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Possible Positions in a Hospital for an 18 y/old?
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Baki
I will look into this.
Lol, I should mention in the OP that I'm trying to avoid poo.
Lol, I should mention in the OP that I'm trying to avoid poo.
still gonna be round poo as a doctor, had one med student being sharted on the other day on a ward i was on lol
may aswell get over it whilst you can!
Subcutaneous
still gonna be round poo as a doctor, had one med student being sharted on the other day on a ward i was on lol
may aswell get over it whilst you can!
may aswell get over it whilst you can!
I was aware of that. But being around poo and cleaning another persons ass is two totally different things.
(unless I have to wipe assess as a doctor.
)Degausser
Knowing the inevitable will happen, and chasing the inevitable are two verrry different things.
Baki
I was aware of that. But being around poo and cleaning another persons ass is two totally different things.
(unless I have to wipe assess as a doctor. )
(unless I have to wipe assess as a doctor.
) oh dear...get your hands dirty mate, will definately make you appreciate the nursing staff more when qualified...
Baki
Hello people.
So I have me self a gap year and I was hoping to get some paid work in a hospital. So I was wondering what kind of work could an 18 y/old (with minimal w/exp.) could get in a hospital. Also please elaborate on the duties of these roles.
Ones I know off the top of my head is a HCA, I have a vague idea of what this entails. Any other stuff, Plaster room nurse maybe? etc..
So I have me self a gap year and I was hoping to get some paid work in a hospital. So I was wondering what kind of work could an 18 y/old (with minimal w/exp.) could get in a hospital. Also please elaborate on the duties of these roles.
Ones I know off the top of my head is a HCA, I have a vague idea of what this entails. Any other stuff, Plaster room nurse maybe? etc..
Im in the same postition!
HCA, can't beat it.
Oh hang on, you want to be a Doctor, maybe you'd better stick to the admin style jobs, that way you can practice your hand writing 'skills' and how to act like you're above everyone else
HCA isn't all poo. A run down of my day on earlies would be handing out menus and helping to fill them in between 7:30 and 8:30, changing any beds that are empty already between 8:30 and 9ish, 9ish onwards is helping people wash (depending on your ward, you might have everyone needing a bed bath, or no-one - on mine it's generally 1 in 5 patients are all care, the rest either just need supervision or can do it all themselves) and changing the rest of the beds either as they're washing or whilst you're washing them - if someone is physically unable to roll themselves, mentally vacant, needs hoisting or something normally you'll do it with a nurse or another HCA. After everyone's washed and dressed, beds changed etc. about 11, then it's obs, 11:30 you get a break, then if there's any simple tests that need doing (ECGs, MRSA screens, urine screens if someone's provided a sample) you do them and write the forms out, 12ish is lunch, which is handing out meals and helping those who need it - again about 1 in 8 on my ward tend to need help, we have a few NBM and everyone else can do it themself. After lunch you pick up the odd jobs, do obs, anymore tests that need doing, start transfers. Go home at 2:30pm
OFC, in all of that time, if anyone presses a call bell then you have to answer it, which is normally a toilet run, but tbh unless people are completly bed bound and mentally vacant then you won't have to handle that much poo, unless a sample is needed, which is just scooping it into a pot.
Afternoon shift is different on my ward to most other peoples, because we only have patients in for at most, 10 days, and often for just a few days, it's a lot of transfers or stripping and washing beds, again, answering the call bells and doing any of the simple tests that need doing, as well as obs*. You get a lot of visitors in the afternoons so looking after the patients is minimal tbh on an afternoon shift. We do dinner at 5pm,
Haven't done a night shift yet, but I'd imagine it's like an afternoon shift but with more sleeping people!
NO, it's not an incredibly exciting job, YES there's a lot of poo and vomit around, but if you want to go into the medical profession that much you should be able to suck it up and get on with it. It's about helping the patients out and whilst you do all the skanky jobs you get to know the patients really well because you're there helping them do everything if they need it.
*4 hourly really, but some patients are on 1 and 2 hourly, so you have to keep up with that.
