Article posted:Feb 10, 2011
Category: General
What personal qualities do I need to go into Aged Care?
A few personal qualities are recommended for those who are looking to work in aged care, such as...
- Empathy and understanding for the elderly
- A genuine interest in helping others maintain their independence
- An interest in helping those with disabilities
- Interest in fields such as dementia and/or palliative care
There’s no need to treat the above dot points as a check list, but it will give an idea as to what personal qualities and interests may be required when working in the industry.
What qualifications do I need?
Qualifications will vary depending on what you want to do, however a lot of those who work in aged care have nursing qualifications. However it is also possible to complete a Certificate in Aged Care at a TAFE institution.
These are the most common choices however there are many courses and certificates which can lead into a career in aged care.
Here are some ideas:
-
Certificate III in Aged Care Work
-
Certificate IV in Health (Nursing)
-
Certificate III in Community Services (Lifestyle & Leisure)
-
Medication Administration for Div 2 RNs in Victoria.
-
Food Safety
-
Medical Terminology
-
Medical Receptionist
-
Certificate III Aged Care
-
Certificate III Home & Community Care
-
Certificate IV Service Co-ordination (Disability & Ageing)
Please note that courses will differ in how they are structured. For example, some courses are run entirely online, entirely on campus and others are a mixture of both. Work placements (where you will work at a professional institution for a set amount of time and likely voluntarily) are also extremely common in Aged Care courses and some institutions may expect you to do as many as three placements over your course.
Finding a job in aged care
If you have the relevant qualifications and are now searching for work, then you can search for jobs in aged care.
You can search by state, region, work type and classification/sub-classification.
