The role of the Healthcare Assistant
The role of the Healthcare Assistant
They are not qualified to the same level as a nurse or midwife or physiotherapist, but Healthcare Assistants or support workers still carry out vital work in patient care, hospital maintenance and support. Overseen by a qualified nurse, the Healthcare Assistant will care for patients both at home and in hospital, and will have a variety of tasks depending on the environment they are working in and who they are looking after.
If a patient has problems moving, the Healthcare Assistant will help them to get to the bathroom and assist in maintaining their personal hygiene. If they are completely immobile the assistant will give them a bed bath, turn them to prevent bedsores, dress and undress them and take care of their personal hygiene needs.
Within the hospital, Healthcare Assistants are tasked with ensuring that the ward they are working on is kept clean, tidy, safe and hazard-free. They will have tasks such as changing bed linen and making sure the dirty linen goes to the laundry staff, and disposing of used dressings, and any other health risks that might spread MRSA, into special containers that will be incinerated.
The medically oriented side of the job involves taking charge of monitoring and recording patients’ temperatures and pulse rates, carrying out urine tests and applying simple dressings. Some of the work that Healthcare Assistants undertake must be recorded, for example temperature and fluid intake. The Healthcare Assistant may also provide emotional support to patients, for example reassuring them before an operation or explaining hospital procedures. Tasks such as these could be regarded as low level nursing jobs, and would be good preparation if the assistant were thinking of training to become a fully qualified nurse, midwife or doctor, which may often be the case. The hours worked per week tend to be around 37.5 and can be on a shift basis, probably involving working nights and weekends.
To become a Healthcare Assistant you do not need any specific qualifications, although will need to have a good education and/or good general work experience along with strong communication skills and the ability to get on with other people. You should demonstrate patience, attention to detail, a caring nature and the willingness to carry out routine, and sometimes messy tasks. The job can be hard and emotionally challenging, but rewarding at the same time. You are trained on the job, with the possibility to work towards NVQ qualifications, and with a shortage of Healthcare Assistants in the UK you will have good job prospects. The career path following on from the position could lead the Healthcare Assistant to look into nurse jobs and the possibility of training to become a registered nurse.
The author works for a website specialised in nursing jobs and nurse jobs in the UK.