About This Career

Provides or assists with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Performs duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks.

This career is part of the Health Science cluster Therapeutic Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Turns or repositions bedridden patients.
• Answers patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
• Feeds patients or assists patients to eat or drink.
• Measures and records food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
• Documents or otherwise reports observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
• Provides physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
• Reminds patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
• Reviews patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
• Undresses, washes, and dresses patients who are unable to do so for themselves.
• Observes or examines patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work