Will “Patient Care Assistant (PCA)” be Replaced By Robots? 🤔

Unknown Chance of Automation

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Job Description

Provide basic patient care under direction of nursing staff. Perform duties such as feed, bathe, dress, groom, or move patients, or change linens. May transfer or transport patients. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.

Job Details

The SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) code is 31-1014.00
The Mean Annual Wage in the U.S. is $ 27,650.00
The Mean Hourly Wage is $ 13.00
Currently, there are 1,443,150 people on this job

☝️ Information based on the reference occupation “Nursing Assistants”.

Also Known As…

Tasks for “Patient Care Assistant (PCA)”

Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
Wash, groom, shave, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination.
Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
Transport patients to treatment units, testing units, operating rooms, or other areas, using wheelchairs, stretchers, or moveable beds.
Prepare or serve food trays.
Apply clean dressings, slings, stockings, or support bandages, under direction of nurse or physician.
Record height or weight of patients.
Provide information such as directions, visiting hours, or patient status information to visitors or callers.
Explain medical instructions to patients or family members.
Supply, collect, or empty bedpans.
Exercise patients who are comatose, paralyzed, or have restricted mobility.
Lift or assist others to lift patients to move them on or off beds, examination tables, surgical tables, or stretchers.
Transport specimens, laboratory items, or pharmacy items, ensuring proper documentation and delivery to authorized personnel.
Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
Set up treating or testing equipment, such as oxygen tents, portable radiograph (x-ray) equipment, or overhead irrigation bottles, as directed by a physician or nurse.
Change bed linens or make beds.
Clean and sanitize patient rooms, bathrooms, examination rooms, or other patient areas.
Restock patient rooms with personal hygiene items, such as towels, washcloths, soap, or toilet paper.
Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
Administer medications or treatments, such as catheterizations, suppositories, irrigations, enemas, massages, or douches, as directed by a physician or nurse.
Record vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, pulse, or respiration rate, as directed by medical or nursing staff.
Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.
Gather information from caregivers, nurses, or physicians about patient condition, treatment plans, or appropriate activities.
Communicate with patients to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support.
Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine.
Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
Assist nurses or physicians in the operation of medical equipment or provision of patient care.
Collect specimens, such as urine, feces, or sputum.
Stock or issue medical supplies, such as dressing packs or treatment trays.
Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves.

Related Technology & Tools

Electronic stethoscopes
Electronic patient thermometers
Tympanic thermometers
Patient transfer boards
Oxygen tanks
Patient arm slings
Orthopedic splint sets
Hospital intercom equipment
Therapeutic hot packs
Anti-embolism elastic stockings
Oxygen therapy equipment
Bladder ultrasounds
Clinical trapeze traction bars
Patient limb restraints
Shower chairs
Patient bed scales
Medical gurneys
Specimen collection containers
Photocopying equipment
Bed cradles
Hydraulic patient lifts
Incentive spirometers
Therapeutic cold packs
Oxygen tents
Medical scales
Laptop computers
Manual blood pressure equipment
Oral thermometers
Oxygen masks
Adjustable hospital beds
Gait belts
Foot boards
Desktop computers
Blood glucometers
Rectal thermometers
Hospital bedpans
Walking canes
Automated blood pressure cuffs
Urinals
Multi-line telephone systems
Patient transport wheelchairs
Pulse oximeters
Steam sterilizers
Protective patient restraints
Personal computers
Crutches
Mechanical stethoscopes
Safety razors
Automated external defibrillators AED
Urinalysis test strips
Patient walkers
Oxygen nasal cannulas
Urinary catheters
Medical examination protective gloves

MEDITECH software
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Excel
Health information database software
GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
Medical record charting software
Billing software
Medical condition coding software
Medical procedure coding software
Microsoft Word