Personal Care Aides

What the job really is

Provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambulation). May also provide help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry. Work is performed in various settings depending on the needs of the care recipient and may include locations such as their home, place of work, out in the community, or at a daytime nonresidential facility.

At a glance

• Sector: Healthcare Support
• O*NET-SOC code: 31-1122
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 11
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor.
• Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
• 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.
• Instruct or advise clients on issues, such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.
• 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.
• Provide clients with communication assistance, typing their correspondence or obtaining information for them.
• Train family members to provide bedside 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.

Tools and technology

MEDITECH software, Adjustable widemouth pliers, Adjustable wrenches, Alarm systems, Appletree, August Systems Visit Wizard, Automatic blood pressure machines, Back braces, Bed scales, Bedpans, Blood pressure cuffs, Braille printing software

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Home Health Aides
• Nursing Assistants
• Child, Family, and School Social Workers
• Nannies
• Social and Human Service Assistants
• Psychiatric Aides
• Occupational Therapy Aides
• Rehabilitation Counselors

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Personal Care Aides — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.