Personal Care Assistant

Personal Care Assistant qualifications to look for

Personal care assistants provide personal care to elderly or ill patients who are not able to care for themselves. They typically work in hospitals or nursing homes, but may also work inside the patient’s home. 

Each patient may require different care, so ask candidates what they are and are not willing to do for their job. Education isn’t necessary as on-the-job training is provided, though some jobs may require certificates. 

Every considered candidate should have proper CPR and first aid training.  

💪 This job may require physical demands like lifting and moving patients. 

Keep an eye out for candidates who have:

• Good hygiene 
• Strong communication skills
• Good people skills
• Patience
• Empathy
• Compassion 
• Commitment to advocacy 
  

Top tip: Hire candidates willing to grow by making sure their personal career goals align with your company's mission.

Role-specific interview questions

• Why do you think personal care assistants are important? Why did you choose this work? 
• What did you do for your last patient? How was your relationship with them? 
• Have you worked with children before? If so, is this something that interests you? 
• Do you know how to cook according to special health requirements? What experience do you have with this?
• What kind of caregiving tasks are you not comfortable with? 
• What does discretion mean for a personal care assistant? Why is this important? 

Behavioral interview questions

• Describe a time you had a patient that was very difficult. How did you work through this? 
• Why is companionship important to your patients? Can you give a specific example of how your care helped a patient?
• How do you handle seeing patient’s conditions decline? 
• Have you had to provide CPR to a patient? If so, how did you handle the situation? 
• Give me an example of a conflict you had on the job. What was it and how did you work through it? 
  

Problem-solving interview questions

• What type of help do you typically provide for an elderly patient?
• How do you respond if you find out a colleague behaved badly towards a patient?
• If a patient had a heart attack while in your care, what is the protocol?
• What are considerations when caring for a patient who suffers from Alzheimer's disease?
• What are considerations when caring for a patient with memory problems/depression/etc.?