About This Career

Monitors the health status of an individual with disabilities or illness, and addresses their health-related needs, such as changing bandages, dressing wounds, or administering medication. Work is performed under the direction of offsite or intermittent onsite licensed nursing staff. Provides assistance with routine healthcare tasks or activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, toileting, or ambulation. May also help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry depending on the patient's abilities.

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

A person in this career:

• Maintains records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager.
• Provides patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming.
• Bathes patients.
• Cares for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
• Entertains, converses with, or reads aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
• Plans, purchases, prepares, or serves meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets.
• Checks patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration.
• Provides patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness.
• Performs a variety of duties as requested by client, such as obtaining household supplies or running errands.
• Directs patients in simple prescribed exercises or in the use of braces or artificial limbs.

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
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Weekend work