Mar 29, 2007, 08:14 pm
Hi Aaron
I note that you write from SA, and I can only tell you what direction PCAs (personal care assistants) are heading in NSW. PCAs are generally employed in Hostels or other low care residential aged care. In NSW, a few aged care providers changed their PCAs to CSE (care support employees) a few years back. Care supervisors (cert IV AINs) are becoming the team leaders replacing RNs.
As a PCA, you are not classified as a nurse. In NSW, a PCA/CSE/CS cannot obtain membership from the NSW nurses' union. You are a carer, a support worker. Under this classification, your employer can pretty much make you do anything from cleaning, laundry, showering, doing medication rounds. They cannot do this with AINs, ENs, EENs or RNs. This is because we are employed as nurses, under a nurse union. We have that level of protection.
Low care facilities don't like this, so they prefer to employ one set of staff, and train them up to do everything. It costs them a lot less this way.
