What Does a Companion Do?

A companion is responsible for assisting sick and recovered patients, as well as the elderly. Companions perform housekeeping duties, ensuring that a facility is well-maintained and safe for the use of the patients. They also monitor the patients' medication, prepare their meals based on a medical professional's prescription, support them on their daily activities, respond to the patients' needs and special requests as allowed, and report any developments to their family or guardians. A companion must be compassionate enough to extend physical and emotional support, depending on the client's condition.

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Companion Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real companion resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Assist residents with use of bedpans, urinals, commode, and bathroom and assist with routine catheter care.
Experience with wind care, colostomy, fluid and electrolyte balance; assist with ambulation, ADL's and medication administration.
Provide companionship to elderly patients which also include feeding and light bathing
Perform first aid, knowledgeable with CPR.
Display empathy, compassion, care, and love.
Used skills as: compassion, listening, problem solving.
Perform basic duties including lawn mowing, trimming and raking.
Look after summer house; mowing, routine checks on equipment
Assist residents using walkers and wheelchairs in compliance with facility policy.
Assist clients with toileting, bedroom, bed pan, and urinals.
Assist with transferring residents in and out of wheelchairs and adaptive equipment.
Provide care by leash walks, off leash visits, and ensure quality pet care for animals.
Alleviate loneliness experience by senior citizens, by providing companionship with frequent visits and telephone calls.
Clear understanding of patients mobility limitations and proper body mechanics necessary to ensure safe transfer and mobility.
Develop and maintain effective relationships with patients, family members, and staff through effective and timely communication.

Companion Job Description

Perhaps the hardest question to answer when deciding on a career as a companion is "should I become a companion?" You might find this info to be helpful. When compared to other jobs, companion careers are projected to have a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 36% from 2018 through 2028. This is in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What's more, is that the projected number of opportunities that are predicted to become available for a companion by 2028 is 1,185,800.

A companion annual salary averages $29,246, which breaks down to $14.06 an hour. However, companions can earn anywhere from upwards of $22,000 to $38,000 a year. This means that the top-earning companions make $14,000 more than the lowest-earning ones.

Once you've become a companion, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a pet sitter, attending, ambulatory care, sitter, and personal care worker.

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12 Companion Resume Examples

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Jason Morgan Companion Contact Information San Diego, CA (860) 555-3471 jmorgan@example.com Skills Appropriate Personnel Vehicle Inspections Daily Goals Customer Service Car Seats Emotional Support Positive Attitude Student Learning Safety Rules Intellectual Disabilities Employment History Companion 2020 - Present Allied Services San Diego, CA Provide Personal Care for the disabled and the elderly Assist with administering medical treatments Provide transportation Perform basic health-related task Offered companionship with walks, outings, games, and entertainment. Provided at home companionship Assisted with immobility and incontinence Meal preparation and medication reminders Provide personal care: bathing, grooming dressing, undressing. Direct Care Worker 2014 - 2020 Allied Services San Diego, CA Home Care Assistant Administer personal care such as ambulation and personal hygiene assistance. Administer medications Assist in bowel and bladder care, bed/tub baths, oral hygiene and grooming. Handled and maintained patient care Transported patients to medical appointment, etc Administered medication Performed light house cleaning Bus Aide 2010 - 2014 First Student Cincinnati, OH Served as liaison between administration and staff to coordinate activities for various groups and individuals needs. Maintain a safe environment for students while on the bus. Maintained communication with supervisors, parents, and members of the community and schools. Education High School Diploma 2010 - 2010


Janice Hunt Companion Contact Info Norwich, CT (310) 555-3270 jhunt@example.com Skills General QuestionsAccurate InformationPatient CareWake-Up CallsPersonal CareCNAStressful SituationsMental HealthCommunicationDirect Calls Employment History Companion 2020 - Present Companions & Homemakers Norwich, CT House keeping, caring for clients in their homes, personal care. Assist clients with hygiene and personal care Escort to appointments Maintain a clean home Provide companionship Provide companionship and build rapport with patients Scheduled appointments for patients as needed Provided total patient care to home-bound individuals Prepared meals, shopped, bathing, grooming Transported to doctor's appointments Light housekeeping Completed home assessments with clients and their care providers to ensure compliance with homemaking and personal care service plans. Companion 2010 - 2020 TREASURE HOME REALTY New York, NY bathed, food prep/meal prep, ran errands,companionship ,med reminder, Provide various personal care and related paraprofessional services in accordance with an established plan of care. Provided overall companionship for the client Document the daily activities of the patient care Assist with dressing, ambulation, personal care, exercise, errands, and companionship. Switchboard Operator 2008 - 2010 AT&T Atlanta, GA Provided information to callers seeking business, residence or government telephone numbers, addresses and zipcodes. Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations. Provide phone clients with information, directions, and emergency assistance as necessary. Provided customer assistance/directory assistance through the long distance and overseas network. Education High School Diploma 2008 - 2008


