Working as a care assistant

EdgarAllenPoo

I have an interview for a full-time care assistant job in a genral hospital next week, I have done voluntary work (with kids with learning disabilities and various levels of autism), can anyone give me some insight as to the work in a general hospital enviroment?

spurious

This is from a UK site, but I'd imagine things are much the same here:
http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile193/
Health care assistant

Health care assistants, also known as nursing assistants and nursing auxiliaries, help other health care professionals with the day-to-day duties surrounding patient care. Patients may be elderly, suffering long-term sickness, recovering from surgery, have mental health problems, physical disabilities or learning difficulties.

Their work involves:

* helping keep patients clean
* helping patients to eat and dress
* toileting
* making beds
* measuring and recording temperature, pulse and respiration
* taking and testing urine samples
* chatting to patients
* supporting patients with mobility problems.


There's more here too:
http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/professions-occupations/health-care-assistant/420914/

wheresthebeef

* measuring and recording temperature, pulse and respiration
* taking and testing urine samples

Care assistants do not perform these functions in Ireland.

The taking, and interpretation of vital signs and observations is currently the role of the Registered General Nurse. And in my opinion should remain so for the moment.

Care Assistants, may be asked to empty catheters, or to measure the volume of urine produced. But are usually not asked to test the urine as they would not have the clinical experience to understand the rationale for such.

You may also have to deliver internal post or messages.
And unfortunately lifting will be something you will be called to do.

You'll work under the direct supervision of registered nurses, and they will assign your tasks to you depending on the nurses assesment of patients needs.
Its a rewarding job, and the money is quite good considering the level of training required (not a lot). You will have good oppurtunities to build rapport with patients and clients and It is enjoyable.
The morning times from 8am to 11am are the busiest times.

And one last note, if you are working in a Teaching Hospital, be nice to student nurses.

Saintly

You may also have to 'special' a patient - person who requires individual attention to prevent them from wandering/ attempting to discharge (if not medically fit to do so), psych patient with acute episode in general hospital etc. Have a speel ready about how you can work with challenging behaviours for the interview...

Saintly

DrIndy

wheresthebeef wrote:

And one last note, if you are working in a Teaching Hospital, be nice to student nurses.

No, don't! Pour a bedpan "accidently" over their heads!

EdgarAllenPoo

Went for the interview today and was told I did well, I never think I did well when I come out of an interview so I'll just have to wait and see. I don't suppose anyone knows how long it takes for them to tell you if you got the job or not.

wheresthebeef

be nice to student nurses, because some day they will be your boss. there is no promotion structure as a health care assistant, other than toddling off and doing your 4 year degree in nursing studies.

And Indy, i thought you would know better. Everyone will have to be nice to student nurses, a student nurse has faculty convenor in trinners for next year. mwahahahahahahaha. Indy, weren't you faculty convenor for a while? What have i let myself in for?

EdgarAllenPoo

Two and a half weeks and I still haven't heard anything back, is that normal? Is it a good or a bad sign? Should I ring and see if I can find out what the situation is?

wheresthebeef

its no harm
you could also try registering with a nursing agency to do care assistant work. Agency care assistants are generally paid 3-4 euro an hour more than permanent staff.
Good agencies to try are:
Nurse on Call
Alliance Nurses Agency
Medical Recruitment Specialists

all will require you to have Garda Clearance, Manual Handling Certs, Hep B Vaccinations, CPR Training, etc...
The rates are between 11.50 and 16.50 an hour depending on the time of the week, and you can pick your own shifts and locations but your not guaranteed work. It would make a good start.

