Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates (NOC 3413)

Description

Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates assist nurses, hospital staff and physicians in the basic care of patients. They are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care facilities.

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Example Titles

health care aide
hospital attendant
long term care aide
nurse aide
nursing attendant
orderly
patient care aide
patient service associate
psychiatric aide

>> View all titles

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Classified Elsewhere

Licensed Practical Nurses (3233)
Other Aides and Assistants in Support of Health Services (3414)
Personal care attendants - home care (in 6471 Visiting Homemakers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations)

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Duties

Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates perform some or all of the following duties:

Answer call signals, supply and empty bed pans, bathe, dress and groom patients; serve meal trays, feed or assist in feeding of patients, lift, turn or massage patients, shave patients prior to operations, supervise exercise routines, set-up and provide leisure activities, accompany patients on outside recreational activities and perform other duties related to patient care
Take patient's blood pressure, temperature and pulse, report or record fluid intake and output; observe or monitor status and document patient care on charts, collect specimens such as urine, faeces or sputum; administer suppositories, colonic irrigations and enemas and perform other procedures as directed by nursing and hospital staff
Transport patients in wheelchair or stretcher for treatment or surgery
Carry messages, reports, requisitions and specimens from one department to another
Make beds and maintain patient rooms
Maintain inventory of supplies
May perform maintenance tasks such as assist with the set-up and maintenance of traction equipment, clean or sterilize equipment, maintain and repair equipment, assemble, set-up and operate job-related equipment.

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Skills

Health care aides and orderlies need the following skills:

Essential skills:

be able to relate well to a wide range of people and gain their confidence,
ability to work independently and as a member of a team,
physical stamina and strength,
good listening and observational skills,
good verbal and written communication skills,

Technical skills include:

operate medical related equipment.

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Employment Requirements

A certificate from a recognized Health Care Aide Training program is increasingly becoming a requirement to work in this field. Acute care facilities, Provincial Home Care and personal care homes prefer a certificate and/or significant experience.

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Terms & Conditions

Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates work indoors. Shift work, including nights, weekends, and holidays is common in an institutional setting. Those who provide patient medical support in patients' own homes may work in one location or may travel from home to home to provide services to several patients in a day. Usually these individuals manage their own schedules and provide their own transportation.

Caring for patients, particularly those who are elderly or immobile can be strenuous. Conditions vary from place to place. Some homes are clean and tidy while others are not. Some clients are cooperative while others may be difficult.

While the majority work full-time (63%), a substantial percentage (37%) of the workforce is part time employees. Self-employment in this occupation is rare.

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Earnings

$24,000 per annum - starting

$32,000 per annum - average

$38,400 per annum - high

Earnings are reviewed annually or more frequently if new information becomes available.

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Education / Training

Assiniboine Community College (Brandon and Parkland Campus), L'École technique et professionnelle, Red River College, and the University College of the North offer
Health Care Aide programs in various locations, in full-time and continuing education.
Red River College offers a 20-week Health Care Aide certificate program with clinical work experience in health care facilities. Red River College also offers an English for Health Care Aides course. http://www.rrc.ca
Robertson College offers a 5-month Health Care Aide program. http://www.robertsoncollege.com/careers-health-HCA-outline.htm
University College of the North offers a 1-year General Studies: Preparation for Careers in Health Care. http://www.ucn.ca
Winnipeg Technical College, Robertson College, and Herzing College also offer health care aide programs.
Some Personal Care Homes offer on the job training and/or a certificate program (through a college) at their facility.

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Career Paths

Persons who have experience as caregivers, in summer or volunteer jobs, may move to health care aide or orderly jobs. Those who have considerable experience may move into supervisory or management positions.

With further education, nurse aides and orderlies may become Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses or other professionals in the health care field.

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Outlook

Employment prospects for nurse aides and orderlies are expected to be good in the period 2010 to 2014. The number of jobs in 2010 is estimated at 10,260.

The long term shift from hospital to community care for chronic patients means that employment opportunities will be increasingly found in community based and long-term care facilities, such as personal care homes for the elderly and chronically ill. There is a growing need for nurses aides, orderlies and patient service associates in homecare support as more patients in their own homes require medical services that extend beyond basic personal care.

Nurses aides and orderlies with specialist skills, particularly in geriatrics and home care, will be in greatest demand. Prospects are also better for those willing to work casually or part time.

Generally, jobs for nurse aides and orderlies are fairly evenly distributed across Manitoba. Nearly all are employed in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector (98%).

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