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Health Care Aide

Other names for this job

• Health Care Assistant
• Home Support Worker
• Personal Care Attendant
• Support Worker

What do health care aides do?

Health care aides help people who are old or sick. They also help other people. For example, people who can’t feed themselves or dress themselves. Health care aides often work in hospitals and nursing homes. Sometimes they go to people’s homes, too.

What is a health care aide’s work like?

Mona works an 8-hour shift. Her shifts change. Sometimes she works from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sometimes she works from 4 p.m. to midnight. She has to work some weekends and holidays.

Mona stands and moves a lot at her job. She has to push and lift things. For example, she pushes wheelchairs.

She lifts equipment. It can weigh up to 20 kilograms (about 45 pounds).

Mona also helps people get in and out of chairs. She helps them get in and out of bed. She must be careful. She doesn’t want to hurt herself.

Some of the residents don’t want to eat or get out of bed. They aren’t always polite to Mona. She knows how to talk to them. She is patient.

Do you want to be a health care aide?

• You need to be healthy.
• You must like to work with people who are old or sick. You must understand that getting older can be difficult.
• You need to be patient and gentle. You can’t get angry.
• You need to be dependable. For example, you must go to work every day. People depend on you. They can’t take care of themselves.
• You must be able to work alone and with a team.
• You need to be good at planning your time.
• You must be able to decide when you need help. For example, Mona doesn’t want to hurt her back. She needs help to move a heavy person into a chair.
• You must be good at talking with people.
• You must be able to follow rules. For example, some information from your job is confidential (private). You must follow the rules about confidential information.
• You may need a criminal record check.

What education do health care aides need?

• Some health care aides learn on the job.
• You can get a certificate to become a health care aide. You can get this if you already work in this job.
• The certificate program lasts 3 to 6 months. You can take it at many post-secondary schools. You can take it full time or part time.
• Some employers want health care aides to be trained in first aid and food safety.

What can health care aides do in the future?

Health care aides can work in hospitals, nursing homes and other places.

Some health care aides work for companies. The companies send the aides to people’s homes.

Some health care aides learn extra skills. They work with people with special health problems. For example, brain injuries.

Some health care aides with experience become supervisors.

How much does a health care aide make?

Do you want more information?

Do you want more information? You can ask your career advisor or tutor for help.

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