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Personal Care Aide

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All About Personal Care Aides

Job 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.

Daily Life Of a Personal Care Aide

  • Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client’s needs and plan for continuing services.
  • Transport clients to locations outside the home, such as to physicians’ offices or on outings, using a motor vehicle.
  • Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
  • Train family members to provide bedside care.
  • Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists.
  • Instruct or advise clients on issues such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.

Things a Personal Care Aide Should Know How to Do

When polled, Personal Care Aides say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.

Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Types of Personal Care Aide Jobs

  • Geriatric Aide
  • Resident Assistant
  • Direct Support Staff Member
  • Home Care Aide
  • Direct Care Staffer

Are There Job Opportunities for Personal Care Aides?

In the United States, there were 2,016,100 jobs for Personal Care Aide in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 38.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 777,700 new jobs for Personal Care Aide by 2026. The BLS estimates 414,300 yearly job openings in this field.

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The states with the most job growth for Personal Care Aide are Virginia, Arizona, and Utah. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Maryland, or Pennsylvania. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Do Personal Care Aides Make A Lot Of Money?

Personal Care Aides make between $18,740 and $31,650 a year.

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Personal Care Aides who work in Alaska, North Dakota, or District of Columbia, make the highest salaries.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Personal Care Aides in different U.S. states.

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $19,250
Alaska $33,840
Arizona $24,440
Arkansas $21,390
California $27,210
Colorado $26,410
Connecticut $27,300
Delaware $23,840
District of Columbia $30,440
Florida $23,390
Georgia $22,540
Hawaii $27,530
Idaho $22,970
Illinois $24,600
Indiana $22,830
Iowa $25,050
Kansas $21,920
Kentucky $25,740
Louisiana $19,300
Maine $25,490
Maryland $26,910
Massachusetts $29,080
Michigan $24,230
Minnesota $26,260
Mississippi $20,800
Missouri $23,020
Montana $24,250
Nebraska $26,230
Nevada $23,580
New Hampshire $26,900
New Jersey $29,890
New Mexico $21,020
New York $27,640
North Carolina $21,660
North Dakota $32,890
Ohio $23,530
Oklahoma $20,270
Oregon $26,980
Pennsylvania $24,880
Rhode Island $27,190
South Carolina $20,990
South Dakota $24,400
Tennessee $21,060
Texas $19,960
Utah $25,740
Vermont $30,750
Virginia $21,240
Washington $29,140
West Virginia $20,760
Wisconsin $24,250
Wyoming $26,780

What Tools & Technology do Personal Care Aides Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Personal Care Aides may use on a daily basis:

  • Email software
  • Word processing software
  • Spreadsheet software
  • MEDITECH software

How to Become a Personal Care Aide

What education is needed to be a Personal Care Aide?

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What work experience do I need to become a Personal Care Aide?

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Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Those interested in being a Personal Care Aide may also be interested in:

Career changers with experience as a Personal Care Aide sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

Image Credit: Sgt. Courtney Richardson, 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs via Public domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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