Healthcare Assistant

Healthcare Assistants are a crucial member of the health and care team, assisting with washing and dressing, monitoring vital signs, helping people move around, supporting people to eat, and observing and reporting any changes in the people you support. You will have a lot of contact with people and have a direct influence on their health, including seeing them progress and improve.

Healthcare Assistant is also known as Clinical support worker, Healthcare support worker, Nursing assistant.

Role Characteristics

Build relationships, trust and reassure people making them feel comfortable
Monitor people's health by taking temperatures, pulse, respirations and weight
Help people with every day tasks such as showering and get dressed
Serve meals to patients and assist people to eat meals
Assist patients by using equipment to lift and move patients
Personal care including infection prevention and control

Skills

Active listening
Communication
Empathy
Team work
Working under pressure

Day in the life

Watch this video to hear more about being a Healthcare Assistant.

Routes into this role

Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.

Pre-employment Programmes

Volunteering or work experience

GCSEs

BTEC

T-Level

A-Levels

An apprenticeship

How to become

There are no set entry requirements to become a Healthcare Assistant. You could complete a college course or apprenticeship, or you could apply directly and gain experience on the job.

Employers will expect you to have good English and maths skills, and some may ask for GCSEs. Employers may expect you to have some experience in healthcare or care work. This could be from paid or voluntary work, volunteering and work experience is valued by employers.

It is important to check your preferred employer's entry requirements for guidance.

Where can this role lead

No matter what role you start in or where you are in your career path, there are always opportunities to develop and progress in health and care.

With experience and further training, you could become a Senior Healthcare Assistant. You could then apply to train as an Assistant Practitioner or Nursing Associate.

With the appropriate qualifications you could also train as one of the many degree-level professionals such as a Nurse, Podiatrist, Midwife or Occupational Therapist.