2016-04-27
Features of Chosen Job 3
My Employability and Volunteering Ability 6
Skills Analysis 8
Introduction
I’ve chosen such job as a health care assistant (HCA). It is also known as a support worker, nursing assistant or nursing auxiliaries. This position is quite popular with the majority of hospitals. They can also work in the patient’s own homes. This position is extremely serious, because it can play an important role in the patient’s health, his overall mood and recovering process. The main goal of this paper is to understand the main functions of the health care assistant and analyze how this position can impact on me and what skills I must develop in order to increase my employability and volunteering ability.
Discussion
Features of Chosen Job
Let’s analyze the features of the role of the healthcare assistant, which skills are needed for this position and how I can develop them. The main function of HCA is to help doctors and other healthcare professional to care for patients. HCA works in an environment of the medical institution, community settings or patient’s own home.
HCA works alongside doctors and nurses. Such position is not involved in the diagnosis of patient or treatment assignment. HCA is not independent person and he usually under the guidance of medical staff. The role of the HCA and all ranges of his functions can vary depending the area, where he is employed. It should be noted that there are a lot of different legal, professional and ethical issues within volunteering and employment as HCA (Health Careers, 2015).
The job of HCA is similar to that performed by a nurse. At the same time, HCA cannot monitor medication and perform any serious medical procedures. HCA is responsible for performing simple tasks and ensuring that patients always feel comfortable. There are at least five main functions of HCAs:
washing/dressing,
toileting, feeding,
bed making,
helping patients to mobilize and feel comfortable;
regular monitoring the patient’s conditions (including, temperature, pulse, weight, arterial pressure, others).
One more important function of HCA is to help patients in any emergency situations (for example, emergency resuscitation). In this case, one can say that the job of HCA is quite important and it needs a huge number of different skills, high patience and balance level. In my opinion, the most negative aspect of HCS position is that worker is also responsible for washing people, who have died and preparing their body before transportation to the morgue.
An important responsibility of the HCA’s is an observation of patients through the day. HCA makes not many records, but all of them must be performed with strong attentiveness and seriousness. HCA usually contacts not only with the patient, but also with his relatives. In this case, the candidate to HCA must have developed communicative skills and be the person with “open mind”.
The desirable personal traits and qualities of HCA are the following:
compassion,
observation skills,
high concentration,
a good memory,
concentration,
good balance,
fine hand-eye coordination,
well-developed fine motor skills of the hands.
Working as an HCA both on a voluntary basis or official employment, HCA is legally responsible for all actions or omissions, which concern patient. It should be noted that the actions of HCA can be associated with adverse effects. The majority of forensic experts and lawyers divide such actions into three groups:
accidents;
offense ;
punishable omissions or professional crime (National Careers Service, 2016).
In this case, the HCA is in charge of all his activity, even if it is on the voluntary basis. The second type is extremely important in HCA’s activity. From a legal point of view offense is the wrong (unlawful) act which lacks the character of socially dangerous actions and therefore not directly provided by criminal law. Offenses of the health workers are divided into civil, administrative and disciplinary. Civil liability of HCA is to apply pecuniary sanctions (for example, compensation for damage of hospital equipment, for disability of the patient due to wrong caring) and is carried out both in court (civil lawsuit), and administratively.
Administrative responsibility in relation to health workers is to impose a fine, confiscation of items (tools/products), temporary dismissal and others. The disciplinary responsibility of HCA is expressed in applying penalties (remark, reprimand, severe reprimand, transfer to a lower position, dismissal from work). Some offenses, which are associated with adverse patient outcomes, can be more difficult to understand and evaluate and thus they need a special consideration.
Thus, one can say that HCA is a responsible position, as the patient’s life can be dependent on worker’s timely actions. It should be noted that HCA position requires adhering some ethical norms and principles. HCA usually knows some information about the patient’s illness, his disability in order to perform his work correctly. In this case, the confidentiality plays an important role and HCA must keep all sensitive information confidential at all times.
It is possible to start working as HCA after the medical check and Criminal Records Bureau check. A lot of HCA start to work on the voluntary basis. After particular time, it is possible to study for NVQ qualifications in such directions as Health or Health and Social Care. Such qualification allows to learn more about patient care and to perform more serious tasks with a greater responsibility level.
In my opinion, the main benefits of volunteer work are to gain initial experience in the chosen field, to improve own self-esteem, to help people and make the world a little better. One more crucial benefit of the voluntary work is to increase the chances of obtaining a desirable permanent paid position. A volunteer work can also help to discover new talents, to develop new skills and to understand if the chosen field is really what I want to do or not.