Oh hang on, you want to be a Doctor, maybe you'd better stick to the admin style jobs, that way you can practice your hand writing 'skills' and how to act like you're above everyone else
HCA isn't all poo. A run down of my day on earlies would be handing out menus and helping to fill them in between 7:30 and 8:30, changing any beds that are empty already between 8:30 and 9ish, 9ish onwards is helping people wash (depending on your ward, you might have everyone needing a bed bath, or no-one - on mine it's generally 1 in 5 patients are all care, the rest either just need supervision or can do it all themselves) and changing the rest of the beds either as they're washing or whilst you're washing them - if someone is physically unable to roll themselves, mentally vacant, needs hoisting or something normally you'll do it with a nurse or another HCA. After everyone's washed and dressed, beds changed etc. about 11, then it's obs, 11:30 you get a break, then if there's any simple tests that need doing (ECGs, MRSA screens, urine screens if someone's provided a sample) you do them and write the forms out, 12ish is lunch, which is handing out meals and helping those who need it - again about 1 in 8 on my ward tend to need help, we have a few NBM and everyone else can do it themself. After lunch you pick up the odd jobs, do obs, anymore tests that need doing, start transfers. Go home at 2:30pm
OFC, in all of that time, if anyone presses a call bell then you have to answer it, which is normally a toilet run, but tbh unless people are completly bed bound and mentally vacant then you won't have to handle that much poo, unless a sample is needed, which is just scooping it into a pot. Afternoon shift is different on my ward to most other peoples, because we only have patients in for at most, 10 days, and often for just a few days, it's a lot of transfers or stripping and washing beds, again, answering the call bells and doing any of the simple tests that need doing, as well as obs*. You get a lot of visitors in the afternoons so looking after the patients is minimal tbh on an afternoon shift. We do dinner at 5pm,
Haven't done a night shift yet, but I'd imagine it's like an afternoon shift but with more sleeping people!
NO, it's not an incredibly exciting job, YES there's a lot of poo and vomit around, but if you want to go into the medical profession that much you should be able to suck it up and get on with it. It's about helping the patients out and whilst you do all the skanky jobs you get to know the patients really well because you're there helping them do everything if they need it.
*4 hourly really, but some patients are on 1 and 2 hourly, so you have to keep up with that.
on the bed, in the cupboard, if you're feeling risky then in the OR...
i'm sorry what was the question?
i'm sorry what was the question?
kiss_me_now9
...
Very helpful post, thank you.
Did you have any previous care experience when you applied for your HCA job? I am looking to apply, however a bit concerned at my chances seeing as I have very very limited experience and a lot of the job descriptions say experience is either essential or desired. Also, how was your training carried out? Were you stuck on the job straight away and trained on the job, did you shadow another HCA first to see what to do or did they give you a full blown training course?
Thanks again.
kiss_me_now9
Haven't done a night shift yet, but I'd imagine it's like an afternoon shift but with more sleeping people!
Haven't done a night shift yet, but I'd imagine it's like an afternoon shift but with more sleeping people!
Nightshifts are the best (being paid more for doing less).
It varies from ward to ward but if most of your patients are selfcaring then you can go all night with pretty much nothing to do. If it is a stroke rehab or eldearly care then you will spend entire night turning patients and changing soiled linien. I usualy work on a surgical admissions and we constantly get new patients from AE so it can be quite busy but majority are self caring.
Kelly^2
Very helpful post, thank you.
Did you have any previous care experience when you applied for your HCA job? I am looking to apply, however a bit concerned at my chances seeing as I have very very limited experience and a lot of the job descriptions say experience is either essential or desired. Also, how was your training carried out? Were you stuck on the job straight away and trained on the job, did you shadow another HCA first to see what to do or did they give you a full blown training course?
Thanks again.
Did you have any previous care experience when you applied for your HCA job? I am looking to apply, however a bit concerned at my chances seeing as I have very very limited experience and a lot of the job descriptions say experience is either essential or desired. Also, how was your training carried out? Were you stuck on the job straight away and trained on the job, did you shadow another HCA first to see what to do or did they give you a full blown training course?
Thanks again.
