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For healthcare support staff

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For healthcare support staff

We have a Health Care Support Development team dedicated to building the confidence and knowledge of our healthcare support staff.
 
The Health Care Support Development team provides education and training for health care support staff e.g. healthcare assistants (HCAs), psychiatric assistants, rehabilitation assistants, hospital attendants/ orderlies, employed by Waikato DHB other Waikato health providers by agreement.

Orientation

When you join Waikato DHB or move to a new area, you will receive area specific orientation organised by your manager/ educator , as well as general orientation to Waikato DHB. 

On-going education and in-service training

Healthcare support staff will receive on-going in-service training for the area they work in. Some areas have e-learning and other required or optional service education and training, including full study days that are open to healthcare support staff (for example, delirium, manual handling, health and safety, CPR refreshers).

Level 3 Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Careerforce)

We offer the Level 3 Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Careerforce NZ) to Waikato DHB healthcare support staff and some other Waikato health providers by agreement. 

At Waikato DHB the certificate programme is managed and delivered by our Healthcare Support Development team with other DHB staff, in partnership with Careerforce NZ.

Our programme reassures and supports you along the way, and it gets really good feedback from staff.

It can help you gain skills and qualifications you can use to contribute in your team, or get more job satisfaction because you are giving safe, excellent care.  It can also lead you into formal health professional roles. The qualification is yours and nationally recognised.

It is a qualification recognised by NZQA.

The programme includes

  • Core units that all healthcare support staff must complete,
  • Strands for acute care, maternity, mental health, theatre and orderly/attendant.

This diagram [PDF, 186 KB] shows you what each unit covers in the core and specialist strands

  • The programme takes 6 to 9 months to complete.
  • It includes at least 3 study days which are paid days where you attend the programme rather than doing your normal work.
  • When you enrol on the programme, you will get a resource book and an assessment workbook. We will give you the support and guidance you need to get started.
  • In your workbook you will find both written and practical assessments. Your practice will be verified by a staff member assigned to do this.
  • Some of the assessment material will require computer access to search out relevant DHB policies and procedures. If you have no access to a work computer, the Library has computers that staff can use.
  • There are no exams, but your workbook will be assessed by Careerforce registered assessors.

The team will help you with any problems you have with reading, writing or numbers, or computer skills to do with the assessments. Cultural support is also available.

Read testimonials from participants.

The Waikato DHB Level 3 Certificate programme is only for

  • people employed in healthcare support roles at Waikato DHB.This includes healthcare assistants (HCAs), support workers, kaiawhena in mental health services, rehabilitation assistants, maternity aides.
  • In some cases, people employed by another healthcare provider which has a contract with Waikato DHB.

Other providers/employers who are interested in using the Careerforce NZ Level 3 Certificate in Health and Wellbeing should contact:

Pauline Ruff
Careeforce Workforce Advisor

Phone: 027 675 3067 or 0800 277 486  
Email: Pauline.Ruff@careerforce.org.nz

Testimonials

Testimonials from health care support staff who have completed the Level 3 Certification offered through Waikato DHB.


Cheryl Tuck
Healthcare assistant
Tokoroa Hospital 

Julie Washington-Smith
Healthcare assistant
Waikato Hospital 

Phillip Clarke
Psychiatric assistant
Waikato Hospital

 

For someone who hesitated the first time round, lacked confidence in theory because of past experience in school and not understanding questions very well, I can truly say how proud I am. Not only in getting out of my comfort zone but achieving it.

- Karen Reid, HCA

I have worked as a HCA for many years and have loved what I do. I’m very much a hands-on person. To do this course was great for me. The teachers who took our classes were very approachable and keen to help at any time. There is no such thing as failing. They will make sure you understand.

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Karen Reid, HCA at Braemar Hospital (centre) with Waikato DHB support team Marian Partington and Lyn MacLeod

What I enjoyed is getting the module book beforehand to read so as to understand when covering the subject on the day. Getting into groups so as to find out about each other’s cultures, background. Putting puzzle words under the right heading made you think.

Though there are different HCAs in different fields, the course was an all-rounder in teaching from patients’ rights, cultures, hygiene for ourselves and patients, giving the best cares, knowing our boundaries. The dementia was an eye opener  = A MUST FOR ALL. The videos were great. 

It’s good to be recognised and having a Level 3 Certificate. Feedback on the assignment was exciting.

I highly recommend doing the course. To all involved: Thank you very, very much.

Karen Reid
Healthcare assistant
Braemar Hospital*

* Braemar Hospital in Hamilton is one of the health providers with an agreement to participate in Waikato DHB's certification course.