The elderly, critically injured, disabled, and recovering people require help to go through their everyday lives. Most families prefer getting professionals to offer the right assistance due to other engagements and the level of care needed in some cases. Personal care assistants fall under this category of helpers.
Who exactly are personal care assistants? These are professionals who attend to the group mentioned above, helping them clean themselves, walk around and even go as far as performing their household chores. If you are looking for a job as a personal care assistant, this article will look at some of the questions you should always anticipate.
1. Why Are You Interested In This Position?
I grew up taking care of my disabled brother since we couldn’t afford special care. Our interaction opened my eyes to what such vulnerable people go through, and therefore, I decided to dedicate my life to helping them by offering all the necessary assistance. After secondary school, I decided to pursue personal care assistance to continue being a blessing to people in the same boat as my brother, which I find highly fulfilling.
2. What Are The Roles Of a Personal Care Assistant?
All the roles a personal care assistant plays are geared toward making the world a better place for the disabled, elderly, and recovering individuals. They offer personalized care, which includes ensuring that their clients take their medication as advised, supporting those who can’t move properly, performing household chores, and helping them maintain proper hygiene.
Therefore, these assistants may dress, feed, and bathe their clients depending on their situations. They also offer physical therapy services assistance, respond quickly during emergencies, offer emotional support, report strange events to physicians, and help with shopping and housekeeping duties.
3. What Are The Qualities That a Personal Care Assistant Needs To Be Successful?
Personal care assistants must have an array of qualities due to the nature and quantity of the mandated workload. First, they must show a commitment to health and safety, which sums up most of their roles. They should be adequately organized and reliable to attend to their duties well and take care of their clients; have adequate physical stamina since part of their work is to offer support with physical therapy exercises; know how to conduct CPR, and have strong ethics. Other qualities include a valid driver’s license as they may be required to rush their clients to hospitals, a positive and loving attitude, excellent communication skills, and great people skills.
4. Briefly Comment About Your Experience
My experience with personal care started during my teenage years while taking care of my always-ailing brother. I had to learn how to feed and dress him and, at times, even perform CPR. I decided to completely immerse myself in personal care assistance after my high school diploma and have since worked with different clients. I have also worked at a home for burn victims, offering emotional support, performing housekeeping duties, and helping their general recovery.
Most of my clients have been elderly disabled patients. These experiences have opened my eyes to what it means to live requiring support and have made me more compassionate and understanding.
5. Mention Your Daily Routine
I usually report to the client’s home early enough to check up on them and ensure they take any required medication. I then prepare the required meals based on the provided restrictions, feed them, and later attend to housekeeping duties. Part of my afternoon is spent helping the clients bathe and dress before heading out for shopping. I also offer emotional support the entire time and check in with the doctors on stipulated days.
6. Mention Some Of The Strategies And Mindset Required For This Role
A personal care assistant must have a positive mindset since their main work is to help their clients go through their already-challenging lives and offer emotional support. They also need the right strategy, which in this case is centering all their roles and activities towards ensuring that their clients get all the support they need. They should therefore have only one aim-to make their lives easier.
7. What Are Some Of The Challenges You Faced In Your Last Job? How Did You Overcome Them?
After several years in this field, I don’t consider some occurrences as challenges. However, during my former job, I encountered a family that was uninterested in their disabled child’s wellbeing. I had to go out of my way and, at times, my job description to ensure that the child was well taken care of. However, when it later became overwhelming, I talked to the child’s physician, who, together with child services, helped to enroll him in a special children’s home. I visit him over the weekend. It warms my heart to know that the child is okay.
8. What Motivates You To Do Your Best In This Job?
Being a personal care assistant can be exhausting at times due to the challenges we often face. However, I wake up every day and diligently attend to my roles, having witnessed my sister growing up disabled and needing all the help in the world, that we couldn’t afford at the time. The smiles I put on people’s faces, be it the elderly, disabled, or those in recovery, is enough reason to continue doing my best.
9. Mention a Time That You Failed In This Role And The Lesson You Learned
I overly bonded with a disabled child I was attending to and had lots of detachment problems when it was time to enroll in a special school that would take care of him while offering the right education. It took time to move on. However, it shaped my career since I learned not to get too attached to my clients and draw boundaries. I am glad that I can be compassionate while still maintaining boundaries.
10. What Is Your Greatest Strength?
Even though I have several qualities that I am proud of, I believe that my greatest strength is my compassion. I make my clients feel genuinely loved and cared for by offering them a shoulder to lean on and attend to their needs. I have had some families ask me to move in permanently with them, which even though unprofessional, shows just how much the affected parties I deal with value my presence. I genuinely want what is best for them and stop at nothing to ensure continuous care.
11. What Is Your Greatest Achievement?
My most outstanding achievement is getting the chance to take care of my late disabled sister until she succumbed to other unrelated illnesses. We bonded and became best of friends owing to the love and support she got from me, and she was always ready to remind me that she was thankful. Her situation made me more compassionate about the plight of the disabled, which has greatly helped me offer the needed support to different clients.
12. Why Do You Believe Your Job Is Important?
As a personal care assistant, my job allows different people to enjoy the support, warmth, and help that they may not easily achieve. It makes the world a better place for the vulnerable and ensures that they stay with their families. I particularly love that we help different people continue living regular lifestyles despite their conditions. Lastly, this job is vital as it is a service to humanity. Helping those in need is one of the greatest gifts anyone can extend to the affected parties, which explains why I always feel fulfilled at the end of the day.