No problem
I didn't, I worked in a shop for a year at 16, another shop just before I went to uni and when I dropped out I came home and knew that I would rather die than work in another shop, my Mum is an occupational therapy assistant and she suggested something in the NHS because I was going on about how I wanted to do a meaningful job, helping people daily etc. I applied for about 5 HCA positions, and the job I got wasn't even advertised - I got pooled and interviewed for a batch of HCA jobs that were all being advertised for a few wards, uhrmm, orthopedic, respiratory, acute medicine I think! I said at interview that I was possibly looking to apply for paramedic after a few years and so a ward that was fast paced would help me greatly and so they put me on my ward - emergency medical (and surgical) admissions unit
I think compassion, awareness of the grotty bits of the job and a calm disposition are the most important things, it's no good having all the experience in the world if you're a grumpy sod!First two weeks I was classified as supernumerary, basically untrained, and I shadowed another HCA all the time, gradually working up to doing it all on my own. So far I've only had two days of 'training' which was the trusts induction day for everyone new, HCAs, Drs, RNs, Ward clerks, caterers, and it was just general basic stuff. I've got my three days mandatory training at the begining of August BUT I'm hopefully going back to college in September so I'll be leaving a few weeks after that's done
I've been shown how to do most things that are expected of me, there's things that other HCAs can do that I can't such as take blood or do BMs, but I could do the training for them, it's just the waiting list is looooooong If there's something I can't do or haven't done, I just tell the nurse or Dr who's asked me to do it and they either show me or ask someone else, there's no "
GTFO my ward" Hope that helps!
belis
Nightshifts are the best (being paid more for doing less).
It varies from ward to ward but if most of your patients are selfcaring then you can go all night with pretty much nothing to do. If it is a stroke rehab or eldearly care then you will spend entire night turning patients and changing soiled linien. I usualy work on a surgical admissions and we constantly get new patients from AE so it can be quite busy but majority are self caring.
It varies from ward to ward but if most of your patients are selfcaring then you can go all night with pretty much nothing to do. If it is a stroke rehab or eldearly care then you will spend entire night turning patients and changing soiled linien. I usualy work on a surgical admissions and we constantly get new patients from AE so it can be quite busy but majority are self caring.
Ah, cool. Have heard that our night shift 'regulars' are a bit... cliquey and don't like newcomers! We get quite a few dementia patients so I think night shift is making sure they don't wander.
I'm hoping I get to go on SAU, we only have 6 beds and they, like you said, tend to be self caring and sleepy
Im taking a gap year and applying this September, ive already done 5 weeks worth of hospital shadowing and also hospice work. Is there any real need for me to do more work whilst on my gap year?? Any advice would be appreciated.
xxAndrewxx
Im taking a gap year and applying this December, ive already done 5 weeks worth of hospital shadowing and also hospice work. Is there any real need for me to do more work whilst on my gap year?? Any advice would be appreciated.
I've been told (I can't remember whether it was in feedback or elsewhere) that some admissions tutors like you to have experience of GP surgeries and hospitals, so perhaps GP is something you could look into? I think it depends on the area but all my local surgeries were reluctant to have me although I am trying again this year. It really isn't the amount you do that counts it's what you learn from it. If you feel you have plenty experience to give you a good awareness as to what being a doctor and working in a hospital entails and you would be able to talk about it at interview then that's great. There are loads of things you can do on a gap year which can help your personal development in other areas.
Thanks for the HCA posts above guys, they have made me a lot more confident about applying now
Baki
Ward Clerk? Only Male in the profession? Tell me more. 
that is rubbish, what do you have to back that up- i know about 5 or 6 male ward clerks in various hospitals in NI
kiss_me_now9
HCA, can't beat it.
Oh hang on, you want to be a Doctor, maybe you'd better stick to the admin style jobs, that way you can practice your hand writing 'skills' and how to act like you're above everyone else
HCA isn't all poo. A run down of my day on earlies would be handing out menus and helping to fill them in between 7:30 and 8:30, changing any beds that are empty already between 8:30 and 9ish, 9ish onwards is helping people wash (depending on your ward, you might have everyone needing a bed bath, or no-one - on mine it's generally 1 in 5 patients are all care, the rest either just need supervision or can do it all themselves) and changing the rest of the beds either as they're washing or whilst you're washing them - if someone is physically unable to roll themselves, mentally vacant, needs hoisting or something normally you'll do it with a nurse or another HCA. After everyone's washed and dressed, beds changed etc. about 11, then it's obs, 11:30 you get a break, then if there's any simple tests that need doing (ECGs, MRSA screens, urine screens if someone's provided a sample) you do them and write the forms out, 12ish is lunch, which is handing out meals and helping those who need it - again about 1 in 8 on my ward tend to need help, we have a few NBM and everyone else can do it themself. After lunch you pick up the odd jobs, do obs, anymore tests that need doing, start transfers. Go home at 2:30pm OFC, in all of that time, if anyone presses a call bell then you have to answer it, which is normally a toilet run, but tbh unless people are completly bed bound and mentally vacant then you won't have to handle that much poo, unless a sample is needed, which is just scooping it into a pot.
