A Day in the Life of a Health Care Aide

Apr 08, 2010

If you like to help people, then you may like to work as a health care aide. The main task of a health care aide is to help people get through their daily routine, which they cannot do themselves due to injury, illness, or age. Health care aides work in various hospitals and care centers, and can even work in people’s homes.

An average day depends on where you work. If you work in a group environment, such as a care home or hospital, then you will have a few patients, whereas if you work for an individual you only have to concentrate on their needs. During your day you may help people bathe, dress, eat, assist with meals,clean rooms, and monitor the health of the patient.

If you are employed in a hospital then you may only see the patient once or twice before they are moved to an alternative facility or released. This is the nature of hospitals. If you work in a nursing home or long-term care facility, then you may get to work with the same patient over a long period of time. Health care aides who work for individuals will get to work with the same person daily, or a few times a week.

Some health care aides work in mental health care facilities or psychiatric hospitals. Besides their regular duties, they may take on other tasks to help patients pass the time. These tasks may include socializing, recreational activities, field trips, or playing sports. Health care aides will also be responsible for ensuring patients get safely to and from therapy sessions.

Some daily tasks you may perform

Throughout the day, health care aides may have to take on physically demanding tasks, such as lifting patients, carrying heavy equipment, or standing for long periods of time. It is important that health care aides take the appropriate safety measures to ensure there is no injury on the job. The career of a health care aide can end up being quite short if there is a back injury or other type of work related injury.

During an average day as a health care aide, you may be requested to do some unpleasant tasks, which are all part of the job and need to be accepted. These tasks may include changing soiled beds, emptying bed pans, and dealing with difficult patients. With a positive attitude and a lot of hard work you will find that a career as a health care aide is very rewarding, and the downside is minimal.

If you work in a large health care environment then you may have to adjust your schedule around those of other health care aides in order to allow for lunch breaks. This means that you may have additional patients to care for as well when the other aides are on break. At times, this can be quite a challenging task, especially if you are already busy with your own patients. However, part of being a health care aide is being able to balance a busy workload. With some experience, you’ll find that you manage just fine.

Health care aides are needed at all major hospitals, nursing homes, care centers, psychiatric hospitals, and in private homes. With an expected job growth rate of 18% through 2018, now is a great time to consider a career as a health care aide. Since only minimal training is required, you can be ready for a career as a health care aide in as little as six months to one year.

A career as a home health care aide offers many challenges, but is also very rewarding and offers a reasonable salary. It can be a good career for those looking to work but who need a job to help finance their further education.