Aged care is a multi-faceted industry. At one end of the spectrum, residential aged care facilities are businesses, and must be run as such with a focus on recruitment, growth and the rest of the sector. At the same time though, and what really sets RACFs apart from other companies is the simple fact that their businesses don’t provide a product, they are providing holistic care and support with a focus on the wellbeing of all residents.
It might sound cheesy, but it really is true, with the work of an RACF making the difference between a senior being able to cope with the ageing process and feeling as if they have no control over it. Accordingly, as a client-oriented business, one of the most important aspects of an RACF’s day to day operations is recruitment. The old adage that ‘people, not profits, make a company successful’ is incredibly relevant here, and while every area of a company needs great staff, it’s the aged care nurses who are on the front lines.
Of course, recruitment isn’t always an easy task, but with help from Australian Health Professionals’ expert team, and by keeping a few top tips in mind, you’ll be able to make sure that you’re consistently making the right hires. Here are two of the most important aspects to keep in mind when looking for an aged care nurse.
Nurses are the front line of aged care.1. Vocation and passion
There aren’t many people in the world who can honestly say that their job is their ‘calling’, but the aged care sector is one area where you’ll find many of them. In fact, if there’s one thing that unifies great nurses and caregivers, it’s their unbridled passion for the work that they do on a day to day basis. The reasons behind this are different for everyone, perhaps springing from an empathetic personality or even a formative experience with one of their grandparents when they were young.
Either way, this passion is what you’ll want to look for when recruiting an aged care nurse. The difference between someone who treats their work as a calling and someone to whom it’s simply another position can be absolutely huge. The passion may not always be obvious, but that’s where a team of recruitment specialists can help – ensuring that you only see candidates who couldn’t imagine working in another field.
One of the thorniest issues when it comes to recruitment is experience.
2. Experience and qualifications
Of course, even the most empathic registered nurse in the world will need to have skills, qualifications and experience behind them if they’re going to succeed. The minimum for these roles is a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, but in many cases Australian Health Professionals recruits for a higher level of management, including care managers and directors of nursing.
One of the thorniest issues when it comes to recruitment is experience. For roles with more responsibility, the successful candidates tend to have several years of both aged care and management experience, as well as relevant post-graduate qualifications. These may include certificates, post-grad degrees or even PhD’s, and all show that a candidate is committed to the field and are looking to expand their skill set for the future.
These are just two of the many different aspects that you need to consider when looking for the right people to take care of your residents. The work that they do is invaluable, and shouldn’t be left to chance. Instead, contact the team at Australian Health Professionals to make sure that the only applications you see are from candidates who will bring the right mix of passion and skill.