Personal Care Aide (PCA)

The Personal Care Aide is responsible for providing patient assistance with nutritional and environmental support and personal hygiene, feeding and dressing and/or, as an extension of a self-directed patient, selected health related tasks in his/her home or facility under the supervision of a registered nurse.

Responsibilities

• Carries out the Agency's mission, philosophy, goals and objectives within guidelines of Agency policy and position function.
• Interprets and implements the Agency's philosophy to staff and members of the community.
• Participates in the development and implementation of a realistic goal-oriented plan of care.
• Provides personal care and rehabilitative services and assists in activities of daily living as directed by the nurse or therapist.
• Follows care plan instructions as directed by the nurse.
• Provides Environmental Support:
• Make/ change bed linen, occupied or unoccupied.
• Light housekeeping: Patient areas to include kitchen, bath, bedroom, etc.; dust, mop, sweep, vacuum, clean kitchen sink, counter, stove top, table, refrigerator, clean bathroom sink, tub, shower, toilet.
• Clean up after meal preparation and provision of care.
• Personal laundry: clothing and bed linen, wash, iron, and mend, prepare for laundry service.
• Maintain safe environment and clean patient equipment.
• Provides Nutritional Support:
• Develops menu.
• Prepares grocery list, shop.
• Prepares meals/ snacks.
• Assists with feeding.
• Measures and records intake of food and fluids.
• Personal Care Functions- assists with or performs and records:
• Skin care.
• Grooming: hair shampoo, beard, nails, shave, oral hygiene, denture care; assist with dressing, apply elastic stocking, clean glasses.
• Toileting: bedpan, urinal, commode or toilet, adult diapers.
• Wound dressing: change clean dressing (band-aid, gauze pad and tape);
• Assist nurse with changing sterile dressing
• Performs and records simple measures:
• Blood pressure on arm
• Vital signs: temperature, pulse, respiration
• Collect specimens: stool, urine, sputum (without suctioning)
• Measure intake and output
• Test for urine sugar and acetone
• Weigh patient
• Carries out maintenance exercise program.
• Assists with use of medical supplies and equipment; assist nurse with changing sterile dressing.
• Walking: assist with our without assistive equipment, walk inside or outside of home, use of safety belt.
• Provides Related Supportive Tasks:
• Accompanies out of doors and to medical appointments.
• Assists with socialization and recreation activities.
• Assists with completion of personal business activities such as telephoning, correspondence, paying bills.
• Observes, records, and reports patients condition.
• Other Activities:
• Participates in selected case conferences.
• Maintains daily patient record and timesheet.
• Promptly informs nurse of changes, needs or problems with patients condition and/ or environment.
• Performs related activities as directed by the nurse.
• Adhere to care plan instructions.

Qualifications

• Written evidence of having successfully completed a New York State Department of Health approved:

Basic Training Program in home health aide services;

Or,

Equivalency Examination or Competency Only Program in home health aide services;

Or,

Written evidence of having successfully completed a New York State Department of Social Services approved Training or Competency Program in personal care services;

• Compliance with Inservice Education requirements;
• Minimum of 18 years of age.