What do people learn from a career in home and community care?
A career in home and community care can be both parts challenging and rewarding. That’s because no two days are the same, especially considering the work being carried out is fast-paced and unpredictable. At the same time, work of this nature offers people a unique and valuable opportunity to constantly learn and grow.
While many of their peers can become bogged in their everyday careers, home and community care workers are exposed to a greater variety of situations, tasks, duties and experiences. As a result, they acquire new skills, along with a broader knowledge of society and its functions – as well as the qualities of a good carer.
Apart from making for great conversation starters, there is a huge benefit to possessing diverse and unique knowledge. So, what are some of the invaluable skills that individuals acquire through a career in home and community care?
A greater sense of cultural awareness
A big part of the role is exposure to a cross-section of society, which asks workers to expand their own cultural horizons. Moreover, in a society as diverse and multi-cultural as Australia, workers provide support to those of various ethnic backgrounds. Along with this comes different languages, cultural traditions and religious beliefs. It’s not uncommon for a home and community care worker to be able to speak a few languages, or at least know the conversational basics or lingos. However, it does extend beyond knowing a few greetings and phrases. This skill gives workers a unique opportunity to appreciate the various mannerisms and behaviours of different cultures, including what is considered polite or impolite, different dining etiquettes and religious holidays or celebrations.
How to operate calmly and efficiently during an emergency
While many people are fortunate enough to avoid emergency situations during work hours, home and community care workers are at a higher risk of experiencing a sudden change of circumstances whilst on the job. This is largely due to the environment and nature of the work, where things can move quickly and change unexpectedly. As a result, workers learn how to deal with these unforeseen situations calmly and rationally so that they can provide the best assistance possible. A lot of the experience does come from simply being in the workplace and experiencing the situations firsthand. This can be anything from a medical emergency to a workplace health and safety hazard (you will learn how to identify these in your training). This level of practice means that home and community care workers become able to think quickly on their feet, provide support for a wide range of needs and are always prepared to face the unexpected.
Knowing how to deal with various physical, physiological and emotional illnesses
To the average person, understanding disorders of the body or mind can feel like a totally foreign realm. For home and community care workers however, knowing how to service and support those with illnesses that affect their quality of life becomes second nature. In turn, it produces skilled workers who can navigate the otherwise highly complex intricacies of caring for someone who needs the added support. This unique insight gives home and community care workers a special opportunity to learn invaluable skills that they can apply beyond the confines of their day jobs.
That’s the key takeaway here! Home and community care workers are multi-skilled individuals, with experience in fields and sectors that others are not exposed to in their own roles. This knowledge and experience can come in use anywhere, anytime. For example, you could be travelling in a foreign part of the world and remember that it is customary to bow before your elders within that region, thanks to a client you once provided care to.
Sound like an avenue you’d like to explore for yourself? Or maybe you’re tired of the same old routine day in, day out? For more information on how you can get started in a dynamic and fast-paced career in home and community care, get in touch with one of our Course and Careers Advisers today and learn more about our community services courses.
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What do people learn from a career in home and community care?