Becoming a Health Care Assistant

If you’re looking for a career that allows you to make a real difference in people’s lives, becoming a Health Care Assistant could be just the thing you’re looking for! This role is to work under the guidance of a healthcare professional, such as a nurse, providing personal care and support to people in need. With the right training and qualifications, you could work in a variety of settings, from hospitals and care homes to people’s homes – whatever suits you best.

At Prospero Health and Social, we understand the importance of recruiting and training the very best Health Care Assistants, which is why we want to help you in every way we can by offering some tips on starting this role.

1. Entry Requirements

There are no set entry requirements to become a Healthcare Assistant. Like any other role, employers expect good literacy and numeracy and may ask for GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths. If you want a head start a relevant qualification such as a Level 2 or 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care will help. Employers expect you to have some experience of healthcare or care work, this could be from paid or voluntary work.

2. Skills and Personal Characteristics

Working in any role within Health and Social requires a set of interpersonal skills, with the genuine desire to help people being the most important! However, we have written a list of skills and personal characteristic that you could include on your CV:

• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Empathy and compassion.
• Willing to do personal care tasks (washing, toileting etc.)
• Ability to work as part of a team but can also use your own initiative.
• Organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Flexibility and adaptability for different locations (Housing, hospitals.)
• Able to follow instructions and procedures.

3. Training and Development

To become a Health Care Assistant, it is important to have relevant training and development in order of growing your career.

At Prospero Health and Social Care, we provide ongoing training and development opportunities to ensure you have the skills and knowledge you need to provide the best possible care. We offer courses to all new starters, as well as ongoing training in areas such as dementia, personal and elderly care. You will also gain free access to the Care Certificate which is a requirement within your Health Care training.

With this experience and further training, you could become a Senior Healthcare Assistant, which can lead to assistant practitioners or nursing associates and many more health care roles.

4. Your CV

When applying for this role, it is important to make sure your CV is up-to-date and tailored. Here’s some more tips to include:

• Highlight your relevant experience and qualifications.
• Use bullet points to make your CV easy to read.
• Demonstrate your communication & interpersonal skills (listed above).
• Show examples of how you have worked as part of a team.
• Include any relevant training and development you have completed.

Becoming a Healthcare Assistant is a rewarding career path that offers opportunities for growth and development. To succeed in this role, you’ll need to possess certain personal qualities, as well as having some experience working in the field. By following the steps outlined above, you can take the first steps towards progressing your career.

Thank you for reading our post on becoming a Healthcare Assistant. If you’re interested in starting a career in care, consider joining the team at Prospero Health and Social Care. We’re always looking for hardworking and passionate individuals. Browse our available roles here, or register to connect with a dedicated recruitment consultant. 

Get in touch with the team: 

e: info@prosperohealthandsocial.com

t:020 3319 3619