Job Profiles: Healthcare Worker

If you choose a career as a healthcare worker, you can expect to work hard. However, you can also expect it to be a role that will be highly rewarding. You will be required to help take care of the needs of people with particular needs. These could be the elderly, patients who have a disability or learning difficulty.

Typical Day-to-Day Activities 

The role of a care worker can be a varied one, which will see you completing a wide range of activities. The job involves working closely with your patients, so it is important to be able to take the time to get to know them and their needs. You will take taking personal care of someone who is infirm, which can include helping them to use the bathroom and to change clothes. Monitoring health issues and any medication Cooking meals and helping around the house, such as with cleaning, will be one of your tasks as a healthcare worker. Aiding them to get around outdoors will also be one of your tasks as they may require assistance in running errands or attending appointments.

Working Hours and Environment

Patients can require assistance at any time. Therefore, there is a possibility that you would need to work at any hour of day or night. This is likely to include weekend work. You may be required to work in a patient's home or in a commercial environment, such as in a dedicated care home. It will be necessary for you to work closely with your client. You will often need to work on a shift basis, which will be up to 40 hours a week for a full-time healthcare worker.

Entry Requirements and Qualifications 

Though there are no specific entry requirements that you need to become a healthcare worker, there are some skills that will be needed. These will be essential to help you to complete your job in an efficient way. Due to the type of people that you will be working with, you will certainly need to be able to provide a clear Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) result. It is often possible to progress in the role of a healthcare worker after starting in a junior role, and it is also possible to start in an apprenticeship role. When just starting out in the adult healthcare industry, you will be likely to need to complete your employer's induction programme that will last for 12 weeks. This will give you a good introduction into the role, let you know what to expect and provide the relevant knowledge for dealing with it. You may also find that first aid training will also be useful.

Salary Expectations and Career Progression

The salary of a healthcare worker will vary according to the level reached within the profession. If you are just starting out, you can expect to receive a salary of around £12,500 - £16,000. Once you progress and become more experienced, the salary you can expect will increase and you will earn around £17,000 - £19,000. You will be able to earn up to £25,000 when you reach the higher levels of experience of a senior care supervisor.

Career Pathways 

It is possible to progress in a career as a healthcare worker by working your way up after starting at a basic level. This is possible whether working in a private home for a single client or in a commercial environment for a number of clients. This will add to your experience which can lead to more senior roles, and will allow you to gain further education along the way. Senior roles within the healthcare industry can involve supervising or managing others.

How Can The Learning Station Help You? 

Here at The Learning Station, we can help you make your first steps towards a highly rewarding career in healthcare. By enrolling on to our Level 2 Healthcare course, you can gain the necessary skills and knowledge. All of our healthcare courses are online distance learning courses. This means you can learn in your own time and at your own pace with help only a click away.
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