EdgarAllenPoo

How much experience would they need me to have? I've only done six onths voluntary stuff. I was thinking agency myself but the ones I rang weren't hiring and the other never got back to me.

wheresthebeef

agencies dont hire, they add you to a panel. and the panel doesnt get full, they accept an innumerable amount of persons. You ring up before you want to work, and place yourself "on call" as being available to work on that date, either day or night. You are placed in a queue and the work that comes in is filled from the queue on a first come, first serve basis irrespective of when you signed up with the agency. Most agencies offer priority to student nurses on weekends, meaning everyone is automatically behind the student nurses in the queue for work. This is because student nurses are of more use to the hospital, and is an exercise in promotion of the agency, and encourages students to register later as agency nurses. Express payment is also offered to student nurses, meaning payment is made by bank lodgement within 48 hours of receipt of a valid timesheet.
some require you to have some basic experience, like Nurse on Call. Others demand proof of 3 months relevant work experience, and references from someone of grade CNM 1 (Clinical Nurse Manager 1) or higher, like MRS or Alliance.
If you have little experience, or less tangible experience, Nurse on Call is your best bet. But be aware that if you go with an agency, you will receive no training whatsoever in being a Care Assistant. So make sure you are proficient, and know the priniciples of washing, and feeding clients taking into account dignity and respect for client etc... Know how to make a bed, including hospital corners, pillows facing away from door etc... How to empty a urinary catheter and measure volume of urine.. and being able to assist someone in usng a commode or bed pan, and the changing of an incontinence pad or sheet. You'll pick up a lot as you go along, but there are some cardinal sins of nursing that you could fall into, if your inexperienced at stuff.

EdgarAllenPoo

Three full weeks and not a word, feckers.

Vorsprung

They may not be taking any extra people on. I know Nurse on Call have very little work to spare, a friend of mine has been on call all week and is only getting 2 8-5 shifts this weekend. They did the same thing last year, so may have just missed out.

wheresthebeef

nurse on call has a high demand for shifts, but they are the easiest to get registered with. the summer is always like that because of all the student nurses looking for work, and they tend to be quicker off the mark at putting themselves on call. also, i think unofficially the hospitals request certain people i.e their regulars/their own students.

EdgarAllenPoo

Well I rang Nurse on Call and they want me to come in for an interview during the week, they have no problem with my level of experience but I will have to get a Hep B shot and do a manual handling course which isn't a problem. The one problem is that the only form of picture ID I currently have is an out of date passposrt(sent off for the new one but it will take a while) would they mind me using that do you think?

Hey bigjimthefirst, 2 8 and a half hour shifts would be a lot of money to me so I wouldn't complain. Incidently are the pay rates quoted on the site the amount they give you after they take their commission and tax or before that's taken?

EDIT: Could someone tell me what hospitals/nursing homes Nurse on Call work with?

wheresthebeef

the rates quoted on the site, is the hourly rate that you get paid. they take their cut before that. which makes you wonder how much the hospitals are actually paying for you to be there.
Nurse on Call can arrange the Hep B and Manual Handling for you, afaik.

Nurse on Call work with most of the hospitals in the city, its down to the hospitals. Tallaght use them a lot, The Mater, Temple Street, Vincents, St. James, Hospice in Harolds Cross, Beaumont, Blanchardstown, and then a rake of nursing homes and other care facilities. When you sign up they give you a book detailing everything, including a list of all their clients.

EdgarAllenPoo

ありがとう. My ma's a nurse manager and she says the average agency fee per hour(to the health board) is €16 per hour. Are the rates on the site before or after tax or does that even come into it?

wheresthebeef

before tax of course. the agency can't know how much tax you need to pay.

your local tax office will be able to set up your tax credits to minimise your tax bill. Find the number from www.revenue.ie
And as a care assistant you will be entitled to marginal tax relief on about 600 euro if you supply and launder your own uniforms.

EdgarAllenPoo

I finally got fed up and rang them. Turns out that the job is mine but I never got the letter(****ing postal service). I start in September.

Dr Galen

i think he/she might have moved on by now lol the last post on the thread was JUne 2006

Chunky Monkey

Well for anyone else who may be interested, Alliance pay rates are the best (starting from €14 an hour) and it's rare that I don't get work. But...I don't think you can just join them. You need experience first. I started my work in a private hospital and learned on the job. Public hospital work is a lot heavier.

