Last Updated on August 28, 2016

Appendix D -National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3413: Nurse Aides, Orderlies and Patient Service Associates

Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates typically assist nurses, hospital staff and physicians in taking basic care of patients. They will usually find employment in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted care facilities for the elderly and other health care establishments.

The Example Titles

Some example titles held by these individuals could include:

• Emergency Medical Care Attendant (EMCA)

• Aide, emergency room

• Aide, health care

• Aide, hospital

• Aide, hospital wars

• Aide, medical

• Aide, neuropsychiatric

• Aide, nursery – hospital

• Aide, operating room

• Aide, patient care

• Aide, psychiatric

• Aide, special care – nursing

• Aide, surgical

• Anaesthetic attendant – hospital

• Assistant, emergency medical care

• Attendant, hospital

• Attendant, nursing

• Attendant, nursing home

• Attendant, personal care – medical

• Attendant, special care facility

• Continuing care assistant

• Emergency medical care assistant

• Emergency medical responder

• Emergency room aide

• Environmental assistant – medical

• Environmental support person – medical

• First aid attendant

• First aid attendant – emergency

• Geriatric aide

• Geriatric health care attendant

• Health care aide

• Health care assistant

• Hospice worker

• Hospital aide

• Hospital attendant

• Hospital orderly

• Hospital porter

• Hospital ward aide

• Hostel service aide – medical

• Institutional aide

• Long term care aide

• Medical aide

• Medical attendant – patient transfer

• Medical orderly

• Neuropsychiatric aide

• Nurse aide

• Nursery aide – hospital

• Nursing assistant (non-registered)

• Nursing attendant

• Nursing home attendant

• Nursing orderly

• Nursing services aide

• Operating room aide

• Orderly

• Patient care aide

• Patient care assistant

• Patient care associate

• Patient service aide

• Patient service assistant

• Patient service associate

• Patient service attendant

• Patient service worker

• Personal care aide – medical

• Personal care attendant – medical

• Personal care provider – medical

• Personal support aide – medical

• Psychiatric aide

• Registered care aide

• Resident care aide – medical

• Resident companion – medical

• Respite care aide

• Service assistant – medical

• Service associate – medical

• Service attendant – medical

• Special care aide – nursing

• Special care facility attendant

• Special care worker – medical

• Support services assistant – medical

• Surgical aide

• Unit aide – medical

• Unit assistant – medical

• Unit support technician – medical

• Ward aide – medical

The Main Duties

Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates would need to perform some or all of the following duties:

• Performing generic duties such as:

  • Answering call signals

  • Supplying and emptying bed pans

  • Bathing, dressing and grooming patients

  • Serving meal trays

  • Feeding or assisting in the feeding of patients and assisting patients with menu selection

  • Weighing, lifting, turning and positioning patients

  • Shaving patients prior to operations

  • Supervising the patients’ exercise routines

  • Setting up and providing leisure activities for patients

  • Accompanying patients in outside recreational activities and,

  • Performing other duties related to patient care and comfort

• Performing medical duties such as:

  • Taking the blood pressure, temperature and pulse of the patients

  • Reporting or recording the fluid intake and output of the patients

  • Observing or monitoring the patients’ status

  • Documenting patient care on the charts

  • Administering first aid in emergency situations

  • Collecting specimens such as urine, faeces or sputum

  • Administering suppositories, colonic irrigations and enemas and,

  • Performing other procedures as directed by the nursing and hospital staff

• Transporting patients by wheelchair or stretcher for treatment or surgery

• Carrying messages, reports, requisitions and specimens between departments

• Making beds and maintaining the patients’ rooms

• Maintaining the inventory of supplies

• Performing maintenance tasks such as:

  • Assisting with the set-up and maintenance of traction equipment

  • Cleaning or sterilising equipment

  • Maintaining and repairing equipment and,

  • Assembling, setting up and operating job-related equipment

• Transporting patients between care facilities

The Employment Requirements

The authorities require individuals working in this occupation to:

• Have some secondary school education and on-the-job training or to have completed a nursing aide or health care aide college or private institutional program or a college nursing orderly program and supervised practical training

• Complete some specialised courses such as Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), first aid and food handling or sterile processing (applicable in some health care facilities) and,

• Have an appropriate class of driver’s licence (applicable for medical attendants)

Classified Elsewhere

• Personal care attendants – home care i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 4412 – Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations

• Licensed practical nurses i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3233

• Other assisting occupations in support of health services i.e. National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3414 [refer to Appendix M]