Profession healthcare assistant

Nursing aids provide basic patient care under direction of nursing staff. Perform duties, such as feed, bathe, dress, groom, or move patients, or change linens.

Personality Type

• Social / Realistic

Tasks healthcare assistant

• Observe and report changes in patient's condition.
• Apply practical intervention procedures for dementia or behavioral problems.
• Perform basic (medical) procedures such as taking blood pressure and applying and changing dressings.
• Collect specimens such as urine, faeces, or sputum.
• Assist with rehabilitation exercises and basic treatment and medications.
• Assist patients in activities such as walking, exercising, and getting in and out of bed.
• Turn and reposition bedridden patients, alone or with assistance, to prevent bedsores.
• Feed patients when necessary.
• Bath, groom, shave, dress, or drape patients to prepare them for surgery, treatment, or examination.
• Perform housekeeping activities, for example clean rooms and change linens.
• Clean and sterilize the care equipment.

Related professions nurse

• Ambulance paramedic
• Charge nurse
• Children's nurse
• Company nurse
• District nurse
• Hospital nurse
• Intensive care, recovery nurse
• Nurse, all other
• Nursing associate professional
• Private nurse
• Psychiatric nurse
• School nurse
• Theatre nurse

Skills

• Apply health sciences

  Apply a broad range of bio-medical, psycho-social, organisational, educational, and societal aspects of health, disease, and healthcare to improve healthcare services and to improve quality of life.

• Work under supervision in care

  Work under delegation and supervision of nurses to support nursing care and administration.

• Advise on healthcare users' informed consent

  Ensure patients/clients are fully informed about the risks and benefits of proposed treatments so they can give informed consent, engaging patients/clients in the process of their care and treatment.

• Identify abnormalities

  Identify what is normal and abnormal concerning the well-being of patients, through experience and instruction, reporting to the nurses what is abnormal.

• Provide basic support to patients

  Support patients and citizens with activities of daily living, such as hygiene, comfort, mobilisation and feeding needs.

• Inform policy makers on health-related challenges

  Provide useful information related to health care professions to ensure policy decisions are made in the benefit of communities.

• Support nurses

  Support nurses with the preparation and delivery of diagnostic and treatment interventions.

• Convey medical routine information

  Convey routine information to patients, relatives, and members of the public.

• Develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship

  Develop a mutually collaborative therapeutic relationship during treatment, fostering and gaining healthcare users' trust and cooperation.

• Provide health education

  Provide evidence based strategies to promote healthy living, disease prevention and management.

• Work with nursing staff

  Work together with nurses and other health professionals in supporting the delivery of basic patient care.

• Accept own accountability

  Accept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.

• Respond to changing situations in health care

  Cope with pressure and respond appropriately and in time to unexpected and rapidly changing situations in healthcare.

• Comply with legislation related to health care

  Comply with the regional and national legislation that is relevant to one`s work and apply it in practice.

• Comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice

  Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.

• Educate on the prevention of illness

  Offer evidence-based advice on how to avoid ill health, educate and advise individuals and their carers on how to prevent ill health and/or be able to advise how to improve their environment and health conditions. Provide advice on the identification of risks leading to ill health and help to increase the patients' resilience by targeting prevention and early intervention strategies.

• Work in multidisciplinary health teams

  Participate in the delivery of multidisciplinary health care, and understand the rules and competences of other healthcare related professions.

• Work in a multicultural environment in health care

  Interact, relate and communicate with individuals from a variety of different cultures, when working in a healthcare environment.

• Have computer literacy

  Utilise computers, IT equipment and modern day technology in an efficient way.

• Listen actively

  Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.

• Deal with emergency care situations

  Assess the signs and be well-prepared for a situation that poses an immediate threat to a person's health, security, property or environment.  

• Empathise with the healthcare user

  Understand the background of clients` and patients’ symptoms, difficulties and behaviour. Be empathetic about their issues; showing respect and reinforcing their autonomy, self-esteem and independence. Demonstrate a concern for their welfare and handle according to the personal boundaries, sensitivities, cultural differences and preferences of the client and patient in mind.

• Interact with healthcare users

  Communicate with clients and their carer’s, with the patient’s permission, to keep them informed about the clients’ and patients’ progress and safeguarding confidentiality.

• Contribute to continuity of health care

  Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.

• Monitor basic patients signs

  Monitor basic patient vital signs and other signs, taking actions as indicated by the nurse and report to her/him as appropriate.

• Ensure safety of healthcare users

  Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person's needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.

• Follow clinical guidelines

  Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.

• Manage healthcare users' data

  Keep accurate client records which also satisfy legal and professional standards and ethical obligations in order to facilitate client management, ensuring that all clients' data (including verbal, written and electronic) are treated confidentially.

• Promote inclusion

  Promote inclusion in health care and social services and respect diversity of beliefs, culture, values and preferences, keeping in mind the importance of equality and diversity issues.

• Use e-health and mobile health technologies

  Use mobile health technologies and e-health (online applications and services) in order to enhance the provided healthcare.

• Apply organisational techniques

  Employ a set of organisational techniques and procedures which facilitate the achievement of the goals set. Use these resources efficiently and sustainably, and show flexibility when required.

• Communicate with nursing staff

  Communicate with nurses and other health professionals ensuring the delivery of quality and safe patient care.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB