Overview
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. Emergency medical care attendant are employed by private ambulance services, urgent care centers or other health facilities.
This group performs 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; 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
Administer, in emergency situations, first aid to injured or ill individuals within the scope of competencies
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 prospects
Annual salary
$41,712
$52,140
$54,226
Job openings
Use this interactive map to explore job openings in different regions across B.C.
Strong job outlook
British Columbia
11,103expected job openings (5-year forecast)
Education and training
Employment requirements
Some secondary school education and on-the-job training or a personal support worker, nursing aide or health care aide college or private institutional program, or a college nursing orderly program and supervised practical training are required.
Completion of specialized courses such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid is usually required.
An appropriate class of driver's licence may be required for medical attendants.
Certification requirements
Mandatory: You need the following certification to practice as Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates in B.C.
- Registration with the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry
Registration with the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry
Confirm with the certifying body that your intended program qualifies you for this certification.
To work as a Health Care Assistant in B.C., you must register with the B.C. Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry. Eligibility is achieved by successfully completing a recognized HCA program.
Post-secondary programs in B.C.
Explore programs related to this career offered at post-secondary institutions in B.C.