Personal attendants may work in a hospital, private clinic or hospice, or visit their clients in senior citizen communities or their homes. Depending on the nature and type of their work, personal attendants may wear a hospital uniform similar to what technicians wear, or clothing that would be considered business casual. If a personal attendant is in a hospital, for example, it is likely she will wear some form of "scrubs" that include a loose-fitting pair of pants and top that are green or another color to signify she is a member of the hospital medical staff.
Identification
A personal attendant may work in a medical setting that requires all medical staff to wear a standard hospital uniform of a matching top and pants for both its male and female employees. In a hospice or private clinic, this may also be true.
For a wealthy client who has hired a personal attendant to serve more along the lines of a butler or personal maid, this may mean that a man will be expected to wear a suit and tie and dark leather shoes and a woman, a conservative dress and sweater or suit.
Significance
In a hospital setting, patients are cared for by nurses and personal attendants who may help them bathe or do other tasks that require that they are very active--stooping or even lifting a patient onto a chair or bed. Wearing a hospital uniform is practical and generally a normal requirement for employment. Private clients who hire a personal attendant may ask him to serve meals or also help with their daily grooming and dressing. In these cases, a personal attendant is likely to be dressed formally and conservatively, especially if tending to a wealthy client who entertains at home.
Considerations
The environment and the tasks that each personal attendant must carry out will determine what he will wear. In a hospital setting, personal attendants may help lift patients into wheel chairs or other tasks that require they are not constricted by a suit and tie. In a private home, a personal attendant may not be lifting his client, but instead serving coffee or tea at meals attended by wealthy friends and clients, requiring he is dressed in more formal attire.
Misconceptions
Personal attendants of every stripe earn their living sometimes doing very repetitive, back-breaking work: mopping floors to clean up, dusting, shampooing or moving heavy furniture. It is a misconception to believe they only open the mail or carry in a daily newspaper at a private residence or to simply fluff pillows in a hospital setting. These jobs are not very highly paid in a hospital setting, and the work is often cleaning and lifting. In a private setting, the work may be compensated at a higher rate but the days and hours of work may also be extended to include evenings and weekends.
Types
If you are interested in working as a personal attendant, do your homework. Interview at an agency that specializes in placing personal attendants in hospitals or private homes. Ask about the terms of work, the pay rate and dress code. For a private residence, you may spend more on a working wardrobe than for a uniform that can be purchased online cheaply when working in a hospital setting.
Tags: personal attendant, hospital setting, hospital uniform, tasks that, attendant serve