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What qualities do you need to become a healthcare assistant?

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What qualities do you need to become a healthcare assistant?

​Have you ever wondered what qualities you need to become a healthcare assistant? Aside from kindness and compassion - two essential characteristics you need if you're considering a career in care – there are a number of other qualities that our healthcare community have said are important.

Essential healthcare assistant qualities

We reached out to our healthcare community on social media asking: 'What are the qualities that make a good carer?' Here’s what our followers on Facebook and Twitter had to say:

"Be patient with people. Respect people and their property."

"Be calm and polite, it helps the person you’re supporting feel more relaxed around you."

"Patience, empathy and a thick skin."

"Be compassionate, understanding, respectful, caring, supportive, honest, patient, and non-judgmental."

"Treat people with equality."

"A sense of humour goes a long way and so does a smile."

"Be a good listener."

Great healthcare assistant qualities

You’ll notice that there are a few themes coming through in this list, with patience and respect being two characteristics that are seen as being very important by our healthcare community.

Being able to connect with someone rather than viewing them as a service user is integral in showing them respect. A healthcare assistant should be patient without being patronising and must treat those that they care for as individuals. Through being patient and taking the time to understand the emotions that those in your care might be feeling, you’ll ensure that they remain comfortable in your care and feel well supported.

Reliability is another vital characteristic for healthcare assistants as often you might be the only person that your service users have contact with, so they need to know that they can rely on you. This is also an important quality when helping with their routines and any medications they might need.

A great healthcare assistant will also have a positive attitude – even during tough times. You’ll be able to help those in your care to feel uplifted and making them smile can be beneficial to both their physical and mental health. You’ll find that by being open and warm with service users you can form real friendships and build up a rapport with those that you’re working with.

If you have the qualities needed to be a healthcare assistant and a passion for caring for others, we'd love to hear from you. We're always looking to grow our community across the UK, so take a look at our healthcare job vacancies today and find the perfect role for you!