with the Customer Service Fundamentals course. We will help you to build...

10. Healthcare IT Support

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Are you looking to get your foot in the door as a Healthcare IT Support specialist? Do you want to solve technical problems for healthcare professionals and health system employees? Have you always wanted to enter an in-demand field in Health Information Technology? The courses in this specialization are designed to pique your interest regarding the ever-evolving field of IT support in healthcare. In order to help physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and a wide range of other allied health...

11. IT & Technical Support Guide to Helpdesk, Desktop & Servers

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12. Desktop IT Support Level 1 & 2 in real life (Troubleshooting

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Learn everything in real life Troubleshooting for IT Help Desk , Helpdesk , IT Support , System Administration and IT...

13. The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare

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This is a very exciting time to be exploring a career in Health IT Support! In this introductory course, you’ll learn about various roles in IT support that are common in healthcare. IT support staff play critical roles in many different healthcare venues. In addition to helping clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms, you may end up providing support in a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, virtual care setting, or even a patient’s home! On any given day, you may interact...

14. IBM IT Support

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Prepare for an in-demand career in Information Technology (IT). In this program, you’ll develop a strong foundation in IT fundamentals, networking, cybersecurity, and cloud computing to get job-ready in as little as 3 months, with no prior experience or degree needed to get started.\n\nAlmost every organization, business, or individual relies on technology. A career in IT Support is about providing technological assistance to better optimize organizational efficiency. This can include...

15. Computer Network Fundamentals- IT Helpdesk & Desktop Support

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Learn the basic fundamentals of computer networking & OSI model for desktop support and IT service desk technicians...

16. Supporting Employees with Disabilities

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17. IT Support and Service Desk jobs -Crash Course for Beginners

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18. Zendesk for Customer Service Agents Training Course

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19. IT service operations and Service Desk management

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20. Complete Personal Development Personal Transformation Course

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Average personal support worker salary by education level

According to our data, personal support workers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $40,271 annually. Personal support workers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $39,584.
Personal support worker education levelPersonal support worker salary
Master's Degree$40,271
High School Diploma or Less$37,975
Bachelor's Degree$39,584
Some College/ Associate Degree$39,139

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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