Am I Ready to Become a Professional Caregiver?
Professional caregiving is a growing career choice for individuals seeking a rewarding job. However, as satisfying as caregiving can be, it’s also a career with much hard work. Before deciding to start your caregiving career, it’s essential to ensure you understand the role and have the skills and qualities to become a successful caregiver.
Do You Understand the Role of a Professional Caregiver?
Before you jump into a professional caregiving career, it’s essential to understand the role you’re signing up for. Professional caregivers are trained individuals who provide nonmedical assistance to seniors throughout their community. Nonmedical assistance includes various tasks such as meal preparation, transportation, medication reminders, and housekeeping.
Professional caregivers are highly skilled and trained individuals who are not medically licensed. Therefore, they may not provide medical services to clients. Medical services would include administering medications, taking blood, or providing IVs. If a client requires medical assistance, caregivers can ensure the client is getting the proper care from licensed individuals.
There are different caregivers, some providing specialized services or working in certain atmospheres like a community center or assisted living facility. Visiting Angels is an at-home care agency. At-home care agencies send caregivers to clients’ homes to help them remain safe and independent.
Do You Have the Skills to Succeed as a Caregiver?
Like any job, specific skills are necessary for a successful career as a professional caregiver. While the skillset feels endless for caregiving, three essential skills you’ll want to master include:
- Communication: Know how to share information effectively with your clients and coworkers to build trust and familiarity.
- Time management: Be dependable in your clients’ lives by showing up to your shifts on time and ensuring you’re promptly providing quality assistance.
- Critical thinking: Feel comfortable evaluating situations and developing creative solutions to problems.
It’s okay if you’re not a master of all these skills. Many online resources can help you develop and strengthen your communication, time management, and critical thinking skills.
Do You Have the Qualities Necessary?
Having the tactical skills needed for caregiving is one thing. Still, there are also some innate qualities we look for in caregivers that often signify someone who will have a successful career. Three of those qualities include:
- Empathy: View situations from your client's perspective and understand their emotions and actions are valid.
- Compassion: Express kindness and help clients through challenging situations in a way that makes them feel empowered and dignified.
- Patience: Give clients time to process and do things independently.
Have You Submitted an Application?
Individuals who possess the skills and qualities of a successful caregiver and feel empowered by the idea of caring for seniors throughout the community should apply to work as a professional caregiver with Visiting Angels.
Visiting Angels Grand Junction is hiring for part-time and full-time caregiving positions. Working with Visiting Angels means being a part of a locally owned and operated home care agency dedicated to improving the lives of seniors throughout Grand Junction and the surrounding areas. You can expect competitive pay, paid training and time off, bonus opportunities, flexible scheduling, and plenty of one-on-one time with clients.
Learn more about career opportunities with Visiting Angels and apply if you feel you’d be an excellent fit for our team.