The aged care industry in Australia is growing and is expected to become one of the largest employing sectors in the next few years. This is why aged care courses offered by various Adelaide colleges have become highly popular among individuals who want to contribute to the community’s well being. However, while deciding on taking up an aged care course in any TAFE college, you may wonder what career options will be waiting for you once you graduate.
Fortunately, many fields are always open to students who want to take their careers to a different level. Read this blog to know the job roles you can find after completing a basic course from a top-ranked college.
What are the different types of aged care services provided to the needy?
Before you enrol in one of the aged care courses in Adelaide, it is important to know that aged care is not a single job but a major industry sector with several branches and specialist services. You can find a job in the following four types of care services.
Residential care
Residential care is the most common type of aged care service where older adults receive care in an aged care facility. A 24-hour service is provided to people who need care because of their old age or any sickness or disability in a residential care facility.
Respite care
Unlike residential care, which involves a 24-hour service, respite care is a temporary emergency care service provided to older individuals. A respite carer usually works when support-providing family members or relatives go away from the patient. There are three types of respite care:
- Residential respite care
- In-home respite care
- Respite care directed by consumers
Specialised dementia care
As the name suggests, this type of aged care involves providing immense support to patients who have dementia. It is a special type of aged care that poses various challenges. You have to do a special course to work in this aged care service because these patients are highly vulnerable. As a professional, you will be required to be aware of three types of dementia that affect people aged more than 75.
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Dementia with Lewy bodies
- Vascular dementia
Palliative care
Working in this branch is also challenging as it is very unlikely for patients receiving palliative care to recover from their conditions. As a palliative care professional, you will need to make sure that the physical and psychological needs of the patients are achieved.
What job roles can you find after completing your course?
This section discusses specific employment positions that an individual can get employed in after completing certificate 3 aged care adelaide from an Adelaide college.
Aged care support worker
Choosing to work as an aged care support worker will bring you to a professional environment where you will offer generous support and proper care to older people living in community facility centers. As you will work with a vulnerable section of society, make sure your approach is warm and compassionate.
Home care assistant
As a home care assistant, you will be assisting people struggling with aging or disability and those who are mentally or terminally ill. You may need to work in private homes to help your clients with daily meal preparation or personal grooming.
Home care assistants are usually hired by clients’ family members when they find it hard to provide the proper care. Depending on the patient’s health condition, you may also have to feed them or perform general housekeeping tasks.
Professional aged care support worker
Becoming a professional aged care support worker means you may have to provide service both in private homes or community facility centers. You have to help your clients with necessary activities like:
- Dressing
- Showering
- Toileting
- Preparing meals
- Transporting them to appointments
- Domestic assistance
- Social support
- Companionship
- Medication prompts
Health care assistant
The job of a health care assistant includes:
- Monitoring and recording health conditions of patients by taking temperature readings, pulse readings, and measuring their weights
- Communicating with patients and their relatives, and fellow care workers
- Assisting patients with clinical duties
- Ensuring comfort, reassurance, and safety
Personal care attendant
PCAs or personal care attendants support specially challenged and chronically ill older people and people with major disabilities. You may also be required to assist patients with short-term needs. As a personal care attendant, you will be working in a hospital or nursing home, or any other medical facility centre.
Points to keep in mind to work in the aged care sector?
Whatever aged care role you choose to work in aged care sector, you must have the necessary qualities, such as:
- Honesty
- Punctuality
- Reliability
- Empathy
- Commitment
How much salary can you expect in your job?
Salary in the aged care industry will depend on several factors, including your qualification, location, seniority in the field, and specific employment position and responsibilities.
Currently, the average hourly income for an aged care worker in Australia is $22.31. Thus, your average annual income will be between $40729 and $58403.
How can Cert 3 in Aged Care Course help you?
Doing the Cert 3 in Aged Care from an Adelaide college will help you learn basic skills to take care of older and disabled people in the home environment and residential care.
Besides theoretical training, you will also have to go through 15 hours of placement training to apply the skills you have learned in the course to a real-life workplace environment. Thus, this course is the perfect option to become job-ready.
Also, if you want to do further studies and do not wish to land a job immediately, you can enrol in Certificate 4 in Aged Care courses, a more advanced aged care course.
Choose the proper college to kick-start your career
Regardless of the role you choose, if you aim to build a successful career in the aged care sector, you must first obtain your qualification. Various colleges in Adelaide provide aged care courses, but you must choose a leading education provider in Adelaide that recruits highly qualified and experienced faculty to teach students.