Aged Care – Is it the Right Career For You?
Caring for members of an ageing population is one of the key hallmarks of a healthy society. Despite growing demand for workers in this area, aged care remains an important but often overlooked career path in many developed countries.
There’s a shortage of healthcare professionals who work in aged care
When compared to other specialty areas in health care, there’s a considerable lack of individuals who focus on the elderly. It’s quite rare that you see a student in school or even a new, job-seeking graduate pursuing a career in aged care, despite the fact that there are many opportunities out there for those with the right qualifications.
The demand for aged care workers continues to increase as the population ages
It’s no secret that people are living longer, especially as general health care and technology continue to go through huge advancements. Even as other market segments are affected by the ups and downs of the global economy, work in aged care receives a boost in demand because the elderly population is increasing. Employment in the field is quite secure and even growing.
A career in aged care ensures that you’re constantly exercising your health care skills
Unlike emergency room or hospital work, aged care enables you to use many of the skills you gained during your educational experience. You’ll need a working grasp of mental health, personal care, wound management, orthopedics, cardiology, diabetes, physical therapy and social work, just to name a few.
As an aged care specialist, you develop memorable and rewarding relationships
You work closely with your patients and their loved ones on a daily basis, giving you the opportunity to get to know these people well. To many elder care workers, it’s similar to having several grandparents and cherishing a certain bond. You get to hear their stories and share in their experiences in a way that some health care professionals do not. In other settings, such as hospitals or medical practices, the patient encounter is brief. Taking their temperature and vital signs pales in comparison to the work you can do when caring for the elderly.
If after the above factors have caught your interest, it’s important that you research the best programs available in your area in order to obtain the right education, qualifications and licensing to move forward in the aged care industry.
MCIE offers a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community), and is one of the most popular community care courses in Melbourne. It is designed to fast track your career in the aged care industry.
The Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community) can help you open up career opportunities you’ve always dreamed of – possibilities include:
- Assistant in nursing
- Accommodation support worker
- Residential care worker
- In-home respite worker
- Community care worker