Are you thinking of starting a career as a personal support worker (PSW)? If so, you’re probably a compassionate person who cares a lot about others and wants to help.
As a PSW, you will help your patients with a variety of essential daily activities such as driving them to appointments, cooking meals, and cleaning. You will also monitor their medical conditions, take notes, administer their medication, and anything else they may need.
There are many personal qualities of a care worker and we’ll outline them here. Check out these personal qualities of a care worker and decide if this career is the right choice for you:
1. Excellent Communication Skills
Since working as a care worker means taking care of someone else’s needs, communication is an essential personal quality of a care worker. You need to engage with patients through open communication and understand what they need. As a care worker, you will need to possess the ability to listen to what your patients are telling you as well as be able to respond in the appropriate manner.
However, communication skills are not just limited to listening and verbal communication. You also need to have excellent written communication skills. You will be required to write down information in your patient’s chart as well as fill out any other paperwork that may be required.
Working as a care worker will also require you to be able to adapt your communication to the needs of different patients. To develop this skill, you should take an online PSW course and improve your communication style.
2. Organizational Skills
Do you possess organizational skills? If so, it will serve you well working as a care worker because it is considered another personal quality of a care worker. You will need to manage a lot of different household tasks such as grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, and paying bills.
On top of that, you will also need to manage any medical appointments your patient may have, as well as ensure they are taking their medication and a variety of other things.
Being organized will help you stay on top of everything, ensure your client gets the care they need and make sure their home is in good order. This is truly a valuable skill to have as a care worker.
3. Patience
Patience serves us well in all aspects of life but it’s not a quality that all people possess. As a care worker, this is one of the most important personal qualities you can have.
Since you will be dealing with patients that are older or have diminished capabilities and move slower or are not be able to communicate as well, you will need to demonstrate a lot of patience. This will help you get through your tasks and deliver excellent care without getting frustrated as easily.
Remaining calm and patient, no matter what’s going on around you, will serve you well and make you an excellent care worker.
4. Positive Attitude
If you have a positive attitude and a cheerful demeanour, this will go a long way in impacting the mood of patients. Chances are your patients are going through a lot, so having someone who is open and positive can help cheer them up and keep their spirits high.
Simply being friendly and personable can make a huge difference for not only your patient but you as well. You’ll be seen as someone who stays calm and collected, making you an excellent care worker.
5. Ability to Remain Calm Under Pressure
Another personal quality of a care worker is the ability to remain calm under pressure. During your time as a care worker, there will be a few occasions where your patient may act hostile and even aggressive. For example, there may be situations where a patient responds aggressively by screaming and yelling at you. The best way to diffuse this kind of situation is by remaining calm.
This skill will also come in handy if any of your patients ever need emergency first-aid. It will serve you well to be able to stay calm and deal with the situation no matter how critical.
6. Ability to Use Empathy
When you’re taking care of others, empathy is a vital quality. If you possess this personal quality, once you become a care worker, you can try to empathize with your patients by asking yourself how you would feel in a similar situation.
By being able to put yourself in their shoes, it will help you to win patient’s trust and acceptance. It will be easier to give them the care that you would want to have if you were the patient.
Being able to use empathy also means opening up about your own feelings in an effort to have your patients open up and talk about how they’re feeling. Not keeping things bottled up will help them deal with the psychological impacts of their illness.
Do you possess some or all of these personal qualities? If so, a career as a personal support worker may be right for you!
