Wanting tips if you are a mental health HCA or a support worker for people with learning disabilities

[FeelingGuilty151]

I had an interview for a support worker role in a LD assisted living environment which has gone really well and I’m being progressed to the next stage

i also have an interview coming up as a psychiatric ward HCA

any tips/advice for the role itself would be great. My background is adult general care so I’m looking for any experiences you’ve had and what techniques have worked pretty well

I was also thinking of a designing a resource pack for the people I’m caring for if I choose the LD route

Don't think about 'techniques' OP, you'll learn on the job, often through experience. Psychiatric care is as much about being human and 'meeting people where they are at' as it is anything else.
A decent HCA will have good common sense, team working skills and great communication. The other stuff can be taught, the core stuff is essential.
Your background in general nursing care will be relevant, think about how you can bring your knowledge and skills with you to the job.

Thank you for your response, you’re absolutely right and perhaps I’m trying to feel as prepared as I can be but I’m still just a bit nervous as it’s so different to what I’m used it but at the same time, it’s so exciting to explore different areas of healthcare as I’m open to new opportunities.

I am familiar with all of the personal care. I have done bed baths, I have fed patients, I have sat with a patient when a therapeutic support worker looked visibly stressed and needed a break. I also understand what the normal levels are for the clinical observations however I do have a question. Do HCAs in mental health do clinical observations such as blood pressure etc like they do in the general world or is it dependent on any comorbidities and medications taken which mean the nurse would likely do it?

i suppose I was more asking if there was anything any HCAs who work in healthcare wished they knew before they started, if there is anything that isn’t as known about until you actually start gaining experience in that area. Does anyone understand what I mean?

HCAs would absolutely do blood pressures etc yes, especially if you're on an older person's ward.
I think tbh it's such a whole different ball game moving to psych from general. Much less task orientated and individual skill based, but more about how you handle yourself and work within a team. Every day is different and you need to be able to respond to that, give good care under pressure and be non-judgemental to the nth degree.

Working on a psychiatric ward is completely different to a general ward, there's not much physical health care going on.
One thing is prepare your self to be seeing people at their lowest and keep an open mind. Do not judge them because of what they have done or what they look like.
Our best hcas are the ones that take time to sit down and talk to the patients like a human being, play board games with them or help them do their hair.
You will need a strong resolve, I have seen some of the worst things you can imagine. You need to not let things effect you, you will be called all the names under the sun, and more. But you know what it's bloody worth it to see that person go home better than they came in.