All careers

Personal Care Aides

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth
  • Numerous Job Openings

Provide personalized assistance to individuals with disabilities or illness who require help with personal care and activities of daily living support (e.g., feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and ambulation). May also provide help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry. Work is performed in various settings depending on the needs of the care recipient and may include locations such as their home, place of work, out in the community, or at a daytime nonresidential facility.

What you’d do

  • Prepare and maintain records of client progress and services performed, reporting changes in client condition to manager or supervisor.
  • Administer bedside or personal care, such as ambulation or personal hygiene assistance.
  • Perform healthcare-related tasks, such as monitoring vital signs and medication, under the direction of registered nurses or physiotherapists.
  • Participate in case reviews, consulting with the team caring for the client, to evaluate the client's needs and plan for continuing services.
  • Instruct or advise clients on issues, such as household cleanliness, utilities, hygiene, nutrition, or infant care.
  • Care for individuals or families during periods of incapacitation, family disruption, or convalescence, providing companionship, personal care, or help in adjusting to new lifestyles.
  • Perform housekeeping duties, such as cooking, cleaning, washing clothes or dishes, or running errands.
  • Provide clients with communication assistance, typing their correspondence or obtaining information for them.

Skills that matter

  • Service Orientation
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Monitoring
  • Coordination

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Caregiver
  • Home Care Aide
  • Personal Care Aide
  • Personal Care Attendant (PCA)
  • Care Provider
  • Direct Care Worker

Related careers

See all careers

  • Home Health Aides

    • Bright Outlook
    • Rapid Growth
    • Numerous Job Openings

    Monitor the health status of an individual with disabilities or illness, and address their health-related needs, such as changing…

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

  • Nursing Assistants

    • Bright Outlook
    • Numerous Job Openings

    Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff.

    Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

  • Child, Family, and School Social Workers

    Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize…

    Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree

  • Nannies

    • Bright Outlook
    • Numerous Job Openings

    Care for children in private households and provide support and expertise to parents in satisfying children's physical, emotional…

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

  • Social and Human Service Assistants

    • Bright Outlook
    • Rapid Growth

    Assist other social and human service providers in providing client services in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology…

    Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree

  • Psychiatric Aides

    Assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients, working under direction of nursing and medical staff.

    Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one