Health/ Care Assistant role…

[PinkZebrra]

I currently work as a Secretary but am so ready for something different. I’m considering a Care/Health Care role (of some sorts).
I don’t have any experience as such (only caring for elderly relatives, parents) but I’m keen to learn and to help others. I’d be interested to hear how you enjoy your work? Are you pleased you went into this line of work? Advice welcome, thank you.

I did it as a student but this was a decade ago. No doubt it’s even worse now. Did it because I thought I wanted to go to med school but saw the light and did something else.

It’s the true front line so you’re being shat on (sometimes literally) by both the patients and the nursing/medical staff.

The best round of shifts I got was on the maternity wards because you’re not trusted to actually do anything so it was £18/hr on Sundays to be a glorified cleaner and not actually have to talk to anyone. Even better was the famous private maternity ward that shall remain nameless where I just answered buzzers and read magazines all day. Or ICU where you just have to do obs or fetch stuff for nurses with no responsibility and because the staff only have one or two patients they’re not stressed out of their minds and taking it out on juniors. Worst: geriatrics (specialing dementia patients for hours on end who despite limited cognitive faculties can come up with seemingly endless ways to put themselves in danger), T&O (very high physical needs in that people can’t move around much but often were younger and more demanding. I hope you’re happy to wreck your back if you go there). I actually didn’t mind colorectal; they were trialling a new system on getting people home quickly after abdo surgery and that was actually fairly rewarding.

Medical wards were a mix, but they were the places where I got beaten up by a 110kg man in the toilets and a woman screamed at me because the records department hadn’t brought up the right notes for me.

There are jobs that you can do that pay a lot more money for better conditions that still include helping people. Especially if you’re a conscientious individual who wants to learn something. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t give a shit that you can’t do a good job because the system is so insane and you don’t get bored easily, you might have a better time.

"There are jobs that you can do that pay a lot more money for better conditions that still include helping people. Especially if you’re a conscientious individual who wants to learn something."

Do you have any specific suggestions? Like OP, I would like to move to something different that involves helping people and feels more rewarding than what I am doing now (admin).

Working in a pharmacy- would need some training and fairly straightforward on the job qualifications.

Well that was a negative response OP.

For balance, I have worked in social care for a long time. I dont work in a hospital so I cant comment on that, but I have worked in care settings both in the community and in day centres and residential homes. I love my job and you get out what you put in. I think the big difference is being able to build up relationships with the people you are caring for, which you may not be able to do so easily in a hospital as there is lots of movement of patients.

Lots of care homes will take you on with no experience, they will look at your willingness and your attitude and that will take you places. It may be worth looking at social care as a foot in the door. Do your research and pick your setting wisely. Read CQC reports and look at reviews on carehome.co.uk. You can often get a feel for a place at interview. Look at the residents and see how happy they look. Would you want your grandparents/parents living there?

You have lots of transferable skills, you must be a people person as a secretary, I bet you are calm and patient, and I bet you are organised.

It is hard work, and sometimes it feels like its never ending, but it can be the best job in the world too. There are lots of bodily fluids and the hours can be rubbish, as well as the pay. But if you can see beyond all of that its a great job. I work with some fabulous people and we are a real team. I never feel bored at work and shifts go so fast I am never clock watching. I prefer a care home setting but I have worked in community care which was also a brilliant role. I think community work is a bit marmite, and people either love it or hate it, it depends on the kind of person you are.

Dont be put off by the negative nellies. People will always have differeing opinions on the job but there are thousands of us who do the job every day and enjoy it.

HCA can be a stepping-stone to high value training in NHS.

https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/healthcare-support-worker/roles-healthcare-support-worker/healthcare-assistant

Tried domiciliary homecare about 11 years ago for approx 9 months, in my then early 30’s from a 5 year very settled job working in a hotel events office, just thought hospitality would have been good transferable skills, I was pretty wrong, the whole looking after people locally fantasy didn’t exist and these clients are very different to caring for own relatives.

Back then if I had been more informed I would have joined a union for my own safeguarding and I would probably try to do shadowing or paid agency work before getting involved in applying. I should have ran at the point of being asked to pay for my own crb back then and spending the first 8 days of employment unpaid to then land up with a job which was essentially zero-hours and the only way to achieve a full-time paid job was working 6 or 7 days a week and I was lucky being single as it could be 6am calls or 9pm calls. (I accept things may well be different today in that respect) but I cannot imagine how if pay is still poor for this type of work. I hated knowing some of these care bosses lived in luxury whilst going on that if staff wanted more money to go flip burgers, not endured this attitude in any other industry.

I’m not being negative I was once the one who thoroughly ignored others saying don’t do it. The most grounded carers I came across went into care as one of their first and only careers.

I worked as a HCSW for 3 years in T&O and enjoyed it, but I struggled with the night shifts and trying to do the school runs. I did an apprenticeship to get a level 2 qualification, this was very easy.

I then got a job as a Therapy tech still in T&O. Band 4 full time and I love it.

Plenty of patient contact, no real responsibilities and not bad money.

I work as a nurse in a care home and the carers are brilliant and so caring. It can be hard work ,but if you work in a happy home where the staff are valued and respected it really can be very rewarding. Look at the reviews,visit the home and go with your instincts. If you walk in and feel a buzz of activity and laughter then you can be sure it’s a lovely place to work.
If you walk into a 5* hotel atmosphere,with a sterile feel ,flower arrangements everywhere and silence then I would suggest you run for the hills!

Maybe consider a therapy technician role. Most take on staff at a band 2/3 level and offer the opportunity to train up and even go on to complete a degree apprenticeship to become an OT or physio. We currently pay for this and give day release to attend uni.