Health Care Aide and Personal Support Worker grad building confidence through care on hospital units
Great health care aides are more than knowledgeable. They’re a calming presence when patients need it most.
Learning that balance is key to a career in health care, and it doesn’t come from just studying the difference between endothelium and epithelium (go ahead and look those terms up; we’ll wait). Nothing prepares you for the workplace like a real patient with actual health needs.
MITT’s Health Care Aide and Personal Support Worker program provides students with both knowledge and experience to prepare them for their careers. That started in the classroom for graduate Aqeel Muhammad, who is originally from Pakistan.
“MITT gave me a great start and trained us in everything, from the essentials to the worst-case scenarios. The instructors make sure you know your stuff. That’s been helpful because there are a lot of situations throughout a day or week where I have to remind myself that I know what to do, even if I haven’t faced it before, because I’ve learned it all.”
Aqeel learned as much, if not more, from the work placements that are integral to MITT’s program. Being on the front lines for four weeks in long-term care and another four weeks in hospital wards put his training into practice.
“My first day of work placement was exhausting because I was learning so much,” recalled Aqeel. “It was the first time I was interacting with real patients. In school, you might study for eight hours a day, but in hospitals and long-term care facilities, you are doing the actual work for eight hours a day. It’s very different.”
Now that he’s settling into a career at the Health Sciences Centre, Aqeel’s become accustomed to the pace of work and loves the variety that his role brings. On any given day, he could help patients with daily tasks, take vital signs, offer emotional support, or be a steady presence during tough moments.
“Since I’m employed by an agency that supplies health care aides to HSC, I’m not assigned to a specific unit. I arrive at work and find out where I’ll be for that day. I could get sent to an adult or children’s emergency room, or to in-patient units. Because of that, I get to know every unit and how to treat a wide variety of patients. It can be challenging, and you have to be humble and give patients all that you have. But a lot of patients are really nice and can make your day in return.”
In a field where no two days (or patients) are ever the same, a perfect balance of competence and compassion are helping Aqeel build a career and make a difference in people’s lives, one shift at a time.
Ready to experience the joys of a fulfilling career in healthcare? Explore our Health Care Aide and Personal Support Worker program today.