Care assistant Review

As apprentice care assistant I support the residents in my home I give them food and drinks, i support them to move around and assist with washing and dressing whenever i can. I support them to do activities such as painting, jigsaws and colouring in pictures. I really do enjoy this.

The new skills i have learned are many such as supporting with continence, how wheelchairs work and how to operate them safely. I have better communication with others as a big part of my role is to talk to people. I can now safely use the hoist to move our residents around when needed.

I really enjoy coming to work and seeing the residents and help to brighten up their day by talking to them. I am able to interact with residents and staff on a better level which will help me in the future as well. I have made good friends for the other apprentices.

The care certificate aspect of my apprenticeship is very structured. When I am in work i know what i am doing and with whom; however i am able to flex this around to suit the day and routine. My programme is very structured and i know exactly what i am doing.

My deputy manager is fantastic she is always asking how i am doing and she answers my questions to a good level; i couldn't ask for a better manager. My colleagues are amazing they support me to be the best i can be and some push me to a higher level of understanding.

My training provider have given me a great regional trainer; she is very helpful and supportive, she gives me lots of support and she is really nice and doesn't stress me out. She helps me with my qualification as much as she can and goes through things like units I don't necessarily understand

They help a lot so an example is whistle blowing as part of the safeguarding unit; I know I can contact someone impartial on the phone if i have any concerns about my residents. I have also learned about the importance of DBS checks so i understand the needs for them.

At my place of work there isn't really any opportunities to do extra curricular activities however i do get on well with my team and my fellow apprentices. We do have a group chat and often talk through this. It would be nice to actually work with them more as we don't do it often.

Yes

They are really supportive and help us as apprentices to understand what we need to do. They give us support from outside with out Talent and Early Careers Advisors and our regional trainer from Babcocks. They make sure we have a voice and are supported well to acheive the best we can be.

I would say just do it; it is a good programme and i really enjoy it and it is very likely you will meet other apprentices who can become friends and they are in the same boat as you so understand what it is you are going through which is a good support system.