Joe Barnes Companion Kenosha, WI (990) 555-9823 jbarnes@example.com Experience Companion2019 - Present Comfort Keepers•Kenosha, WI Provide companionship, light housekeeping, make meals, assist and help get involved with activities and strengthening exercises. Prepare meals Help patient with transferring Help patient dress General patient care Performed personal and/or home needs and companionship. Assist the elderly with their every day needs which includes shopping, light housekeeping, companionship and personal care. Nurse's Companion2018 - 2019 Comfort Keepers•Kenosha, WI Assist the elderly with their every day needs which includes shopping, light housekeeping, companionship and personal care. Provide companionship, light housekeeping, make meals, assist and help get involved with activities and strengthening exercises. Helped customers select products that best fit their personal needs. Child Daycare Worker2017 - 2018 Employment Services•Kenosha, WI Clarified child care requirements: Education, food choices, medical conditions, personal habits, restrictions of children aged 1-7. Assisted children with daily activities and watched them and taught them things they needed to Learn while in my care. Assist in maintaining facility standards through DHEC, DHHS, OSHA, and ABC. Provided and supported patients with personal care. Skills OLD ChildrenPatient CarePatienceADLTCIRecreational ActivitiesBasic NeedsCNACompanionshipDiaper Changes Education High School Diploma 2017 - 2017

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Companion Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 20% of Companions are proficient in Companionship, Patients, and Home Health. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Integrity, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Companions that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Companionship, 20%
Alleviated loneliness experienced by senior citizens, by providing companionship with frequent visits and telephone calls.
Patients, 16%
Developed and maintained effective relationships with patients, family members, and staff through effective and timely communication.
Home Health, 7%
Provided in home health care to geriatric patients *Provided patient transportation*Assisted in meal planning and prep *Assisted in household management*Light housekeeping
Provide Emotional Support, 7%
Provide emotional support to elderly residents.
Patient Care, 7%
Followed patient care directions and provided open communication with patient and medical provider.
Meal Prep, 5%
Distributed patient medication, administered bed baths, assisted in patient meal preparation and escorting patients to doctor appointments.

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Some of the skills we found on companion resumes included "companionship," "patients," and "home health." We have detailed the most important companion responsibilities below.

Arguably the most important personality trait for a companion to have happens to be detail oriented. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "home health aides and personal care aides must adhere to specific rules and protocols and carefully follow instructions to help take care of clients" Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that companions can use detail oriented to "create medical appointments, transport and interact with physicians, provide detailed reports to guardian. "

While it may not be the most important skill, we found that many companion duties rely on integrity. This example from a companion explains why: "home health aides and personal care aides should make clients feel comfortable when they tend to personal activities, such as helping a client bathe." This resume example is just one of many ways companions are able to utilize integrity: "developed trusting relationships with clients and family members managed medical appointments, errands, and in-home tasks"

Interpersonal skills is also an important skill for companions to have. This example of how companions use this skill comes from a companion resume, "home health aides and personal care aides must work closely with clients" Read this excerpt from a resume to understand how vital it is to their everyday roles and responsibilities, "provide companionship and friendship to individuals so that they can maintain positive self-confidence and interpersonal skills. "

A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "physical stamina" is important to completing companion responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way companions use this skill: "home health aides and personal care aides should be comfortable performing physical tasks" Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical companion tasks: "provide safety for patient; help prevent patient falls/injuries watch over patients physical/verbal interactions report any concerns/suspicion to nurses provide emotional support"

See the full list of companion skills.

Before becoming a companion, 26.8% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 3.2% companions went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, some companions have a college degree. But about one out of every three companions didn't attend college at all.

Those companions who do attend college, typically earn either nursing degrees or business degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for companions include medical assisting services degrees or psychology degrees.

When you're ready to become a companion, you might wonder which companies hire companions. According to our research through companion resumes, companions are mostly hired by CARE, Petco Holdings, Inc., and Lifesteps. Now is a good time to apply as CARE has 2,421 companions job openings, and there are 168 at Petco Holdings, Inc. and 62 at Lifesteps.

Since salary is important to some companions, it's good to note that they are figured to earn the highest salaries at Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim, and AbbVie. If you were to take a closer look at Merck, you'd find that the average companion salary is $45,552. Then at Boehringer Ingelheim, companions receive an average salary of $38,761, while the salary at AbbVie is $37,145.

View more details on companion salaries across the United States.