My Employability and Volunteering Ability
In my opinion, it needs to start volunteering work as HCA. It is a great opportunity for me to gain first experience in the chosen field and obtain more useful skills. The communication skills, punctuality and inactive important employability skills are the crucial for me in order to obtain position HCA.
Currently my goal is to study in the chosen direction and to gain first experience. It should be noted that I have not previous experience in this field, but I’m ready to show a high level of self-organization and to be a good employee regardless of whether it is employment or volunteering work.
I have a huge desire to grow, and I’m ready to show it in practice. During the upcoming training I want to learn all the “nuts and bolts” of the health care assistant and become a full-fledged employee. Any experience at this position will be very valuable to me.
As for my skills, I can highlight the high self-organization, punctuality, willingness to work with people and quite high sociability level. I often take part in different public activities and I like to communicate with new people.
I think that I am a highly motivated person. The self-education is quite important in order to start volunteering work as a health care assistant. In this case, I regularly read specialized books, journal articles and other literature. It can help me to learn more about patient’s caring and, that is extremely important, how I can act in the emergency situations. In my opinion, this theme is quite serious, because it can impact on the overall patient health.
I’m careful and punctual in different paperwork, including evaluation of indicators and their record, using appropriate equipment and additional sources. I understand that patient’s health condition is quite important and I must be extremely responsible in performing all my possible duties as HCA.
I have also car licensee that can be quite useful if it needs to go patient’s home several times a day in order to perform some health care procedures. My driving experience is around two years.
As we know, working hours of HCA are around thirty seven per week. They can include shifts per nights or work on weekends or bank holidays. I can work on weekends and I think that it can be my great advantage when I start a volunteer work.
A volunteer work is often a way to get a paid permanent work, where I can have an opportunity to show and prove my best skills and develop others, try myself in different spheres as HCA. Thus, I think that I need to develop communication skills, an ability to work in a team as well as individuals and not be afraid to work with different people (in the context of their age, gender, nation, ideology and others). The analysis of the chosen skills is presented below.
Skills Analysis
I’ve chosen the following employability skills, which I wish to develop:
the ability to work individually as well as a part of a team;
understanding the confidentiality and all sensitive information about the patient, his traits or disability;
Situation: the first skill can help me to support friendly relationships with colleagues, with patients and their relatives. HCA, nurse, doctor, patients and others participants are a team. In this case, effective communication with all team participants can provide the correct performance of my responsibilities.
In term of this skill, my task can be considered as to evaluate indicators of the patient’s health conditions and providing this information to the medical professionals. My individual work will be connected with the estimation of particular health indicators. It should be noted that I must spend more time with patients than nurse, doctor or even relatives (if they, for example, live in another country).
An example of the action, when I can use this skill is the following: I as HCA must make the right decisions and timely inform the nurse or doctor about some changes with the patient’s conditions (temperature, pulse, weight, and arterial pressure or respiration rate). As a result, an effective patient’s care as an individual my work can play a crucial role for patients as well as for my further growth at work.
Next ability is connected to the careful attitude to the sensitive information about the patient. It should be noted that people with some illnesses or disability are very touchy and sensitive to some critique. Stress situation, bad attitude with family can negatively affect the patient, and in this case, the second skill can help me as HCA at the work.
The main task is to constantly provide comfortable state of the patient and support him in all situations. The negative reaction of the patient can advisedly impact on his health and recovering process.
In this case, I as HCA must be patient, always in a good mood and have a tactful nature. It can help me to avoid some conflicts with patients and disagreements and disputes. As a result, my careful attitude to the special traits of the patient can be a good basis of patient comfortable state.
The last ability is linked more to the ethical side of the HCA position. This skill is linked to the following situation: patient is old, has a heavy nature, and it is difficult to please him.
A desire to work with different people is one of the most important task that is linked to above mentioned skill. Ability to work with different people assumes that HCA is on the same level with the patient. As an action, I (as HCA) can consult with the patient; analyze his needs in the context of comfortable state or good mood and, at the same time, advise the patient what procedures are necessary to take. As a result, openness of HCA and his desire to discuss all the important issues with the patient help to effectively take care of the patient.
References
Health Careers, 2015. Healthcare assistant. [online] Health Careers. Available at: https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/clinical-support-staff/healthcare-assistant [Accessed 27 Apr. 2016].
National Careers Service, 2016. Healthcare assistant job information. National Careers Service. [online] Nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk. Available at: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/healthcareassistant.aspx [Accessed 27 Apr. 2016].
