All across Australia, you’ll find an army of people caring for others each day to make life easier for them. And that army is growing.
Personal Care Assistants are one of several healthcare roles created to support people in the community who need it most. And, as the number of people struggling with tasks due to their age, disability or ongoing illness continues to rise, so does our reliance on skilled workers to help them.
In this article, you will learn what a personal care worker is, the different responsibilities, how to become one and the potential earnings in this critical community role.
Table of Contents:
- What is a Personal Care Assistant?
- What Does a Personal Care Worker Do?
- How Do I Become a Personal Care Assistant?
- How Much Does a Personal Care Assistant Make?
- Is Being a Personal Care Assistant Right for You?
What is a Personal Care Assistant?
Also called a PCA or Personal Care Worker, a Personal Care Assistant provides support to individuals in need.
Who might those individuals be? It varies, but could be one of the following:
- Older adults who, based on their age and condition, can no longer do everything for themselves.
- People with disabilities who require help with daily tasks to continue living as independently as possible.
- People with chronic illness who need support to administer medication.
Depending on their clients, a PCA can work in various settings, including home care, community care, hospitals, and aged care facilities. Some focus their work on one particular environment, while others dip in and out of different settings over the course of their week.
The good news for anyone considering care work is that this is a fast-growing industry. Care worker jobs increased by 66% between 2018 and 2024, and with 1 in 5 Australians managing a disability and an ageing population, jobs will only increase further over the next decade.
Being a PCA can also feel extremely rewarding as you support people in genuine need of help.
What Does a Personal Care Worker Do?
Personal Care Assistants help countless people with tasks many of us do each day daily without thinking. Even getting out of bed each day is a challenge for some people, not to mention house chores or remembering what bill is due for payment and when – and a PCA can help a client with all of those tasks and more.
The role will differ depending on your client or patient, although the basic principle of providing care remains the same whoever you are working with. Mainly, you are responsible for making life easier for those you care for and this tends to include these types of tasks:
- Personal care and hygiene: Supporting daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting.
- Mobility: Assistance with rising from and going to bed, moving around their living space and getting in and out of vehicles.
- Meals: Preparing, serving and helping clients to eat their meals.
- Support with medication: Making sure clients take their prescribed medications at the correct times and monitoring their ongoing health.
- Housework: If they live at home, you may help clients with keeping the house clean and tidy.
- Companionship: Being a friendly ear to your client, listening to their stories and helping them to overcome challenges.
What does a PCA do in a residential home?
If you are working in a residential home, most of your time is spent supporting older people (those with disability or chronic illness are typically encouraged to receive support at home). You will do many of the tasks mentioned above – providing support with personal care, mobility, meals and medication – as well as planning residence-wide activities like social games and gatherings.
What are the duties of a PCA in aged care?
Working in aged care can mean supporting older adults in their own home or within a residential facility.
Your tasks across both settings remain similar, as your clients will need support with personal care, mobility, meals and medication in either one. The key difference in a home setting is supporting your client with individualised care, which may include additional tasks like housework – cleaning, tidying, supporting with shopping, payment of accounts and attending appointments. In a residential care facility, you will work with all older residents on rotation and, sometimes, all together in a group activity.
How Do I Become a Personal Care Assistant?
Being a care worker is a huge responsibility and requires having a range of skills, personal and practical.
Personal skills
In a PCA role, you will need several personal attributes to be successful. To begin with, you need to be compassionate, respectful, reliable, flexible and patient. When working with older adults or those with an illness or disability, you must be a great listener and good at communicating. Whether working in a home or a client’s house, you also need the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Practical skills
In terms of personal skills, the best way to obtain them is by completing a formal qualification.
There are several to consider, depending on whether you want to specialise in one area of care work or keep your options open.
Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing)
If you know its older adults you want to support, then this course is ideal. It teaches you many practical skills to deliver care effectively, such as recognising common risks for older people, supporting people with a chronic disease or dementia, and delivering care using a palliative approach. You will spend up to twelve months (on average) completing the course and once done, you are ready to begin your career supporting older people at home or in a care facility.
Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability)
This course is tailored to students seeking a career helping people with disabilities. Practical skills include:
- Learning how to provide the right support effectively.
- Dealing with people with mental health issues.
- Working with diverse people and supporting a client’s independence and well-being.
Another twelve-month course, this certificate prepares you for a rewarding career in healthcare helping those with a disability to live a fulfilled life.
Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing and Disability)
This is the perfect course if you’re not yet sure how you will focus your care work between older adults and those with a disability. It combines units from both the courses outlined above, providing students with a broad skill set to care for older adults and those with a disability interchangeably. After completing the course – which takes twelve months on average – you are ready for community care work supporting those who are ill, living with a disability or older.
How Much Does a Personal Care Assistant Make?
As with any career, you’ll want to know the potential earnings. The good news is that you can earn a competitive salary as a care worker, with leading Australian online job site Seek reporting an average annual salary of $60-$65k for a Personal Care Assistant.
The actual earnings can depend on several variables, including the state you live in and whether you are working in a care facility or caring for clients in their own homes.
For example, Jora reports a PCA in Queensland earns an average $62.5k each year compared to New South Wales, where the average is $57.5k. And if you prioritise working permanently in a residential care home over working casually in private homes, you may earn more again with benefits like superannuation included in the package.
Is Being a Personal Care Assistant Right for You?
There are many rewards awaiting you when you become a PCA – personal and financial. And you can expect nothing but ongoing opportunities in this fast-growing work sector.
If you’re interested in a career path as a PCA, Collaboration Learning offers the Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing and Disability). Or, you can specialise in either ageing or disability and prepare for a fulfilling career helping others.
