Personal Care Aides

Overview

Personal Care Aides has a national median salary of $35,800 per year, with +18.1% projected job growth from 2025–2035. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation.

Description

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.

Work Values

• Relationships
• Support
• Achievement

Work Styles

Responsibilities

Tasks

• 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.
• 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.
• Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services.

Work Activities

• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Getting Information
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Training and Teaching Others
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Communicating with People Outside the Organization
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work

Detailed Work Activities

• Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Performing general physical activities includes doing activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
• Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

T-A-S-K

Technology, Abilities, Skills & Knowledge

Education

Education Levels of Current Workers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical education needed to enter this occupation. The chart below shows the highest level of education held by people already working in this field, ages 25 and older. It includes workers who earned more education than the job requires and workers who entered the field under earlier requirements, so the largest bar is not the entry requirement. For example, if someone finished a bachelor's degree and then started working in this field, they are counted under “Bachelor's degree” here, but the job itself typically asks for a high school diploma or equivalent.

Certificates

Certifications applicable to Personal Care Aides:

Video Resources