What does a patient care assistant do?
A patient care assistant is responsible for attending patients' needs with the supervision of a health care professional. Duties of a patient care assistant also include performing basic medical tasks such as taking patients' temperature, monitoring food intake, preparing medicines, recording health conditions, assisting on lab tests and other medical procedures, and providing information and important updates to the patient's family. A patient care assistant must have excellent time-management and multi-tasking skills to perform duties efficiently and accurately.
Patient care assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real patient care assistant resumes:
- Conduct and facilitate PCA lead group activities as scheduled
- Assist patients in achieving independence and increase functional ability.
- Manage ventilator settings, suction tracheostomy, tube-feeding assistance.
- Answer call lights, vital signs, EKG'S, transporting patients to other areas, keep rooms clean and orderly.
- Provide high quality patient care as an in-demand per-diem RCA within, home-healthcare, nursing home settings and memory support care.
- Work extensively with Alzheimer and dementia patients.
- Provide patient education, obtain patient histories, perform phlebotomy procedures, conduct urinalysis testing, remove catheters, and vital signs
- Experience with EHR, NexGen.
- Check colostomy bags, remove iv's and catheters.
- Maintain record of patient visits and provide telephone triage.
- Measure and record ECG, vital signs and collect specimens.
- Handle and empty emesis bags, urinals, and bedpans.
- Provide and collect bedpans, and help patients to the toilet.
- Perform clerical duties in EHR; answer phones and triag calls appropriately.
- Apply protective devices and restraints appropriately and under the direction of the RN.
Patient care assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 23% of Patient Care Assistants are proficient in Patients, Vital Signs, and PCA. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Patient Care Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 23%
Assist patients in achieving independence and increased functional ability.
- Vital Signs, 9%
Assisted in patient examinations and perform preliminary procedures or tests in the Telemetry Department including vital signs.
- PCA, 8%
Train newly hired PCA'S/Secretaries, demonstrating leadership in a fast-paced, customer focused environment.
- CPR, 7%
Recognized signs of cardiac and/or respiratory arrest, and initiated CPR as necessary
- Home Health, 6%
Provided home health care to elderly individuals, documented daily progress notes, supervised medication intake
- Customer Service, 5%
Utilized effective communication skills with customer service interactions, performed effective time management skills, developed diplomacy and skills in teamwork.
Common skills that a patient care assistant uses to do their job include "patients," "vital signs," and "pca." You can find details on the most important patient care assistant responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a patient care assistant to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what patient care assistants do because "nursing assistants and orderlies must communicate effectively to address patients’ or residents’ concerns." Additionally, a patient care assistant resume shows how patient care assistants use communication skills: "earned recognition for exhibiting outstanding empathetic companionship care and clear communication with regards to illness in mental and physical illness. "
Compassion. Many patient care assistant duties rely on compassion. "nursing assistants and orderlies assist and care for the sick, injured, and elderly," so a patient care assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways patient care assistant responsibilities rely on compassion: "demonstrated compassion and professionalism while delivering dialysis treatment to high-risk populations. "
Patience. patient care assistants are also known for patience, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to patient care assistant responsibilities, because "the routine tasks of cleaning, feeding, and bathing patients or residents can be stressful." A patient care assistant resume example shows how patience is used in the workplace: "maintain patience, compassion, and understanding in providing care for those with alzheimer's anddementia. "
Physical stamina. A big part of what patient care assistants do relies on "physical stamina." You can see how essential it is to patient care assistant responsibilities because "nursing assistants and orderlies spend much of their time on their feet." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical patient care assistant tasks: "provide companionship and ensure physical comfort. "
The three companies that hire the most patient care assistants are:
- Trinity Health204 patient care assistants jobs
- Geisinger Medical Center191 patient care assistants jobs
- Tenet Healthcare134 patient care assistants jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable patient care assistant resume templates
Build a professional patient care assistant resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your patient care assistant resume.
Compare different patient care assistants
Patient care assistant vs. Nurse technician
Nurse technicians, also known as nursing aides, assistants, or attendants, usually work in clinics, hospitals, and nursing homes. Primarily, they help a registered nurse by providing essential mobility, care, and support to patients. Everyday routine duties include maintaining patients' hygiene and moving them using wheelchairs or stretchers around the facility for their meals, treatment, events, and other activities. They do tasks that help improve a patient's comfort level and become their caregivers in the long run. This job requires a high school diploma along with the completed certified nursing assistant (CNA) program.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, patient care assistant responsibilities require skills like "pca," "bars," "excellent organizational," and "excellent interpersonal." Meanwhile a typical nurse technician has skills in areas such as "oncology," "data entry," "quality patient care," and "cleanliness." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Nurse technicians tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $32,642. In contrast, patient care assistants make the biggest average salary, $31,274, in the health care industry.On average, nurse technicians reach similar levels of education than patient care assistants. Nurse technicians are 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Patient care assistant vs. Care provider
A care provider is responsible for assisting patients with their healthcare needs at the highest quality service. Care providers work in various medical organizations or are privately employed by a household. They perform medical procedures such as taking the patient's temperature and vital signs, monitoring their food intake, administering medications, collecting specimens for laboratory tests, and reporting the patient's condition to the attending physician or other health care professionals. A care provider must have excellent communication and organization skills, especially when consulting with patients for their needs and developing healthcare plans.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real patient care assistant resumes. While patient care assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "pca," "home health," "direct patient care," and "direct supervision," care providers use skills like "administer medications," "direct care," "good judgment," and "laundry services."
On average, care providers earn a lower salary than patient care assistants. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, care providers earn the most pay in the government industry with an average salary of $32,543. Whereas patient care assistants have higher pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $31,274.care providers earn similar levels of education than patient care assistants in general. They're 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Patient care assistant vs. Home health care
Home health aides are healthcare professionals who are responsible for providing support and personal services to patients. These aides are required to monitor their patients by observing the physical and mental condition of their patients. They must provide services such as housekeeping and laundry, buying food and other household requirements, and preparing and serving meals and snacks. Home health aides must also help the family members of their patients by teaching them the appropriate ways to lift, turn, and re-position their positions.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from patient care assistant resumes include skills like "pca," "customer service," "direct patient care," and "direct supervision," whereas a home health care is more likely to list skills in "social work," "laundry services," "health care services," and "occupational therapy. "
Home health cares typically earn similar educational levels compared to patient care assistants. Specifically, they're 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Patient care assistant vs. Patient sitter
The primary job of a patient sitter is to provide patients with care and companionship. You will be responsible for a few duties that always include supervising patients, assisting them with basic personal hygiene and care, and monitoring their vital signs. As a patient sitter, you are expected to refrain from doing unauthorized or additional functions, identifying changes in patient's conditions, and maintaining patient information confidentiality. You are also expected to comply with relevant standards, procedures, and policies.
Types of patient care assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
