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There aren’t many sectors that offer a more stable or satisfying career choice.
The private healthcare sector is growing at a rapid rate. People are living longer and that means more and more nursing homes are being built. This is creating an ever-increasing number of jobs.
A great starting point for your career in healthcare could be to become a Healthcare Assistant, also commonly referred to as a HCA.
In this article, we’re going to cover off some of the key things you’ll want to know about what a career in healthcare could look like.
As a care assistant, you’ll be working under the guidance of qualified healthcare professionals. Healthcare Assistants will generally operate in NHS hospitals, private hospitals, GP surgeries, nursing homes, and other private care homes. Working alongside nurses and senior care assistants, you’ll be supporting them with their day-to-day patient care. It’s up to you to make the patient’s life as comfortable and as safe as possible. You’ll become a key part of their daily life and help with a variety of things such as toileting, washing, feeding, general monitoring and much more. Some of the benefits of becoming a Healthcare Assistant include great job security, the chance to build close relationships with residents and the opportunity to work in a very fast-paced environment. That said, it’s worth noting that it can be very difficult to cope with the loss of a patient who you forge a strong bond with.
Also, as with every service orientated business, you will naturally have some patients who are more difficult to deal with than others.
The role of Healthcare Assistant is both mentally and physically challenging. To succeed as a HCA you need a cool head and the ability to cope well with stress and pressure.
Learn more about the roles and terminology that you may encounter whilst working in the healthcare sector. Take a look at our glossary of healthcare terms here:
Becoming a Healthcare Assistant is a great way to break into the healthcare industry. Here’s 8 qualities you really need if the role of HCA is going to be for you:
Attention to detail
It’s important that a Healthcare Assistant is able to follow directions. From basic things like getting meals and timing correct, to distribution of medication. You have to follow the rules even in chaotic situations.
Patience
Patience is a virtue, especially when dealing with people. For example, there are always going to be occasions where residents get frustrated or you need to calm a family member. Maintaining your patience is critical each and every day for a HCA.
Tolerance/understanding
When caring for people, the utmost dignity is required. Some of your patients might not be able to take themselves to the toilet, feed themselves or get washed. You’ll have to help them so their life is as comfortable and dignified as possible.
Physical strength
Being a carer is physically demanding. Helping people with mobility issues moving around is tough work. Plus you’re pretty much busy from the start of your shift, until the end, so it’s easy to get exhausted. Being physically fit yourself is a huge help.
Great communication
Whether it’s being able to understand a residents request or explaining something important to them, great communication is key. Not only that, but you’ll often have to feedback important information to nurses, senier carers and a patient’s family too.
Being a team player
Even though plenty of one-on-one relationships are formed with patients, being a healthcare assisant is very much a team effort. You’ll work with and form close relationships with a variety of people including Doctors, Nurses, Senior HCAs and other care home support staff.
Strong decision-making
A care home enviroment can often be quite stressdul for Healthcare Assistants and it’s important to remail calm, level-headed and make the correct judgement during the course of a day.
Emotional Strength
You’ll naturally get close to some of the residents and it can be incredibly tough when they receive bad news or pass away. As a carer you need to remain strong and help in any way you can to make thing as comfortable as possible.
Attention to detail
It’s important that a Healthcare Assistant is able to follow directions. From basic things like getting meals and timing correct, to distribution of medication. You have to follow the rules even in chaotic situations.
Patience
Patience is a virtue, especially when dealing with people. For example, there are always going to be occasions where residents get frustrated or you need to calm a family member. Maintaining your patience is critical each and every day for a HCA.
Tolerance/understanding
When caring for people, the utmost dignity is required. Some of your patients might not be able to take themselves to the toilet, feed themselves or get washed. You’ll have to help them so their life is as comfortable and dignified as possible.
Physical strength
Being a carer is physically demanding. Helping people with mobility issues moving around is tough work. Plus you’re pretty much busy from the start of your shift, until the end, so it’s easy to get exhausted. Being physically fit yourself is a huge help.
Great communication
Whether it’s being able to understand a residents request or explaining something important to them, great communication is key. Not only that, but you’ll often have to feedback important information to nurses, senier carers and a patient’s family too.
Being a team player
Even though plenty of one-on-one relationships are formed with patients, being a healthcare assisant is very much a team effort. You’ll work with and form close relationships with a variety of people including Doctors, Nurses, Senior HCAs and other care home support staff.
Strong decision-making
A care home enviroment can often be quite stressdul for Healthcare Assistants and it’s important to remail calm, level-headed and make the correct judgement during the course of a day.
Emotional Strength
You’ll naturally get close to some of the residents and it can be incredibly tough when they receive bad news or pass away. As a carer you need to remain strong and help in any way you can to make thing as comfortable as possible.
We partner with some of the UK’s best businesses, who are looking to hire ambitious, career minded professionals ready to take the next step in their career.
Job Type: Temp-to-Perm
Job Location: Preston
Pay: £8.91 – £9.00 per hour
Job Type: Temp-to-Perm
Job Location: Letcombe Regis
Pay: £10.41
To start your exciting new career as a Healthcare Assistant there are no formal entry requirements.
That means if you’re naturally caring and supportive, with good levels of English communication and a big dollop of common sense, you could be exactly the sort of person the UK healthcare industry needs.
Even though there are no set requirements, that doesn’t mean this is a dead-end job.
Far from it.
Once you embark upon your career, plenty of employers will help ambitious people achieve recognised healthcare qualifications including NVQs and BTECs.
Becoming a Healthcare Assistant gives you a great opportunity to earn while you learn and develop a rewarding career, without having to spend thousands of pounds on further education.
When you decide to embark on your healthcare career there are many options available to you. Potential employers could include NHS hospitals, private nursing homes and even live-in care for people in their own homes.
Often the best place to start is with a private care home. They tend to offer good training and nicer environments when compared to traditional NHS hospitals.
One universal aspect, wherever you choose to start your healthcare career, is the varied shift patterns. Most hospitals and nursing homes never close, which means typically you’ll work somewhere in the region of 35-40 hours per week, split across 7 days. Shift patterns can include weekends, mornings, afternoons, evenings and nights.
A major positive of the varied shifts and working patterns means there’s often plenty of overtime available which allows you to maximise your earnings. The nature of the shifts also means that often the HCA role can be worked around other commitments such as childcare or formal study, making it a perfect part-time work option too.
When you become a care assistant, you’re doing far more than just another job. The residents you’ll help care for will become heavily reliant on you. Some of the things you’ll be helping them with, on a day-to-day basis, include:
Support with mobility issues. This can include taking residents to and from the toilet and helping them to safely move from one place to another.
Assist with personal hygiene. This includes helping people under your care to remain clean. Some residents won’t be able to wash so you’ll help them with activities such as showering, brushing teeth, etc.
Help with food and drink. Some people under your care might not be able to feed themselves, therefore you’ll help make sure they get the nourishment they need.
General patient monitoring. This can range from simply keeping an eye on vulnerable people under your care, through to monitoring and recording patient vitals and condition changes. Support with getting people dressed and changing bed linen etc to provide improved patient comfort.
Providing conversation and ad-hoc support when required. Taking temperatures, dressing wounds and other medical support as and when required. One thing’s for sure; become a Healthcare Assistant and no two days will ever be the same or boring!
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