Health care assistant Review

I am a senior health care assistant and I provide care for patients with dementia and those who are end of life. I work in a small private nursing home and we cater for the needs of the elderly or just those who need a respite period.

I have learnt how to take more control in terms of leadership and I have gained a lot more confidence. It has helped me recognise conditions and whether someone is generally declining or whether they need a doctors visit to get antibiotics. I have also reinforced knowledge from college.

I enjoyed my programme a lot but I felt like I could have been supported a lot more especially during the pandemic. My assessor was helpful and was there a lot when I needed assistance and was always there to reassure me when I felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere.

I feel as though it was well organised but the structure wasn’t the greatest at times. The planning of meetings sessions and progress reviews weren’t always structured as I wanted them to be and I feel as though some of them weren’t long enough.

I received a lot of support from my employer when I needed it, they provided me with resources that I would have needed to be able to complete it. They were there when I wasn’t quiet sure on a question and they tried to help me understand the problem.

I received the support I needed, when I needed it and I always knew who I could turn to if I wasn’t sure on a question. They always provided useful links and sites that we could visit to get inspiration for the questions we were answering.

It has helped me gained more confidence and has given me a wider understanding of certain topics so I don’t feel limited when trying to explain what I think is wrong with the people we look after. I have also gained a lot of knowledge that has helped me work better as a team.

Within my work there are not any extra curricular activities provided. We are able to go to further training events to help widen our knowledge even further. I went to a dementia training course during my apprenticeship and it helped with one of the unit in my qualifications.

Yes

The staff are helpful and friendly, the assignments were easy to follow. However the wording of them didn’t make sense sometimes but once it was clarified it made things easier. There was always someone to talk to through my qualification if I was struggling with the work load or if I was worried about the upcoming deadlines or exams.

Be prepared for a lot of work, do your research because it will help a lot with your assignments. Be nice to the staff and work with them not against them and they will be more than willing to help you. Never be afraid to ask for more support with assignments because the assessors are more than happy to help.