Some other companies you might be interested in as a companion include Private Inc, Home Instead, and At Home Care. These three companies were found to hire the most companions from the top 100 U.S. educational institutions.

The industries that companions fulfill the most roles in are the health care and non profits industries. But the highest companion annual salary is in the non profits industry, averaging $30,973. In the health care industry they make $28,973 and average about $27,370 in the government industry. In conclusion, companions who work in the non profits industry earn a 6.3% higher salary than companions in the professional industry.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious companions are:

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What Pet Sitters Do

A pet sitter is responsible for taking care of household pets while their owners are away. Pet sitters perform services for pet maintenance, including taking them to the veterinarian, monitoring their food, walk them in the park, and administer medications, if any. They also reach out to the pet owners for possible updates and emergencies, taking their instructions immediately. Apart from being highly communicative and organizational, a pet sitter should have an interest and passion in taking care of pets to ensure high-quality services.

In this section, we take a look at the annual salaries of other professions. Take pet sitter for example. On average, the pet sitters annual salary is $3,423 lower than what companions make on average every year.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. A companion responsibility is more likely to require skills like "companionship," "patients," "home health," and "provide emotional support." Whereas a pet sitter requires skills like "pet," "clients homes," "topical medications," and "litter boxes." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

Pet sitters tend to make the most money in the non profits industry by averaging a salary of $27,770. In contrast, companions make the biggest average salary of $30,973 in the non profits industry.

On average, pet sitters reach similar levels of education than companions. Pet sitters are 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of an Attending, Ambulatory Care?

An attending, ambulatory care is responsible for providing patient care, supporting ongoing treatment of health issues, and managing recovery through coordinating with attending physicians or other medical professionals. They evaluate medical records, including history and consultation purposes, develop a necessary care plan, keep an accurate medical chart, and schedule laboratory tests and follow-up as needed. An attending, ambulatory care must have extensive knowledge of the medical principles and disciplines to monitor the patients' condition and observe medical measures.

Next up, we have the attending, ambulatory care profession to look over. This career brings along a higher average salary when compared to a companion annual salary. In fact, attendings, ambulatory care salary difference is $380 higher than the salary of companions per year.

A similarity between the two careers of companions and attendings, ambulatory care are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "companionship," "patients," and "patient care. "

But both careers also use different skills, according to real companion resumes. While companion responsibilities can utilize skills like "home health," "provide emotional support," "run errands," and "patient safety," some attendings, ambulatory care use skills like "quality care," "good judgment," "rehabilitation," and "cleanliness."

Attendings, ambulatory care may earn a higher salary than companions, but attendings, ambulatory care earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $30,236. On the other side of things, companions receive higher paychecks in the non profits industry where they earn an average of $30,973.

When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, attendings, ambulatory care tend to reach similar levels of education than companions. In fact, they're 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Sitter Compares

A sitter is responsible for assisting medical needs under the supervision of an attending physician, registered nurses, and other health professionals. Sitters monitor the patients' daily activities and perform medical duties such as taking the patient's temperature, administering medications, monitoring food intake, helping with bathing needs, and responding to the patients' inquiries, concerns, and requests. They also keep track of medical charts to report the patients' health condition and progress to the senior staff.

Let's now take a look at the sitter profession. On average, these workers make lower salaries than companions with a $522 difference per year.

By looking over several companions and sitters resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "companionship," "patients," and "home health." But beyond that the careers look very different.

As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from companions resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "patient care," "customer service," "care plan," and "direct care." But a sitter might have skills like "kids," "pet," "allergies," and "child care."

Additionally, sitters earn a higher salary in the non profits industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $33,017. Additionally, companions earn an average salary of $30,973 in the non profits industry.

Sitters typically study at similar levels compared with companions. For example, they're 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Personal Care Worker

A personal care worker is responsible for providing quality health care services for elders and disabled persons. Personal care workers are usually employed in a private household setting or a special healthcare institution, assisting patients with their daily activities, and monitoring their conditions. They update the patients' medical charts, administer medication from the physician's prescriptions, and manage their food intake. A personal care worker must be highly-organized, especially when attending to patients' needs, inquiries, and concerns.

Personal care workers tend to earn a higher pay than companions by about $244 per year.

While both companions and personal care workers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like companionship, patients, and home health, the two careers also vary in other skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a companion might have more use for skills like "provide emotional support," "patient safety," "customer service," and "direct care." Meanwhile, some personal care workers might include skills like "good communication," "in-home care," "urinals," and "pcw" on their resume.

Personal care workers earn a higher salary in the professional industry with an average of $29,488. Whereas, companions earn the highest salary in the non profits industry.

In general, personal care workers reach similar levels of education when compared to companions resumes. Personal care workers are 0.7% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020