Aged care courses are increasingly popular among the youth in Australia. The profession is rewarding as well as satisfactory. With the rise in demand, many training courses have come up to provide the necessary training without compromising on the student work-life balance. Do you wish to serve the aged too? The noble service requires one to possess certain expertise and certifications to be competent. If you want to know more about aged care skills, read through this blog to gain valuable insights.
Required Skills
Just like any other field of work, aged care also requires the employee to have specific skills. This is important to ensure quality service. Working as an aged care helper can also open a portal of various employment opportunities for you. Now, let’s get down to the skill requirements that one needs to achieve eligibility as an aged care worker.
- Interpersonal Skills – Effective communication is one of the most important interpersonal or social abilities for understanding expectations and requirements. Another important aspect in becoming an elder care assistant is the ability to listen. Listening helps the person you’re catering to feel valued and heard. It also aids you in effectively comprehending their issues and needs.
- Problem-solving Skills – In order to provide efficient services, you must be attentive to your client (aged person). In the majority of sectors, the capacity to operate under pressure is a must. Another important quality for giving answers and dealing with difficulties quickly is flexibility. You can attend to more elderly individuals in a short amount of time if you have quick problem-solving abilities. As a result, you’ll be a valuable addition to the elderly care industry in terms of efficiency.
- Multitasking – Working in the elderly care industry also necessitates excellent multitasking skills. This will help you boost your productivity and provide the best service possible. Multitasking necessitates self-discipline on the part of the service provider. This successfully cuts through distractions and redirects focus as necessary. As a result, not only will you be able to respond to a large number of individuals, but the service you offer to them will be consistent and of excellent quality. As a result, multitaskers are required to provide both quality and quantity in terms of performance.
- Physical Fitness – Attending old people requires active and fit workers. Since there is no fixed timing to requiring a service, you may need to work throughout. Care services require a worker to manually lift old people in and out of their beds. This needs you to be physically strong enough. Thus, being fit is crucial to work in any aged care sector around the world.
- Social Etiquettes and Mannerism – Another key skill to analyze your working ability is your general mannerism. Professionalism is key to maintaining a good worker-client bond ratio. If you are quick to judge, it is a concluding barrier between you and your wish to join an aged care sector. Professionalism requires a worker to be gentle, understanding and non-judgmental at all times. Being respectful to your client is a necessary requirement. Under no circumstance can you be rude or abusive as that will lead to complete termination. Being respectful is also important to unlock greater client satisfaction.
Now that you are aware, evaluate your skills accordingly. Develop on the strengths and work on the weaknesses to secure your spot as an aged care worker.
Required Certifications
A lot of centres provide training courses to help you upgrade better. Receiving professional aid in terms of education is an excellent investment to work better and longer in the future.
- Certificate III in Ageing – This course informs you about the necessary responsibilities and duties while working in the aged care industry. It is divided into 13 individual parts that offer strategic care plans and information to understand the work requirements better. The schools that provide a certificate 3 in aged care offer on-campus teaching and multiple timing formats. These classes can be part-time, full-time or blended. The entire course duration is usually six months and best for entry-level workers.
- Certificate III in Disability – This course offers additional knowledge on different topics apart from aging care. It teaches the skills and awareness required to deal with aged and disabled people. This certification is for beginners. It helps to develop a foundation of knowledge for students wishing to work in the aged care sector. Post completion and assessment, the certificate is issued within three to four weeks. The certificate has to be further registered with the District Disability Welfare Officer.
- Certificate IV in Disability – This certification course is an upgrade of the certificate III in Individual Support (Disability). It provides better and deeper knowledge about the aged and disabled care service. It helps to improve on basic skills to work independently and responsibly. Unlike certificate III, which is a starter course, certificate IV prepares individuals for specialized work positions. The course is accepted as an equivalent of the 6-12 months degree course.
- Certificate IV in Mental Health – This is an online course that is available part-time, full-time or blended. It is an intensive course teaching ways to deal with people having mental conditions and substance abuse issues. The certificate course provides a base for knowledge and information about the existing mental health conditions, services and probable recovery techniques. Workers with a certificate IV in mental health learn and promote client well-being and preach self-advocacy.
Now that you know what skills are primary to gain entry into the aged care industry, you may proceed with a decision. Although, skills are a win-win to achieve eligibility. Taking up the certification courses can aid in better understanding and equip you with global knowledge. Also, most training institutes provide an opportunity to experience the course knowledge on a real-time basis. The best part about these courses is that they do not take up much time as compared to other degree courses. Have you started looking for aged care training Perth providing a certificate III course in aged care? Before finalizing, ensure that the center you opt for is reputed and credible to avail the best industry-specific results.
