Training

DEP in personal assistance: the program is replaced by DEP 5405

DEP 5358 (870 hours) is replaced by DEP 5405 (705 hours). Competencies, admission, $12,000 bursary: what the official sources say.

October 10, 2026 · Lire en français

Training

The DEP in Assistance à la personne en établissement et à domicile (personal assistance in institutions and at home) trained patient care attendants for several years. It has now been replaced. Here is what the official sources say about the former program, the one that succeeds it and the 2026-2027 bursary.

A program replaced by DEP 5405

Inforoute FPT, the official directory of vocational training, states on the program 5358 page that a new version exists: program 5405, Soutien aux services d'assistance en établissement de santé et de services sociaux. The 5405 page carries the note "Programme implanté en 2025" (program introduced in 2025).

The MSSS (Quebec's Department of Health and Social Services) confirms this in its 2026-2027 bursary description sheet. The 4270 AEP (attestation of vocational studies) is being gradually converted into DEP 5405. This conversion leads to the withdrawal of DEP 5358. Only one program is offered for this job title as of January 2026.

Any text that presents DEP 5358 as the current way in is therefore out of date.

DEP 5358 in numbers

	DEP 5358 (former)	DEP 5405 (current)
Name	Assistance à la personne en établissement et à domicile	Soutien aux services d'assistance en établissement de santé et de services sociaux
Length	870 hours, about 11 months	705 hours, about 7 months
Units	58	47
Competencies	15	14

Source: Inforoute FPT, pages for programs 5358 and 5405, consulted on October 10, 2026.

According to Inforoute FPT, it was approved in 2017 and amended in 2018.

The 15 competencies of DEP 5358

Understand the profession and the training process
Establish a helping relationship
Use relational approaches with clients who have cognitive or mental health problems and neurodevelopmental disorders
Determine how to intervene in relation to the needs of clients with physical illnesses and disabilities
Support clients in everyday situations
Prevent infection and contamination
Provide assistance care related to activities of daily living
Deal with risk situations
Intervene with clients who need assistance care at home or in a substitute living environment
Deal with family, social and cultural realities
Assist clients receiving end-of-life palliative care
Apply rules and procedures for administering medication and invasive assistance care related to activities of daily living
Provide assistance care related to the clients' clinical situation
Give first aid
Intervene with clients who need short-term assistance care

The longest, on assistance care related to activities of daily living, has 120 hours.

The trades covered

According to Inforoute FPT, the program prepares students for the trade of patient care attendant. The page also names the job title of health and social services auxiliary, the home support trade. DEP 5405 covers the same two job titles, according to the sheet from the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.

The salary scales are in our article on the patient care attendant salary.

Admission requirements

Inforoute FPT shows the same conditions for both programs. You only need to meet one:

Hold a secondary school diploma, its recognized equivalent or a higher education diploma
Be at least 16 years old on September 30 of the school year in which training begins and have earned the Secondary 3 credits in language of instruction, second language and mathematics
Be at least 18 years old when training begins and have the functional prerequisites, meaning a pass on the general development test and the specific prerequisites

The internship

The DEP 5358 page on Inforoute FPT mentions no internship. The DEP 5405 page ends with a 75-hour workplace integration competency, in long-term care, short-term care, critical care or home care.

Where the program is given

On inforoutefpt.org, search for number 5405 or 5358. Each program page lists the centres by region, with groups and their start dates. On October 10, 2026, the 5358 page mostly shows recognition of prior learning and competencies groups. The 5405 page shows daytime groups, including one in Montreal that started on October 6, 2026.

You apply on admissionfp.com. The other ways in are in our article on patient care attendant training.

Financial aid

According to Québec.ca, in a page updated on July 29, 2026, the study bursary for patient care attendants and health and social services auxiliaries is worth up to $12,000 in 2026-2027. It is for DEP 5405 students. Students in DEP 5358 and AEP 4270 are eligible if their training began on or after July 1, 2025.

The description sheet from the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux announces 1,150 bursaries of $12,000 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The conditions:

Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and live in Quebec
Be admitted to the program at a school recognized by the Ministère de l'Éducation
Be selected by an eligible institution and obtain a confirmation of hiring
Work at least one year in an eligible institution after graduating

A person who does not keep their commitment may have to repay up to $8,000. The $4,000 paid at graduation is not repayable.

The Aide financière aux études loans and bursaries program also covers vocational training, according to Québec.ca.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the PAB DEP?

It is the diploma of vocational studies that leads to the patient care attendant trade. Since 2025, it is DEP 5405, Soutien aux services d'assistance en établissement de santé et de services sociaux. It replaces DEP 5358, Assistance à la personne en établissement et à domicile.

How long is the training to become a patient care attendant?

According to Inforoute FPT, DEP 5405 lasts 705 hours, about 7 months. The former DEP 5358 lasted 870 hours, about 11 months.