Need some tips or motivation for your job as a care assistant?
Let’s remind ourselves why being a care assistant is an amazing role.
1. It’s an immensely rewarding job
You have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of your residents every day. This constant sense of achievement is one of the top reasons care assistants love their job.
2. You choose your hours
Care assistants have the opportunity to choose their hours and have a flexible work-life balance.
3. Opportunities for career progression
Training is a vital part of this job and there’s always a chance to learn more. There are also other qualifications available, such as NVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care.
4. Multiple benefits available
It offers competitive pay, a £130 welcome bonus, a pension scheme and a free uniform.
Now that the positives have been addressed, let’s move on to top tips for working as a care assistant:
Firstly, it’s important to have a good sense of humour.
There can be quite a few serious aspects of the job, so it’s important to find happiness whenever possible. Your day will be brightened by sharing stories with clients, getting to know other caregivers, and finding some light in your everyday tasks.
Learn how to breathe through your mouth for certain situations.
There will be times when you’ll need a strong stomach and breathing through your mouth will be the only option. For example, this can be the case when cleaning up and dealing with accidents. It’s important to treat clean-ups in a calm and professional manner, which won’t negatively affect your resident.
Patience, patience, patience!
Patience is one of the key personality traits of successful care assistants, as there are so many responsibilities on a day-to-day basis. It will be common to encounter stressed families who are concerned about their loved ones, so it’s important to stay calm while dealing with them.
Learn to love a good chat!
As part of your residents’ emotional care, you should hold caring conversations with them. You can attempt this over a cup of coffee and initiate a reminiscing session. Here are five questions that can prompt deeper talks:
- If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would you say?
- What is challenging you right now and how can I support you?
- What do you miss about the good old days and what are you enjoying about life right now?
- Did you travel much and what were your favourite places?
- What are your pet peeves and what stresses you out?
Be committed to the job!
You have to be a very committed person to succeed in this role. Not carrying your weight in the team will have a massive impact so it’s important to show up on time and turn up to every shift.
Wear comfortable shoes for your shifts.
Plain trainers that you don’t mind getting dirty are the best for the role of a care assistant. Supportive shoes with memory foam are a good place to start, with a non-slip sole.
We hope that this article has helped to reassure you that going into care work is 100% worth it, as it’s one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences.
If you’re looking for opportunities in the healthcare industry, Balfor Healthcare has amazing opportunities for you. Whether you’re searching for permanent or temporary work, we have plenty of flexible roles to suit your needs!
You can browse through our care assistant jobs here.
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