How to start a private home care business

You start a private home care business by registering with the state and obtaining your Medicare and Medicaid certifications. In order to receive payment from Medicare and Medicaid, your agency needs to meet the requirements put in place. Certify your agency by completing your state's home care application for a license.

How To Become A Personal Care Worker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a personal care worker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Penny Ridenour

A Personal Care Worker provides elders and disabled individuals with quality health care services. Often, you will work for a special health care institution or a private household; you will assist, monitor, and guide the patients you are closely working for. You may also be tasked to update their medical charts, manage their diet and food, and attend to their needs.

Being a Personal Care Worker is no easy work. Therefore, special skills and traits are needed to do your job well. You need to be detail-oriented, you should have integrity, and you should have excellent interpersonal skills. These things are important as a Personal Care Worker.

As a Personal Care Worker, you can earn around $23,722 per year on average. The job growth rate is quite high at 36%, so you know that this job will be in demand. Aside from being a Personal Care Worker, you can explore other roles and take on them as long as you meet the requirements. For example, you can be a Certified Nursing Assistant, a Registered Nurse, a Registered Nurse Supervisor, and a Nursing Director.

What general advice would you give to a personal care worker?

Penny Ridenour

Dean of School of Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City

In order to maximize your earnings, flexibility is key to fit the niche the employer needs. Intentionally accept assignments that will allow growth in a specialization. If possible, ask to shadow other professionals proficient in the specialization you desire.

ScorePersonal Care WorkerUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,490

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.0

Growth rate 36%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.33%

Asian 10.17%

Black or African American 8.38%

Hispanic or Latino 12.54%

Unknown 4.53%

White 63.05%

Gender

female 83.56%

male 16.44%

Age - 50

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 50

Stress level

8.0

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

9.6

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a personal care worker

Explore personal care worker education requirements

Most common personal care worker degrees

High School Diploma

36.3 %

Associate

20.3 %

Bachelor's

19.2 %

Start to develop specific personal care worker skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	23.86%
Home Health	20.12%
Good Communication	12.95%
In-Home Care	12.21%
Companionship	5.06%

Gain additional personal care worker certifications

Personal care worker certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific personal care worker certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for personal care workers include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research personal care worker duties and responsibilities

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Assist in transfers using a gate belt or a hoyer lift.
Use a Hoyer lift to transport patient out of bed to their wheel chair
Perform light maintance which include switching window screens and storm windows, installing and removing air conditioning units.

Prepare your personal care worker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your personal care worker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a personal care worker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable personal care worker resume templates

Build a professional personal care worker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your personal care worker resume.