Healthcare support worker

[BrutusMcDogface]

Morning all. I’ve posted before as a teacher wanting to retrain. I have been thinking of retraining in something medical, and have had some great advice.

Today’s question is, would a job as a healthcare support worker be a good idea to give me an idea of what it’s really like to work in a patient facing role? Also, has anyone on here done this and then trained to be a nurse/midwife/allied health professional?

Thank you!

Nobody? Maybe this topic is too quiet?

I work in a university dept where we deliver pre registration nursing courses. I'd say that around 80% of our students have HCA experience before starting - it's not a deal breaker if they haven't but with experience they're surer they can cope with the realities of what nursing involves nowadays.

Additionally as an HCA employed with an NHS Trust you can also get opportunities to undertake the nursing degree as an apprentice - which means you earn while learning and don't graduate with a huge debt

Im a healthcare worker also doing my training, the role will definitely give you a good idea of patient facing role. Hcsw are usually the most hands on in relation to patient care. Theres lots of wards departments ect ect and each would give you a different insight so you may have to give it time to find the right role for you. Obviously it’s a difficult role at times, demanding and can be emotionally draining at times, as with most jobs there is staff shortages and pay doesn’t reflect the role itself but the role can provide something that just outweighs the difficult times. I’m not sure where in the country you are, you can progress up to a band 4 as a hcsw with extra training, my employer offers a really good opportunity in which hcsw can go on to do their nursing degree while working so there is no pay cut, and protected time to enable studying, we are a big cohort in uni all hcsw and the majority are ‘mature’ with families and responsibilities and that’s some what celebrated in our uni.
so I guess if you want to give a hcsw role a try there is opportunity to continue progressing but you need to be prepared to possible find the right area for you. Good luck

Ah, thank you for the replies! Very helpful! Great to know I could possibly retrain too!

Hi, thought I’d share my experience. I’m a qualified teacher and have just taken a year out and spent it working as a healthcare assistant. It will definitely give you an idea of what the job is like, especially nursing, although depending on the environment you will also get to work with allied health professions.

My plan was to get onto a degree apprenticeship in speech and language therapy but to be honest I’m returning to teaching after Easter. I’ve been rejected for every SALT position I’ve applied for during my time as a HCA and even now I’ve moved up to being a general therapy assistant. SALT is extremely competitive and they take so few people on to the degree apprenticeship. My position as band 3 is also not well paid at all and I simply cannot afford to continue as I am so back to teaching it is for me
.
Im still determined to study SALT but I think I’ll save and try and go down the masters route which is quicker as to be honest I’ve been a bit bored in the assistant role and don’t enjoy the physio/OT side.

I will warn you that when I was a HCA the shifts were brutal and I spent 13 hours on my feet apart from breaks. The vast majority of my work was cleaning up elderly People’s urine, faeces and vomit. The wards are constantly understaffed so there is no downtime between patients and most people are annoyed by the time you get to them. I’ve been on some wards that have felt dangerously understaffed and apart from a one day induction you are thrown in at the deep end. They can often transfer you to any other ward at short notice. Once I was on a clinical assessment unit for 30 very poorly people and there were only 2 of us and they put me on a 1:1 observation of a patient so I couldn’t move. Then the receptionists kept coming every 10 minutes to tell me someone needed the toilet. The lady in the room next to my patient died and the doctor asked me why I hadn’t alerted someone sooner. I wasn’t supposed to move! That lady should have had someone with her.

it can be rewarding OP but it’s brutal. Just my experience! Good luck with whatever you decide.

@cafesandbookshops oh, that sounds horrific! Poor lady. 😔 Thank you for sharing. I definitely know there would be a lot of bodily fluids involved! 😬

I was a teacher but now work as support worker for adults with learning disabilities, in supported living. I love my job! From supporting them to make their own meals to taking them on holidays, the job is very varied.

I wasn't a teacher but this is my job. Doing it 6 months now and I absolutely love it. Am 54 so a late career change for me and quite challenging but very varied. I work with a fantastic team and laugh a lot .

I switched to this job when I was 52, I am now 57. I totally agree that it can be challenging and I am also lucky to work with some fantastic colleagues.

I'm currently a health care support worker in a mental health ward. This time last year, I was bank band 2 health care assistant. I went to so many different wards and saw how different teams operated. It was very informative and confidence boosting.

I then "choose" which ward I wanted to apply for with the most supportive manager (managers sometimes leave or get promotion). I now work as a band 3 on a permanent contract. They are all low staffed but this one feels like a second family. I find mental side of the hospital, requires more team work and l love this team I'm working with.

After every shift every we all thank each for coming. I found that weird, but it is something I grown to like.

My manager has said she would like to send me to complete a apprenticeship. I polity declined and said not until my youngest is five year old. Childcare would be cheaper for me then.

It is not all long shifts, there are shorter 8hr shifts available. But you would need to come in more days to make the full-time equivalent. I personally, only do part-time, late shifts. Early morning childcare is hard and cost money. I can arrange free childcare in the evenings via family members. Not to mention I love my mornings with my children.

I would look at therapy assistant roles in settings that you're interested in, unless you are sure that nursing rather than AHP is the direction you want to go. Having done both (and now working as an AHP), multidisciplinary therapy assistant roles involve less of the bodily fluids and give you scope to lean into areas you're more interested in (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language...). Think about the type of work you might like to do or people you would like to work with (stroke rehabilitation, mental health, paediatrics), browse lots of job descriptions for the different roles in those settings, and then have a look at what jobs are available without qualifications. Also have a look at things like activities coordinator in a nursing home, or play therapy assistant in a hospital school to see what other roles might interest you, build on your skills, and be a bit less back-breaking than HCA.

I’m so grateful for the responses, thank you!

I think I’d love to help new mums on the postnatal ward. I’m also interested in paediatrics and learning difficulties as that’s my experience so far! Lots to think about 😊

I’ve been looking for these kinds of roles but they seem rare! There is no hospital school where I live, and I would have to stay local.

There's definitely a lot of variation in what's available by area. But also job titles vary - I would scroll through long lists of job advertisements for any local interesting settings to see what sorts of things there are. And the bank suggestion is a good one too - great way to see a number of different settings and get a feel for what it's really like to work there. If you're interested in supporting parents of young children, and learning difficulties, have you looked at child development centres? Assistant roles being advertised in CDCs might be a bit few and far between, but could be worth having on your radar.

Edit to add - I wouldn't think therapy assistant roles should be too rare though. Maybe also advertised as 'rehabilitation assistant'.