Professional Caregiving

Personal Care

December 22, 2011

The United States Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts a major jump in the personal care assistant job market in the next decade – making it the second fastest growing career group. The Bureau estimates that between now and the year 2016, personal care as a chosen career path will increase by 50% - peaking at nearly 1.15 million jobs.

The personal care industry is growing and changing rapidly, here are a few things you can do to stay ahead of the curve and enhance your personal care career.

Skills and Experience

To pursue a career in personal care, the most essential skillsets desired are compassion and the ability to care for the needs of others. To be successful in personal care, extensive health care knowledge and training is not necessary; however dexterity, communication skills and a helpful set of hands are.

Experience in personal care can range from anything you’ve done to take care of another – whether it is an elderly loved one, child or even a neighbor.

Build Your Resume

Caregiving can be defined by anything that you do for another to improve their quality of life. Even if you haven’t had “professional” personal care experience, you can get your foot in the door by simply caring for those around you. Taking your neighbor shopping for groceries, accompanying your grandmother to the doctor’s office or simply being a companion are all great experiences to add to your resume. Real life experience caring for another individual is priceless.

Training and Certification

If you have experience in the personal care field, the next natural step in your career could be becoming an LPN or a CNA.

Although not a requirement for being a personal care assistant, training and certification can greatly enhance your qualifications as a caregiver. Look into programs that will boost your resume and make you more marketable in this rapidly growing field of personal care.

While formal education in personal care may be a great option for some, it’s certainly not for everyone. There are other non-traditional routes to go about adding to your repertoire without ever setting foot in a classroom. Companies, like us here at CareFamily, will partner with you to advance your training so that you can take on more complex clients.

As a personal care assistant, you are not only enhancing the lives of those whom you care for, you are also enriching your own life as well.