13. We Want Someone Who Will Care For Elderly Clients. Can You Mention Some Of The Specific Care They Need?
As a personal care assistant, I believe it is crucial to acknowledge that some classes of people have special needs and therefore need more specialized care than others. Therefore, a personal care assistant that treats every case equally fails at their role. For an elderly clients, I will offer the right physical assistance they need to go about their day and emotional support to keep them away from loneliness. One of the best ways of offering the latter is by lending a listening ear whenever necessary.
14. You Are Expected To Maintain High Levels Of Confidentiality, Which Demands Non-Disclosure Of Your Client’s Conditions Or Personal Information To The Wrong Persons. How Will You Uphold It?
I am aware of the high level of confidentiality required in this line of work. Most of our clients are emotionally vulnerable, and therefore disclosing their personal and medical information can wreck them further. I will not talk to anyone about my client’s conditions or personal information outside work. Also, I will only Reve such conditions to the doctor and other people authorized by the law when at work.
15. Tell Us How You Will Uphold Your Client’s Dignity While Attending To Them
I believe that one of the surest ways of upholding a client’s dignity while attending to them is by practicing empathy. I usually put myself in my client’s shoes to understand what they want me to do. I also believe that a personal care assistant must create an open line of communication that ensures that the client won’t shy away from mentioning what they want to get attended to. I believe that making the client feel respected is one of the best ways of respecting their dignity.
16. How Would You Deal With a Patient Or Client Who Kicks You Out For Their Room?
Even though clients should be respected and allowed to mention their needs, personal care assistants should also strive to create boundaries and stay firm to earn respect and cooperation. If such a situation ever happens, I will understand the patient but inform them that I will be back in 10-20 minutes to find out how they are doing. I would also find out what the respective physician thinks and go back to the person’s room after the lapse of time.
17. How Do You Normally Protect Your Vulnerable Clients From Abuse?
We usually deal with several vulnerable adults and children as personal care assistants. The term vulnerable in adults refer to those affected by physical or mental illnesses that extend to their ability to think or reason. Everyone in this profession understands that such people should be protected from any form of abuse. I usually give a listening ear and note a client’s complaints or demands when they come forward for being abused before contacting the right authorities. However, if the client forces me to discover such happenings out of fear of coming forward, I usually inform them that I am following up on the matter before reporting to the right authorities.
18. Have You Ever Taken Care Of a Patient With Alzheimer’s Disease?
I understand the importance of widening my clinical knowledge and adapting to different situations and sicknesses as a personal care assistant. I have worked with several Alzheimer’s patients, known to be unpredictable. I am always patient and more understanding of their plights during their good and bad days. Therefore, I am also highly flexible and have an easy time crafting programs that respond to their needs.
19. Describe a Situation Where You Were Deeply Affected By a Client. How Did You Go About It?
I have been through several emotionally draining and challenging situations due to the nature of my work. However, I usually find a way to rise above such occurrences. I didn’t know how to cope when I lost my first patient, a bubbly child whose death surprised us. I struggled to get over it and even had nightmares, given the bond we had established during my caregiving period. I had to undergo therapy which taught me the importance of processing emotions and rising above storms.
20. How Do You Normally Approach Your Care Assistant Work?
Every personal care assistant should have a philosophy that guides their work. Mine ensures that all patients are satisfied since I understand how vital providing care and emotional assistance is to clients. I usually ensure that all my services are up to the required standards. I also talk to my clients to obtain their feedback, which helps me improve my craft.
21. How Would You Deal With a Client With a Heart Attack?
I usually know that I have to stay constantly prepared when dealing with my clients. I always have enough airtime to make essential calls, plus my clients’ doctors are always on my speed dial list. I would request emergency medical care in such a situation and even offer aspirin unless the patient has allergies. I would also administer other prescriptions depending on the client’s records. It is also worth noting that I have vast experience in CPR, which I don’t mind performing on such patients.
22. Why Are You Leaving Your Previous Job?
I have always wanted to meet and tackle new challenges after five years in this job. A change of settings would be beneficial as it would allow me to give my all and live up to my potential. I also want to give someone else a chance to obtain more experience in the current position I have occupied for years. I love seeing and giving different able people a chance to scale greater heights in their careers. I am positive that getting this job will give me a chance to influence someone else’s life.
23. What Groups Of Vulnerable People Do You Love Working With?
After more than ten years of working in this field, I can handle all types of clients. I have worked with the disabled, injured, and elderly, which makes me believe that I can respond to any situation surrounding personal care assistance. However, after caring for my disabled brother for years, I find working with children rewarding and fulfilling. I have helped several children from different families adapt to their everyday lives, proving just how good I am in this field.
24. What Do You Know About Safeguarding?
As a personal care assistant, I understand the importance of safeguarding since I have worked with several clients before. It involves ensuring that the health of an employee, their human rights, and their well-being is protected, which keeps them safe from any abuse or harm. It also ensures that they are not neglected. I understand the vulnerability of my clients, which makes me committed to ensuring that they have all the protection they need. I understand my duty of care as a personal care assistant and will be committed to upholding it.
Conclusion
We have come to the end of our article, after covering some of the common questions you should know about personal care assistant interviews. We hope that these questions will help you prepare adequately and land a good job. Keep reading our articles to find out more about other careers.