Personal Care Assistant

Find out how to become a personal care assistant in community services. Get information on job prospects, expected salary, essential skills and qualifications needed.

Similar job roles

The current average salary of a personal care assistant is $47,800 - 53,000 per annum

Overview

A personal care assistant provides help, support and care to patients in their daily activities directly in each client’s homes or in hospitals, aged care or healthcare organisations. Most staff work part time due to the physical and mental demands of the job. This sector will grow strongly over the next 5 years due to an ageing population and a related demand for such staff.

Read more about the Community Services industry.

Key skills

A personal care assistant provides care for patients who are ill, aged or disabled by helping with daily activities like feeding, bathing, dressing, running errands and routine housekeeping.

A caring, empathetic and perceptive personality
Good time management and organisation skills
Physically fit to be able to do manual labour
Ability to make sound decisions and work under pressure
Good communication skills

Quick facts

Personal care assistants provide assistance to clients who are infirmed, aged or disabled. 81% of workers are female. The sector will grow strongly over the next five years from 92,700 jobs in 2017 to 105,900 by 2022.

Outlook

Average Hours Worked

33.9 full-time hours per week vs. all jobs average of 40 hours

*Source
Main Industries

Healthcare and social assistance; administrative and support services; public administration and safety
Average qualification level

43.8% Certificate III/IV

* All information on this page has been complied using figures from payscale.com.au and the Australian Government's joboutlook.gov.au - all figures are indications only, and are accurate at time of publication. Please do your own research before selecting a course or career.

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