532 Personal Care Workers in Health Services

Health care assistants provide direct personal care and assistance with activities of daily living to patients and residents in a variety of health care settings such as hospitals, clinics and residential nursing care facilities. They generally work in implementation of established care plans and practices, and under the direct supervision of medical, nursing or other health professionals or associate professionals. Tasks include - (a) providing care, support and treatment to patients and residents of medical, rehabilitative and residential care facilities according to treatment plans established by medical, nursing and other health professionals; (b) assisting patients with personal and therapeutic care needs such as personal hygiene, feeding, dressing, physical mobility and exercise, communication, taking oral medications and changing dressings; (c) positioning, lifting and turning patients and transporting them in wheelchairs or on movable beds; (d) maintaining patients’ environmental hygiene standards, such as cleaning patient rooms and changing bed linen; (e) providing massage and other non-pharmacological pain relief measures, such as during pregnancy and labour; (f) observing patients’ condition, responses and behaviour and reporting changes to a health professional. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Birth assistant (clinic or hospital) - Nursing aide (clinic or hospital) - Patient care assistant - Psychiatric aid Some related occupations classified elsewhere: - Nurse (professional) - 2221 - Nurse (associate professional) - 3221 - Ambulance worker - 3258 - Nursing aide (home) - 5322 Notes Workers who provide personal care to residents of institutions and facilities that have permanent medical or nursing supervision (such as hospitals, rehabilitation centres, residential nursing care facilities and nursing homes), and therefore work under the direct supervision of nurses, medical doctors, or other health professionals or associate professionals, are classified in Unit Group 5321: Health Care Assistants. Workers who provide personal care to residents of independent living units, generally without permanent medical or nursing supervision, should be classified in Unit Group 5322: Home-based Personal Care Workers. In general, workers classified in Minor Group 532: Personal Care Workers in Health Services do not perform tasks requiring extensive medical knowledge or training, such as administering medications and cleaning and dressing wounds: where tasks of this type are performed they are of a simple and routine nature.

Home-based personal care workers provide routine personal care and assistance with activities of daily living to persons who are in need of such care due to effects of ageing, illness, injury, or other physical or mental conditions, in private homes and other independent residential settings. Tasks include - (a) assisting clients with personal and therapeutic care needs such as personal hygiene, feeding, dressing, physical mobility and exercise, communication, taking oral medications and changing dressings, usually according to care plans established by a health professional; (b) maintaining records of client care, changes in condition and responses to care and treatment, and reporting concerns or providing referrals to a health or social services professional; (c) positioning and lifting clients with physical mobility challenges, and helping transport them in wheelchairs and motor vehicles; (d) providing clients and families with emotional support, information and advice on topics such as nutrition, hygiene, exercise, caring for infants or adapting to disability or illness; (e) maintaining clients’ environmental hygiene standards, such as changing bed linen, washing clothes and dishes, and cleaning living quarters; (f) providing psychological support to clients such as through conversation or reading aloud; (g) planning, purchasing, preparing or serving meals to meet nutritional requirements and prescribed diets; (h) providing support to parents and care for newborns during the postpartum period; (i) scheduling and accompanying clients for appointments with medical doctors and other health professionals, or performing other errands. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Home birth assistant - Home care aide - Nursing aide (home) - Personal care provider Some related occupations classified elsewhere: - Nurse (professional) - 2221 - Social worker (professional) - 2635 - Nurse (associate professional) - 3221 - Social worker (associate professional) - 3412 - Nursing aide (clinic or hospital) - 5321 Notes Workers who provide personal care to residents of medical and health care facilities that have permanent medical or nursing supervision (such as in hospitals and nursing care homes), and therefore work under the direct supervision of health professionals or associate professionals, are classified in Unit Group 5321: Health Care Assistants. Workers who provide personal care in independent residential settings (including retirement communities with minimal or no on-site medical or nursing supervision) are classified in Unit Group 5322: Home-based Personal Care Workers. Home birth assistants, who provide emotional support and general care and advice to women and families during pregnancy and labour, but not delivery care to reduce health risks, are included here. Care workers who provide care and supervision for children in residential homes and care centres are classified in Unit Group 5311: Child Care Workers.

This unit group covers providers of routine health and personal care support services not classified elsewhere in Minor Group 532: Personal Care Workers in Health Services. For instance, the group includes occupations such as dental aid, sterilization aid, hospital orderly, medical imaging assistant, and pharmacy aid. In such cases tasks would include - (a) cleaning and sterilizing surgical, dental and pharmaceutical instruments, bottles, beakers and other equipment; (b) labelling drugs, chemicals and other pharmaceutical preparations and replenishing stock on shelves; (c) lifting, turning and moving patients and transporting them in wheelchairs or on moveable beds; (d) preparing patients for examination or treatment; (e) setting up instrument trays, preparing materials, and assisting dentists or radiographers during procedures; (f) exposing diagnostic X-rays. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Dental aide - First aid attendant - Hospital orderly - Medical imaging assistant - Pharmacy aide - Phlebotomist - Sterilization aide Some related occupations classified elsewhere: - Pharmaceutical assistant - 3213 - Dental technician - 3214 - Dental assistant - 3251.