Does anyone work as a HCA in a hospital?

[mumof1littlebun]

What's it like?

Do you enjoy it?

I did work as a HCA once, but things would have changed a lot since I did the job. We're talking over 18 years ago now. I absolutely loved it. The only thing I didn't enjoy was if the ward was short staffed, and you felt like you hadn't done all the basics for the patients you were looking after. It made me feel a bit guilty, even though I couldn't physically have done any more with less staff. I did the earlies shift, on medical, surgical, and maternity wards. I was on the bank staff.

Me. My enjoyment and satisfaction is 100% related to the staff on duty and how well they gel as a team and how conscientious they are. Overall it’s a great job, very satisfying, plus once you’ve been there sometime you can join the bank and work anywhere.

Totally agree with @ForestLilac

I've been doing the job for 3 months now after previously working on a dementia unit in a care home and I'm loving it.

I'm nearly 50 and do get knackered if the shift has been really busy as I work on the Trauma surgical ward but it's worth it and at least I sleep well

I agree with the comments ForestLilac made. A lot definitely depends on the staff you're working alongside.

I’m not an HCA (I’m a nurse) but when I did my training in hospitals I would say it varies SO much between wards, on elderly care they had so much responsibility and the job was physically draining whereas on critical care (for example) they had absolutely no responsibility and were basically an extra pair of hands for turns and restocked supplies. If I was you I’d see if I could do some shadowing shifts in different areas before I committed to a certain job

Thank you for the replies. I am desperate to get out of my current job so wouldn't really have time for shadowing unfortunately. The hospital is advertising for staff for a variety of wards. I can see from the replies that some are better than others. I'll have another look at which ones they are