Specialing can be scary.

I-like-eggs,mmm

wheresthebeef wrote: »

* measuring and recording temperature, pulse and respiration
* taking and testing urine samples

Care assistants do not perform these functions in Ireland.

The taking, and interpretation of vital signs and observations is currently the role of the Registered General Nurse. And in my opinion should remain so for the moment.

Care Assistants, may be asked to empty catheters, or to measure the volume of urine produced. But are usually not asked to test the urine as they would not have the clinical experience to understand the rationale for such.

This isn't the case anymore... Care assistants are being trained to do skills such as temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respirations and basic interpretations of them. Have a look at this:
http://www.hsea.ie/Publications/06.01.31.Report%20of%20High%20Level%20Group.%20Final%20Report.pdf

DrIndy wrote: »

No, don't! Pour a bedpan "accidently" over their heads!

Grrr!!! I despise doctors like you :mad: And it's spelled "accidentally"...

Chunky Monkey

I've worked in the Mater public and haven't seen anyone doing it there. That report says Feb 2006...

In fact I was working there the other day and one of the nurses didn't ask me if I knew how to take obs, she asked if I was a student nurse so it doesn't look like we're expected to know how yet.

Are you a HCA yourself? And if so are you doing them?

I'm going to ask the A+E nurses to show me how to do them if they have time and plastering for when I go over to the UK.

To be honest I agree with what wheresthebeef said about the urine testing and we usually have enough to be doing without adding more bloody work.

(special) psych patient with acute episode in general hospital etc.

I don't think we should be allowed to do this. We haven't been trained for it.

I-like-eggs,mmm

Chunky Monkey wrote: »

I've worked in the Mater public and haven't seen anyone doing it there. That report says Feb 2006...

In fact I was working there the other day and one of the nurses didn't ask me if I knew how to take obs, she asked if I was a student nurse so it doesn't look like we're expected to know how yet.

Are you a HCA yourself?

I don't think we should be allowed to do this. We haven't been trained for it.

Hey chunky monkey!

No I'm not a HCA (well I used to be ). I'm in my 4th year of my BSc. in General Nursing.

Only a few HCA's have done this course or are in the process of doing so... I can only think of one HCA off-hand in the hospital I'm training in who is doing it. I don't know a whole lot about the fetac courses for the HCA's, but I know that they are there. As far as I'm aware, anyone being recruited by Connolly Hospital(not agency HCA) may have to do it at some point and I "think" it's in the process of becomming mandatory if you are recruited by the hospital. As I said, I'm not fully sure about it, just aware that there are fetac courses there.

Mater Public.... you poor thing:D
Would you not think of doing general nursing?? (Noooo.... that's my advice to anyone;):p)

Chunky Monkey

Ooh only twelve weeks left? And then registration and then you'll be a nurse! Nice one

I don't like the mater public, that place is creepy with its little staircases and high ceilings, I much prefer Beaumont I'm down for being able to work in Connolly hospital but I haven't been sent there yet. Is it nice?

I'm gonna check out those fetac courses. I'm studying for my leaving again but I might be able to squeeze it in.

I'm actually hoping to do medicine *ducks* Ah no, I've told people at work and they've been great about it. I promised one of the nurses the other day I would never become arrogant and would always remember that the nurses have my back so be good to them. There's nothing like scrubbing a big dollop of dried on poo from a commode to give you a dose of humilty. Plus my mum would kill me. She's already pissed that I want to medicine.

So what are you thinking of doing-medical, surgical, ICU nursing?

stardust_dublin

Does anyone know is it possible to get a caring assistant position with just a first aid course & manual handling course. don't really want to do the fetac one because i think its around 600 euro to do it?
I do have a degree though..i want to get experience working in healthcare because i am applying for a health related post-grad next year.

Chunky Monkey

You could try getting a job in a public hospital. They may pay for your training but I'm really not sure. Ring Beaumont anyway. They have so many agency staff working there I'm sure they could do with a few more permanent staff.