My Job: Explained (Senior Healthcare Assistant)

Name: Megan Dinç

Age: 23

Job Title: Senior Healthcare Assistant

Describe your role:

I tend to the basic care needs of our residents and being a senior means that I am also in charge of dispensing medication. I sort out hospital and GP appointments, and am also in charge of calling out GPS, district nursers and EMTs when necessary.

How long have you worked in the industry?

4 years.

How did you get into this role/industry?

I wanted to do my nursing degree and wanted to get some social care experience as quickly as possible.

What's the best part of your job?

Seeing how happy residents are with the quality of care given to them. Also the residents families are extremely supportive, and come forward to let you know when you've done a good job caring for their loved ones.

What's the hardest part of your job?

Some of the residents can be struggling more than others, because of this they tend to lash out. This is mainly down to the fact I'm based in the dementia ward, so I can sometimes be on the rear end of somewhat aggressive behaviour more than other colleagues.

What skills would you say are necessary for this role?

A lot of patience, the passion to actually care and look after other people. Also being able to talk on the phone is quite important, so good customer service is necessary in a sense. You also need to be able to be firm when providing the best customer care, so hold your own and stand up for the needs of your residents. Especially if you feel that the treatment they are receiving for any healthy complications isn't what you believe is in their best interest.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of entering this industry?

It's an incredibly hard job to do, and you need to make sure you have the right mindset for it. But once you're in it, it's an incredibly rewarding job.

What surprised you most when taking on this role?

How passionate I became about it! At first it was just a quicker route into nursing, but I've really grown into the role and can see myself in this field for many years to come.

Are there any things that you didn't expect to be doing that has been asked of you?

With the Covid-19 pandemic we've had to deal with isolating residents who have shown signs of coronavirus or have come back from treatment at the hospital. It's definitely made things harder, you have to take in the necessary steps every time you enter their rooms, fully gear up, strip off and washing your hands over and over - even then you still feel a bit strange after! And I still have to strip off on my doorstep before entering my own home, especially since I have a child, so it's a lot of adjusting.

If you weren't in this job, what else you want to be doing?

Nursing 100%

The My Job series was created to help those unsure on the industry they want to go in, so this is an insight on the day to day life of different people in different industries. If you would like more details on working in this industry please drop me a message and I'll direct you to the interviewee! If you would like to get involved, please let me know.