Example Career: Personal Care Aides

Career Description

Assist the elderly, convalescents, or persons with disabilities with daily living activities at the person's home or in a care facility. Duties performed at a place of residence may include keeping house (making beds, doing laundry, washing dishes) and preparing meals. May provide assistance at non-residential care facilities. May advise families, the elderly, convalescents, and persons with disabilities regarding such things as nutrition, cleanliness, and household activities.

What Job Titles Personal Care Aides Might Have

• Caregiver
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Home Care Aide
• Personal Care Aide

What Personal Care Aides Do

• Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
• Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor.
• Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists.
• Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services.
• Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles.
• Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands.
• Instruct or advise clients on issues such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.
• Plan, shop for, or prepare nutritious meals or assist families in planning, shopping for, or preparing nutritious meals.
• Transport clients to locations outside the home, such as to physicians' offices or on outings, using a motor vehicle.
• Provide clients with communication assistance, typing their correspondence or obtaining information for them.
• Train family members to provide bedside care.

What Personal Care Aides Should Be Good At

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

What Personal Care Aides Should Be Interested In

• Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

What Personal Care Aides Need to Learn

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.