Afternoon shift is different on my ward to most other peoples, because we only have patients in for at most, 10 days, and often for just a few days, it's a lot of transfers or stripping and washing beds, again, answering the call bells and doing any of the simple tests that need doing, as well as obs*. You get a lot of visitors in the afternoons so looking after the patients is minimal tbh on an afternoon shift. We do dinner at 5pm,
Haven't done a night shift yet, but I'd imagine it's like an afternoon shift but with more sleeping people!
NO, it's not an incredibly exciting job, YES there's a lot of poo and vomit around, but if you want to go into the medical profession that much you should be able to suck it up and get on with it. It's about helping the patients out and whilst you do all the skanky jobs you get to know the patients really well because you're there helping them do everything if they need it.
*4 hourly really, but some patients are on 1 and 2 hourly, so you have to keep up with that.
Oh hang on, you want to be a Doctor, maybe you'd better stick to the admin style jobs, that way you can practice your hand writing 'skills' and how to act like you're above everyone else
HCA isn't all poo. A run down of my day on earlies would be handing out menus and helping to fill them in between 7:30 and 8:30, changing any beds that are empty already between 8:30 and 9ish, 9ish onwards is helping people wash (depending on your ward, you might have everyone needing a bed bath, or no-one - on mine it's generally 1 in 5 patients are all care, the rest either just need supervision or can do it all themselves) and changing the rest of the beds either as they're washing or whilst you're washing them - if someone is physically unable to roll themselves, mentally vacant, needs hoisting or something normally you'll do it with a nurse or another HCA. After everyone's washed and dressed, beds changed etc. about 11, then it's obs, 11:30 you get a break, then if there's any simple tests that need doing (ECGs, MRSA screens, urine screens if someone's provided a sample) you do them and write the forms out, 12ish is lunch, which is handing out meals and helping those who need it - again about 1 in 8 on my ward tend to need help, we have a few NBM and everyone else can do it themself. After lunch you pick up the odd jobs, do obs, anymore tests that need doing, start transfers. Go home at 2:30pm
OFC, in all of that time, if anyone presses a call bell then you have to answer it, which is normally a toilet run, but tbh unless people are completly bed bound and mentally vacant then you won't have to handle that much poo, unless a sample is needed, which is just scooping it into a pot. Afternoon shift is different on my ward to most other peoples, because we only have patients in for at most, 10 days, and often for just a few days, it's a lot of transfers or stripping and washing beds, again, answering the call bells and doing any of the simple tests that need doing, as well as obs*. You get a lot of visitors in the afternoons so looking after the patients is minimal tbh on an afternoon shift. We do dinner at 5pm,
Haven't done a night shift yet, but I'd imagine it's like an afternoon shift but with more sleeping people!
NO, it's not an incredibly exciting job, YES there's a lot of poo and vomit around, but if you want to go into the medical profession that much you should be able to suck it up and get on with it. It's about helping the patients out and whilst you do all the skanky jobs you get to know the patients really well because you're there helping them do everything if they need it.
*4 hourly really, but some patients are on 1 and 2 hourly, so you have to keep up with that.
lol your day is sooooo different to mine!!!
I get out of handover at around 7.30, turn on the lights, wake up the patients and start obs on 2 bays (around 12 patients) whilst this is done drug round is done at the same time. 8pm, is washing/dressing time...sorting out pyjamas for those that need new one, the self caring ones we change the beds whilst they're up and about/eating breakfast, the ones that need bed baths, we change the bed at the same time and also assist with feeding/mouth care and taking medication. Usually fluid balance charts are done at this time, catheters are checked, cannulas due to be taken out that day are...10-12, is an odd time, usually ward round, chance to catch up on things...maybe do a few care plans, then 1pm is obs after lunch, drugs round aswell...chat to a few patients, turf of to some procedures..toileting, paperwork...more paperwork...talking with relatives at around 3pm, more fluid balance usually at this time, care plans..chat to some patients, spend some one-to-one time, this is usually the quietest time..then post-4pm, dinner...drugs round, more obs
man my day is boring lol
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