Abstract

AUBRY, François  and  FEILLOU, Isabelle. Experienced but weakened: personal care workers working in geriatric organizations in Quebec facing the complexity of real work. Laboreal [online]. 2020, vol.16, n.1, pp.1-16. ISSN 1646-5237.  https://doi.org/10.4000/laboreal.15728.

Personal care workers (PCW) are responsible for all nursing assistance activities for residents in geriatric organizations. The experienced PCW have two characteristics. On the one hand, they use informal know-how that are essential for achieving the prescribed objectives. At the same time, they constitute a very fragile job category, particularly in terms of occupational health. The objective of our paper is to present the point of view of these workers on the factors relating to the organization of work which cause this fragility. We carried out qualitative research consisting of interviews with twenty experienced PCW with more than ten years of experience, working in four Long-Term Care Centers (CHSLDs) in Quebec (Canada). The three main factors identified by the professionals are: The intensification of the workload causes difficulty in carrying out the prescribed work; the work activity becomes more complex; and the distance of the immediate manager prevents collective discussions on the quality of the activities.

Keywords : Personal care worker; geriatric organizations; occupational health; experience; work organization.

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