Health care assistants, also referred to as nursing assistants or patient care assistants, are indispensable features in any health facility. They offer a variety of services to both the concerned medical personnel and the concerned patient. They play a significant role in trying to keep patients comfortable, cared for, and supported throughout their days either in the hospitals, clinics, or homes where they remain. This article provides a review of the regular activities which may be taken on by a Health Care Assistant during a normal shift.
Morning Routine: Preparing for the Day
Start of Shift
A Health Care Assistant starts that with a handover from the previous shift. That is how they are informed of the patients that would be allocated to them, their condition, changes in the care plan, and what is to be done during that shift.
Equipment and Supplies-Check
Before starting direct service with the client, HCAs make sure that all the equipment needed in the delivery of their services such as blood pressure monitors, thermometers, and mobility aids are all in good working order. They also stock up their stations with what they need like gloves, cleaning solutions, and linens.
Care for Patients
Morning Care
The morning hygiene is usually one of the first duties of the HCAs. This is done by:
Bathing, showering, or washing
Assistance with brushing of teeth, combing hair, and dressing
Changing bed linen and making sure the immediate surroundings of the patient are clutter-free
This personal care is a need and a must for patients who, due to whatever reason, are confined to a limited mobility level, or probably are still recovering from surgery, illness, or injury. It freshens them up and makes them comfortable adding to their well being.
Assistance with Mobility
Providing specific assistance to mobilize – the role of HCAs is to transfer patients from bed to chair and/ or walk with patients. They can use specialist equipment, such as hoists or walking aids, to assist patients in a safe way.
Monitoring Vital Signs and Patient Health
Checks on Vital Signs
Healthcare Assistants are responsible for monitoring and recording the patients throughout the day, in regards of their vital signs. These include:
Blood pressure taken
Pulse checked
Rates of respiration and temperature monitored
These measures are of high importance because they track the condition of a patient, and also serve as a warning for the care team of deteriorations that may happen with suddenness.
Observation and Report of Changes
Health Care Assistants provide the eyes and ears for the medical team. They spend most of their time with the patients and are usually the first to identify if something is different with the patient’s condition, such as irritation of the skin, infection signs, or increased pain level. They are supposed to communicate such observations to the nurses or doctors for further assessment for appropriate intervention.
Meal Times and Hydration
Assistance with Meals
The patients who cannot feed themselves are assisted by the HCAs to have their meals. This includes feeding those patients who cannot feed themselves and monitoring their intake, according to their diet, ensuring that their intake is sufficient enough to keep them in good healthy state.
Monitoring of Food and Fluid Intake
HCAs also chart the amount of food and liquid that each patient has taken in. This is helpful because it makes the patients receive enough nutrition and fluids, which are quite vital for recuperation and a healthy life.
Psychological Attention and Social Interaction
Provide Comfort and Socialization
Health care assistants also provide emotional support for patients. For a large proportion of their patients and especially for those who are in the care of a facility for a long time, HCAs are major sources of social contact. A simple conversation or just a sympathetic ear or a kind presence can do wonders in altering a person’s mood in an emotional sense.
Family Support
Apart from the care provided to the patients, the HCAs may also communicate with the patients’ families and significant others. They may also be able to provide answers to further questions, updates about a patient’s status, and reassurance when concerns may arise. This may be most valuable in the family dynamics when critical or end-of-life care arises.
Afternoon Activities: Ongoing Patient Care and Charting
Ongoing Routine Care
Care Assistants will continue with the routine care of repositioning patients to avoid pressure sores, meeting toileting needs, and mobilising patients where possible as the shift progresses.
Hand in Care to Medical Staff
Throughout the shift, HCAs will work alongside nurses and doctors and may well assist them in many areas of clinical work. This may include preparation of the patient for the procedure, sample collection, either urine or stool, and assisting with minor surgery or investigation.
Record Keeping
It is an important aspect of health care to observe that everything is documented correctly. Thus, the HCAs will document all the observations that they make regarding the patient about his/her care given to him/her, food intake, and all other changes they observe in a patient. This continuity of care would help the medical teams gather valuable information in order to assist them in making the right decision for the patients’ treatments.
End of the Day: Planning for the Night Shift
Evening Care and Getting them Ready for Bed
Putting them to bed: All the HCAs assist the patients at the end of the day in preparing for bed time, which would include evening hygiene such as washing of the face, brushing of teeth, or changing into sleepwear. They make sure that the patients are comfortable in their beds and their surroundings are safe and clean.
Hand over to Next Shift
At the end of the shift, the HCAs will be in a position to give the oncoming staff a detailed handover on the condition of each patient, the care the patient has received during the day, and any issues that need attention during the night shift .
Challenges and Rewards of Being a Healthcare Assistant
Challenges
Physically Demanding: Many a time, the role of an HCA may be physically demanding, and sometimes they have to spend much of the day on their feet. They are called upon to help in lifting and moving the patient besides other tasks that require stamina.
Emotional Toll: Working with patients, particularly seriously ill or in palliative care, can be emotionally challenging.
Rewards
Making a Difference: Through direct care, HCAs contribute to the well-being of their service users. Their job is considered truly rewarding since they realize how important their role in life is to ensure a better quality of life for their patients.
Team Support: HCs work in teams and build a close affiliation with nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals. Team spirit and collaboration for the same end may also be very rewarding.
The role of a Healthcare Assistant can be varied and challenging, but very rewarding. This important role of HCAs stretches from personal care and taking of vital signs to the offering of emotional support, assisting patients in activities of daily living, and many more. Each day may differ, but at the core of what they will do is the same: to ensure that all patients receive their essential care and attention to heal and live as comfortably as possible.