Administer bedside and personal care to clients such as aid in ambulation, bathing, personal hygiene, and dressing and undressing
Plan and prepare meals and special diets, and feed or assist in feeding clients
May perform routine health-related duties such as changing non-sterile dressings, assisting in the administration of medications, and collecting specimens under the general direction of home care agency supervisor or nurse.
Average Hourly
$22
Range Hourly
$10.70 – $25.33
Average Yearly
$42,900
Range Yearly
$20,866 – $49,394
Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations (4412)
Attendant for persons with a visual impairment - home care; Attendant for persons with disabilities - home care; Client care attendant - home care; Companion; Domestic housekeeper; Doula; Family caregiver; Family worker - home care; Home health care worker; Home support attendant; Home support worker; Home visitor - infant care; Home-care worker; Homemaker; Housekeeper; Live-in caregiver - persons with disabilities; Live-in caregiver - seniors; Live-in housekeeper; Personal aide - home support; Personal assistant - home care; Personal care aide - home care; Personal care attendant - home care; Personal care provider - home care; Personal support aide - home aide; Personal support worker - home support; Respite worker - home support; Teaching homemaker; Visiting homemaker;
On-the-job training is sufficient. However, some employers may ask for health care aide certification
First-aid, BLS, ACLS certificates may be required
High
Employment outlook is good to fair across provinces. More information is available here.
Without further education further growth in the job is limited.
0-1 years
Having a certificate in Health Care Aide program will facilitate employment:
Following institutions offer Health Care Aide certificate programs:
ABM College
Bow Valley College
Red Deer College
Vancouver Community College
Red River College
Excellent communication skills; people’s skills; empathetic; ability to work independently, Patience, Flexibility, Organizational skills and attention to detail; teamwork; self-confidence; leadership skills; adaptability
Helping people to move, bathe, dress and perform other daily tasks can be physically demanding. They may be on their feet for long periods of time. They need good general health, knowledge of body mechanics and awareness of proper lifting techniques.
Hours of work may vary. Many agencies offer 24-hour service, so shift work (including weekends) is often required.
1. Getting certificates for first aid, Basic Life Support (BLS), etc. is an asset
2. For IMGs this can be considered as a stepping stone to other jobs, a way to gain some care-related experience.