Healthcare Assistant Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides exhaustive information on the healthcare assistant job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may need to fulfill to be hired for the healthcare assistant role.

What Does a Healthcare Assistant Do?

The healthcare assistant is responsible for providing healthcare to seniors and other people, including assisting patients with their medical needs.

The healthcare assistant job description entails maintaining cleanliness, safety, and well-being of patients in the hospital setting.

It also involves maintaining positive relationships with patients, family members and other healthcare professionals.

Healthcare assistants help people learn to take better control of their health and live healthier lives.

They assist with patient scheduling in order to provide a convenient schedule with prompt treatment/visits.

It is also their duty to set up and take down patient’s equipment, which is essential.

Setting up patient’s tests and treatments in accordance with hospital policy for a friendly environment is a duty they also perform.

Healthcare assistants are also responsible for collecting patients’ data (name, age, gender, etc.) and preparing it properly before taking patients to procedures or tests.

In addition, they take patients to a room and prepare the bedding, equipment, and other things to make sure everything is ready for the patient.

The healthcare assistant work description also involves helping patients with their daily activities, such as driving, moving from one place to another, increasing or decreasing their fluid intake, and taking medications.

It also entails maintaining good relationship with doctors, nurses, and other staff members by reporting any issues with patients to them in order to maintain appropriate care of the patient.

This individual maintains good relationships with family members by keeping them posted of the patient’s condition and report any changes to hospital staff.

They keep a chart of patients’ health, medical history, medications and other relevant information, which will keep the patients in good hands.

Healthcare Assistant Job Description Sample/Example/Template

The healthcare assistant job description consists of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:

• Provides basic health care to patients and promotes their independence and well-being
• Assesses the health, comfort, physical condition, mobility, and mental state of patient to provide developmentally appropriate health care treatment plans
• Explains special diagnostic procedures, treatments, medications, diets, therapy, and equipment to patients
• Prepares patient for examinations or treatments by bathing or washing hair; arranging transportation; cleaning and preparing examination room; selecting appropriate gown or garment for patient; preparing examination table or bed for treatment; assisting patient into position for sample collection or treatment
• Operates X-ray machine to take body pictures or views of organs in motion in order to aid physicians in diagnosing illness and prescribing treatment plans
• Gives enemas, douches, and baths to patients
• Takes vital signs of the patient using stethoscope; measures blood pressure; feeds and changes patient who has difficulty in performing these functions; turns and exercises patients who are bedridden
• Trains or assists patients to perform physical exercises under supervision of physical therapist or exercise specialist as part of treatment program to help restore independence or well-being
• Cares for newborn infants by bathing, feeding, dressing and soothing them for routine procedures such as temperature, pulse and respiration readings, cleaning injection sites for immunizing shots, applying medications to eyes or ears or taking electrocardiagrams (EKG)
• Participates in special procedures or treatments for patients, such as administering intravenous feedings or transfusions and collecting blood samples
• Assists in operating mechanical bed and other equipment used to lift, turn, bathe or move patient from bed to wheelchair
• Assists physician during electrocardiogram (EKG), urinalysis, arterial blood gas and other diagnostic tests that require the patient to remain absolutely still for long periods of time by restraining the patient or holding the body part being tested
• Takes blood samples and performs other internal examinations by inserting rectal or vaginal probe
• Cleans, sterilizes, and stores medical equipment under direction of physician and nurse.

Healthcare Assistant Job Description for Resume

If you have worked before as a healthcare assistant or are presently working in that role and are making a new resume or CV, then you can make a compelling Professional Experience section by applying the healthcare assistant job description example above.

You can express the duties and responsibilities you have carried out or are currently performing as a healthcare assistant in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones in the above healthcare assistant job description.

This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been effective performing the healthcare assistant duties and responsibilities, which can significantly boost your chances of being hired, especially if the new job that you are applying for requires someone with some healthcare assistant work experience.

Healthcare Assistant Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

Here are important requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the healthcare assistant role and be effective in your career:

• Must have completed High School education or GED certificate
• Possess experience in caring for newborn infants, children and adults in a hospital, extended care facility or home health care setting
• Must be certified as Nursing Assistant (CNA) within 6 months after being hired by employer; or complete an accredited course for nursing assistant training within 6 months after hire date, and obtain certification from the State of Illinois
• Possess medical background and know how to interpret medical terminology
• Ability to work flexible hours, such as evenings and weekends
• Willingness to work overtime or night shift as required by the employer and employer’s policies, including weekends and holidays as necessary
• Must be able to work occasional overtime when needed at additional compensation of time-and-a-half pay for all hours worked over 40 per week in excess of eight hours in one day, seven days a week, unless otherwise specified by the employer
• Willing to receive training and transferable within the hospital
• Must be willing to stay with the same employer for at least four (4) years
• Willing to transfer to a different hospital, if needed
• Must be willing to work any kind of hours available, if needed.

Healthcare Assistant Job Salary

According to Glassdoor, the national average compensation for a healthcare assistant in the United States is $35,126 per year.

Conclusion

This post is helpful to individuals interested in the healthcare assistant career who want to know what the job entails before getting into it.

They will be able to learn all they need to know about the health care assistant duties and responsibilities to decide if that is the job they want to do.

It is also useful to recruiters/employers in making an effective job description for the healthcare assistant position in their organizations.