Index
Intro
Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates assist nurses, hospital staff and physicians in the basic care of patients. They are employed in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted care facilities for the elderly and other health care establishments.
Main Duties
Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates perform some or all of the following duties:
- Answer call signals; supply and empty bed pans; bathe, dress and groom patients; serve meal trays, feed or assist in feeding of patients and assist patients with menu selection; weigh, lift, turn, and position patients; shave patients prior to operations; supervise patients’ exercise routines, set up and provide leisure activities for patients, accompany patients on outside recreational activities and perform other duties related to patient care and comfort
- Take patients’ blood pressure, temperature and pulse; report or record fluid intake and output; observe or monitor patients’ status and document patient care on charts; administer first aid in emergency situations; collect specimens such as urine, faeces or sputum; administer suppositories, colonic irrigations and enemas and perform other procedures as directed by nursing and hospital staff
- Transport patients by wheelchair or stretcher for treatment or surgery
- Carry messages, reports, requisitions and specimens between departments
- Make beds and maintain patients’ rooms
- Maintain inventory of supplies
- May perform maintenance tasks such as assisting with the set-up and maintenance of traction equipment, cleaning or sterilizing equipment, maintaining and repairing equipment, and assembling, setting-up and operating job-related equipment
- May transport patients between care facilities.
Employment Requirements
- Some secondary school education and on-the-job training
or
A nursing aide or health care aide college or private institutional program, or a college nursing orderly program and supervised practical training are required. - Some health care facilities may also require completion of specialized courses such as CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), first aid and food handling/sterile processing.
- An appropriate class of driver’s licence may be required for medical attendants.
All Titles
- (EMCA) emergency medical care attendant
- aide, emergency room
- aide, health care
- aide, hospital
- aide, hospital ward
- aide, medical
- aide, neuropsychiatric
- aide, nursery – hospital
- aide, operating room
- aide, patient care
- aide, psychiatric
- aide, special care – nursing
- aide, surgical
- anesthetic attendant – hospital
- assistant, emergency medical care
- attendant, hospital
- attendant, nursing
- attendant, nursing home
- attendant, personal care – medical
- attendant, special care facility
- continuing care assistant
- emergency medical care assistant
- emergency medical care attendant (EMCA)
- emergency medical responder
- emergency room aide
- environmental assistant – medical
- environmental support person – medical
- first aid attendant
- first aid attendant – emergency
- geriatric aide
- geriatric health care attendant
- health care aide
- health care assistant
- hospice worker
- hospital aide
- hospital attendant
- hospital orderly
- hospital porter
- hospital ward aide
- hostel service aide – medical
- institutional aide
- long term care aide
- medical aide
- medical attendant – patient transfer
- medical orderly
- neuropsychiatric aide
- nurse aide
- nursery aide – hospital
- nursing assistant (non-registered)
- nursing attendant
- nursing home attendant
- nursing orderly
- nursing services aide
- operating room aide
- orderly
- patient care aide
- patient care assistant
- patient care associate
- patient service aide
- patient service assistant
- patient service associate
- patient service attendant
- patient service worker
- personal care aide – medical
- personal care attendant – medical
- personal care provider – medical
- personal support aide – medical
- psychiatric aide
- registered care aide
- resident care aide – medical
- resident companion – medical
- respite care aide
- service assistant – medical
- service associate – medical
- service attendant – medical
- special care aide – nursing
- special care facility attendant
- special care worker – medical
- support services assistant – medical
- surgical aide
- unit aide – medical
- unit assistant – medical
- unit support technician – medical
- ward aide – medical
Exclusions
- Licensed practical nurses (3233)
- Other assisting occupations in support of health services (3414)
- Personal care attendants – home care (See 4412 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations)