Patient Care Assistant | alliedhealthcareinst

Career Information

Patient care assistants perform a number of tasks, such as taking vital signs, assisting with daily living activities, observing patients and charting changes in their health or behavior, escorting patients and obtaining lab specimens. They may work in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics or other health care settings.

They are supervised by a registered nurse or other medical professional, but usually provide direct care to patients. Assistants who work in a hospital, nursing home or other medical facility may perform administrative tasks in addition to their clinical duties and be required to hold the CNA credential.

Personal care assistants may also be referred to as personal care aides or home health aides.

Employment Outlook and Salary Info

The BLS predicts that employment for personal care aides will grow by 26% between 2014 and 2024, while 38% growth is expected for home health aides. Both of these figures represent much faster growth than in most other job sectors. During this time, a growing elderly population and the desire for in-home care should be the primary drivers of employment. The median salary for personal care aides in 2015 was $20,980, while home health aides made a median salary of $21,920 per year.

The overall term that includes both personal care aides and home health aides is 'patient care assistant'. Salaries and projected job growth for these two jobs vary slightly, but both fields are expected to grow very quickly in the next ten years. Educational requirements can be completed at the college or community college level, and some supervised training is also usually necessary.