Care Assistant Review

by Barchester Healthcare

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3/5
  • The Role
    3.3
  • The Company
    3.3
  • The Culture
    2.1

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I mostly enjoyed my placement because I felt my work was appreciated by the people I was helping and because I really enjoy caring for others which was my primary task on the placement. However, at times the work was challenging, and I was forced to take risks which I was unsure of, hence me not giving it a rating of 10

    3/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • For the most part I felt valued by colleagues, although when I changed onto night shift patterns I felt that the cliquey atmosphere of the day staff meant that I was a bit excluded and my work was no longer acknowledged or valued as highly by my colleagues. As a night worker though everyone was very supportive

    3/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • The supervisor was really helpful, as for the first 3 weeks of my placement I shadowed their work, meaning I was able to participate in the tasks that would be required of me whilst also being able to make mistakes and learn the correct way of undertaking all the tasks. If I had any difficulties I could go to her and know that she would happily answer any concerns I had or raise them with someone in management if that was needed in the situation

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I was extremely busy on a daily basis and that was one of the downsides of the placement; the home was very understaffed and especially on night rotas, there were too little people to do the job. This meant that, even though the nature of the work was very strenuous and tiring, there was never any period of rest. For this reason I cannot see myself managing to work there on a more permanent basis

    1/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was given huge responsibility as soon as I finished my shadowing period and from the outset even during shadowing I was still given tasks to complete entirely on my own and there were several tasks which required considerable initiative. As it was people's daily care needs which we were attending to it was a great responsibility for someone who had just come onto the job, but this was something I really liked.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • The skills I developed and the training I received was all highly relevant to the career I want to pursue in the future and therefore in that respect it will greatly assist my application chances when I graduate. I also completed the care certificate training course during my induction and placement, which is universally recognised and will allow me to become a carer across the country.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The general atmosphere was mostly ok although at times the atmosphere could be tense if colleagues were being unpleasant about each other. I hated this part of the working environment. Mostly however the colleagues and managerial staff were very supportive and I did feel very welcoming on first starting the job. I also felt my work was valued by others and by the residents which contributed to a pleasant environment.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Very well set up as it as a nationwide company so is very experienced

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • They really invested in me because they gave me all the training necessary to achieve and complete my care certificate which required several hours of supervision and instruction and which was also fully paid for. Travel expenses were also always re imbursed and any other training days we attended were again fully paid for. I was given all the training needed to get a full-time position across the country

    3/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Healthcare from home

    Healthcare/Dental

    1/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • They are definitely very appealing because clinical psychology is a field where it is very difficult to get a job and yet I have been offered a position as a full time carer which would allow me to complete the work experience necessary to be much more likely to get onto a postgraduate course. I couldn't be a permanent member of staff there but I would definitely consider a longer placement with the company in the future.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • The social scene wasn't great although to be honest I didn't really have enough time at the placement in order to get close to any of them in a manner other than professionally. The work tended to be very strenuous and therefore the staff tended to relax or have quiet time on their time off. Due to the shift patterns there also wasn't much time at nights when we were free as it was 12 hour shifts so on people's days off they tended to do daily jobs or other activities

    1/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I stayed with my parents so wasn't self-funded

    5/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • I wasn't sure what the nightlife was like as the shift rotas meant wasn't much time at nights when we were free as it was 12 hour shifts so we finished at 8pm. After my shift I would go straight home and eat or go to sleep and therefore I never really tried to discover what the nightlife was like. It was a quite remote area though so I expect the nightlife wouldn't be very good as it was mainly residential house sin the surrounding vicinity

    2/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • Not many opportunities due to the reasons mentioned above

    1/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

North West

October 2016


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