Senior care assistant Review

Senior care assistant means I do a medication round as well as any first aid issues during the night shift. I run a shift with other carers and provide person centred care for our residents. Maintaining their mental and physical well-being as well as ensuring they are safe. I am also responsible for paperwork and documentation.

I have learnt a lot about communication, specifically the barriers and how I can reduce them. As well as this I have developed my leadership skills by gaining confidence, I feel better knowing all the theory behind the work I do especially now as a senior. And mental health, I had a basic understanding until I did this course.

I enjoyed learning new things and I appreciated all the hard work from my tutor. However before my tutor I didn’t enjoy the programme as much as I was passed around and forgotten about by other tutors. I also enjoyed getting feedback on the work I had done for my tutor.

When my tutor took over as my tutor the structure became a lot better. She would send me clear and easy to understand information and her lessons were well organised. She always made time to help me if I didn’t understand. And the assignments she would set me made sense to me.

I received some support from my team leader however I didn’t receive much support at all from my employer as I work night shifts and often didn’t see them. If I ever needed help I could ask them but I didn’t as I felt ok with the work.

I received a lot of support from my tutor, she was always willing to help me understand the work. She would explain things to me as many times as it took for me to understand and was always patient. She also sent me resources that I found helpful for when I was working on my assignments.

I think it has given a lot more confidence in what I am doing as I know the theory behind it. I also think I am better at writing care plans because of what I have learnt in the qualification. It has helped me take on a senior role a lot.

No there isn’t any extra-curricula activities at my workplace but I would struggle to join them anyway as I work the night shift. At Christmas we have a works meal or party by that is about it. And we have staff meetings every few weeks for a catch up.

Yes

The night staff are amazing and so caring towards the residents. The training we receive is really good and very interesting. However at times I find it hard to fit it in around working nights. The shift patterns are good and the hours (10) are better than most other places.

Make sure you can commit to all the necessary training for the job role. And make sure you are willing to work hard with the team so that the residents receive top quality care that’s delivered in a person centred and high quality way. Make sure you are a genuinely caring person.