Because of the personal nature of the job, a nursing assistant career is rewarding for compassionate individuals who enjoy caring for people. The position may be demanding, but the satisfaction from helping patients feel comfortable and loved can also be very emotionally rewarding.
You can work in hemvård, äldreboende, or dagverksamhet; accordingly, you can choose a suitable workplace for your skills. The salaries of the assistant nurse vary between SEK 27,900 and SEK 30,000. When planning for the future, challenge yourself to think about becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant. You can grow personally and professionally within this field.
If you’re wondering what that could look like, Ghussoun Alshallal, certified assistant nurse, will share with us her journey.
Who is Ghussoun?
Ghussoun flew from her country to Sweden with her family in … In her home country, Ghussoun finished her senior school; she studied different courses to work in the health sector as a nurse. But, due to unforeseen circumstances, she left everything behind. Unfortunately, she didn’t have her senior school certificate and realized that she needed to start from the very beginning. She set her goals immediately to get a job and be able to work to strengthen her residency in Sweden and support her family. She started learning Swedish online, which helped her finish the SFI in a few months. She had a passion for realizing her dream of becoming a nurse, so I thought to start from the stage of nurse assistant to lead my journey to nursing university.
Why did you choose this career?
I chose this career because it has a space for career growth and skills development. In Sweden, you can apply to study the nurse assistant course after finishing ground level in the Swedish language. And while you study Swedish 1, you study the nurse assistant course in parallel. It took me one year to finish my studies. Then I started working Immediately. I was interested in developing my medical skills, so I joined the medicine handling course, and recently, I applied to study the diabetic medicine dealing course. I keep on developing my skills to prepare myself for better career opportunities. Along the side, I finished Swedish 3, and I am currently studying English 5 and completing the science subject requirements to apply for nursing university. I have a clear plan and a goal to become a nurse in the near future.
How did you manage the challenges of studies and being a wife and a mother?
I am trying my best to keep my plans going and to take care of my three kids. I study at night and during my lunch breaks at work. I remember that I had an exam during my lunch break at work. My husband works afternoon /evening shifts, which makes it hard for him to help me during weekdays, but he always helps me on weekends.
Can you give us an example of a working day?
In our career, each day is a different day; it depends on the patients and where you work. Generally speaking, I always need to check the nursing reports as soon as I arrive and again before I finish my shift. However, I always check my reports throughout my shift to keep them updated and accessible. The only thing that is recurring every day is that I know a patient is out there waiting for help.
What do you love most about your job?
I love elderly people and care about them; I like to speak with them and hear their stories. They remind me of my grandmother; I was raised with her stories about friends and life experiences. Being around the elderly, I feel nostalgic. I always give my patients the space to speak about their life experiences and memories with their friends and family members. Noticing how proud and excited they feel keeps them in good spirits through their treatment; it is definitely rewarding.
What’s your advice to anyone who would like to choose this career?
To work as a nursing assistant, you need empathy and compassion, think about the elderly like a family member, and feel for them. I always remember my dad and give my patients the best services.
Being a team player is also essential; you must coordinate with your colleagues at work clearly because you will always communicate with other health professionals.
Being patient and observant is also an asset to reacting effectively at the right time. Also, consider that you will meet patients from different cultures and backgrounds, so you need patience in communicating with them
It would be a great privilege if you had a driving license or could ride a bicycle for better job opportunities.
Keep developing your language and digital skills to write patient reports and communicate correctly with the patients and your team. Asking them what they need and if they feel comfortable while you deal with them.
You need to maintain an active lifestyle to carry out your work responsibilities.
What’s your advice during challenging times and misunderstandings at work?
Some patients feel embarrassed by some of our job tasks, so we always try to lighten the mood with upbeat conversation. The most challenging situations are always dealing with an aggressive patient, so I advise always monitoring patient's moods and assessing their body language during care. De-escalating situations and calming patients down are key; we are trained to do that. Feel free to contact your team if you need help handling the situation. Stay focused and enjoy what you are doing because it is really needed, and if you don't do these services, the elderly helpless people will not be able to survive.
How to apply for a nurse assistant in Helsingborgstad?
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