Healthcare assistants/Auxiliary nurses

Admin Posts : 13 Join date : 2010-02-13

Healthcare assistants/Auxiliary nurses = HCA or NA's

Working as a healthcare assistant
Healthcare assistants can work within hospital or community settings under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional. The role can be very varied depending upon the area in which the person is employed.

Working alongside nurses, for example, they may sometimes be known as nursing auxiliaries or auxiliary nurses. Healthcare assistants also work along side qualified midwives in maternity services.

The types of duties include the following:

washing and dressing
feeding
helping people to mobilise
toileting
bed making
generally assisting with patients overall comfort
monitoring patients conditions by taking temperatures, pulse, respiration's and weight
Nursing healthcare assistants usually work a 37.5-hour week on a shift or rota system, probably including nights and weekends. Part-time and flexi-working is often available.

Healthcare assistants may also work alongside some healthcare scientists, for example with audiologists, helping them to investigate and treat disease. Healthcare assistants in healthcare science work normal office hours or shifts, including evenings and weekends, depending on their particular role and specialism. Part-time and flexi-working is often available.

Clinical support workers (sometimes known as therapy assistants or therapy helpers) work alongside allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, radiographers, podiatrists, speech and language therapists, dietitians and occupational therapists.

The types of duties (depending upon the form of therapy) include the following:

preparing patients for their therapy
setting up equipment to use in the session/treatment
assisting the therapist in the treatment itself
contributing to record keeping
For more information about working as a therapy assistant, please go to the page relevant to the associated career area in the allied health professions in which you are interested. So for example, if you are interested in working as a podiatry assistant, go to the page about working as a podiatrist. To access this information, click on the 'Careers in the allied health professions' link on the right.

Training and development
Healthcare assistants and auxiliary nurses may have the opportunity to obtain an NVQ qualification in care up to Level 3.

Often, obtaining NVQ Level 2 will lead to the person having more responsibility in terms of the role they are fulfilling.

An NVQ Level 3 will meet the minimum entry requirements for entry into nurse training.

There are also increasing opportunities to work as an assistant practitioner.

Secondment
Experienced healthcare assistants working at a senior level (usually as an assistant practitioner or similar level) may be able obtain a secondment from their current employer onto an appropriate pre-registration programme at university.

This would mean studying (usually on a part-time basis) for a programme leading to registration as an adult, child, mental health or learning disability nurse, midwife, physiotherapist, radiographer, speech & language therapist or podiatrist.

Staff seeking secondment must have the academic ability to cope with the course, and if seconded, will usually receive support from their employer. It is for NHS employers to decide whether or not they will second staff from their NHS organisation.

Job vacancies

For details of job vacancies, visit the NHS Jobs website http://www.jobs.nhs.uk/