Personal Care Aide (PCA)

Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens; Tazewell (VA); On-site; USD 19,286 - 24,796; Full time

Job summary

Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens is seeking a Medicaid Personal Care Services aide to support individuals at home, enabling them to remain in their residences and avoid institutional care. The role involves helping with daily living activities, reporting changes in client condition, and using therapeutic interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities include assisting with dressing, bathing, grooming, mobility, meals, medication reminders, and light housekeeping.

Qualifications

• Must be at least 18 years old and fluent in English.
• Must have a valid Social Security number, driver’s license, and own transportation.
• Must be medically cleared of communicable disease, pass a drug screen, and pass a criminal background check.
• Prefer a minimum of 1 year of experience providing personal care to patients.
• Must meet physical ability requirements including lifting 25–50 lbs and possible transfers.

Responsibilities

• Assist with dressing, undressing, and bathing of the client, including routine skin care and catheter care.
• Assist with grooming, nails, and shaving.
• Assist with care of teeth, mouth, and dentures.
• Provide incontinence care and toileting assistance.
• Ambulate and transfer clients, including lifting when required.
• Prepare meals and assist with eating or feeding.
• Provide medication reminders as prescribed (not dosing).
• Provide supervision for client safety when no other support is available.
• Perform light housekeeping in the client’s living areas.
• List supplies needed for purchases and assist with mail if no caregiver.

Skills

Follow exact instructions

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Driver's license

Education

40-Hour Personal Care Aide certificate

Certified Nursing Assistant (Virginia Board)

Job description

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Must be at least 18 years of age, fluent in English and read and write to follow schedules, care plans, and instructions, and be physically capable of performing required tasks. Must have a valid Social Security number, driver’s license, and own transportation. Must be medically cleared of communicable disease, pass a drug screen, and pass a criminal background check.

Must possess a 40-Hour Personal Care Aide certificate from an approved program or be a Certified Nursing Assistant licensed with the Virginia Board of Nursing and be in good standing. Prefer a minimum of 1 year of experience providing personal care assistance to patients.

SUMMARY

Medicaid Personal Care Services are long-term maintenance, supportive services to enable individuals to remain in the home to prevent institutionalization or nursing home placement. Provides services such as assisting with Activities of Daily Living, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, and reporting changes in the client's condition and needs. Use of therapeutic interpersonal skills is required. Personal care services assist with personal hygiene, supporting the client’s physical, emotional, and nutritional needs, and environmental maintenance necessary for clients to remain in their homes. Problems encountered range from routine to complex; significant public contact is required, and the position requires independent decision-making and action.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist with dressing, undressing, and bathing of the client, including routine skin care to include maintenance and care of external condom catheters.
• Assist with grooming of hair, cleaning of nails, and shaving with an electric razor.
• Assist with the care of teeth, mouth, and dentures.
• Provide incontinence care and toileting assistance: can include emptying of external indwelling catheters, i.e., Foley or suprapubic catheters, urostomy, or colostomy.
• Assist the individual to ambulate, turn/change positions, or transfer; often involves lifting greater than 25‑50 lbs. or more at a time unassisted, performing extensive bending, stooping, standing, squatting, kneeling, crouching, reaching, and safely transferring clients using mechanical lifts.
• Prepare meals and assist the individual with eating or feeding, following special diets or swallow restrictions.
• Assist the individual with self-administered medications; may remind the individual of medications at prescribed times; doesn’t include pouring of, determining dosage of, instilling, injecting, or applying medications in any form.
• Provides supervision for those individuals who require the physical presence of an aide to insure their safety during times when no other support system is available.
• Provides routine wound care that does not include sterile technique, may wash with soap and water, and apply a non-sterile bandage. Obtain and report vital signs: temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and weight. Recognize and report significant changes in the client.
• Light housekeeping of the individual's main living areas (bed, living, kitchen, and bathrooms) to sweep, mop, dust, and change bed linens.
• Lists supplies needed for purchase, to grocery shop, and assists with mail if no caregiver.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Ability to understand and carry out exact oral or written instructions without close or constant supervision.
• Possess and maintain an electronic device capable of sending and receiving email, for access to schedules and care plans, to record worked time, for the production of the client record, and to access off-site training courses.
• Possess good interpersonal skills to remain professional, ethical, and courteous to provide effective and appropriate services, while maintaining strict confidentiality.
• Maintain an unrestricted driver's license and automobile insurance.
• Complete all assigned trainings, evaluations, competencies, and license renewals, as required by the Agency, including a minimum of (12) hours of annual education.
• Must be telephone accessible and willing to work flexible hours throughout the service area.
• Maintain a bank account for direct deposit of wages earned.

Key Physical and Health Requirements

1. Must be physically able to perform duties, often lifting 25‑50 lbs. or more unassisted.
2. Lift, push, pull, or move clients.
3. Frequent bending, stooping, kneeling, squatting, crouching, reaching, stair climbing, or changes in body positions.
4. Demonstrate proficiency in skills (hands‑on).
5. Must be in good physical and mental health to work in varied environments, which may include pets and smoke.
6. Successful completion of CPR and First Aid.