A career as a support worker is rewarding and versatile. No two days are the same and the chance to make a difference to a participant’s life makes it even more fulfilling.

But not everyone is cut out for a support worker role. It takes a special someone. So, what are the top qualities that that special someone must have?   

Patient

A good support worker is patient and supportive and has the desire to help participants live their best lives support by constantly encouraging and assisting them. However, empowering participants with the skills for independence can take time.

Simple tasks can take longer and cause frustration for the participant. Other times participants forget what they’ve learnt and need to be taught again.

A good support worker knows how important independence is to a participants’ happiness and so will handle each situation calmly and without annoyance.

Positive and encouraging

When it comes to being a good support worker, there’s no room for any ‘glass half full’ personalities. It’s all about the positive vibes.

One of the key roles of a support worker is to build up a participant’s confidence and self-esteem. By encouraging and motivating their participants, support workers help them to try things that they may not have done before.

Providing participants with this sense of confidence makes them more likely to participate in community and social activities, which is of great benefit to them.

Trustworthy and honest

Support workers work very closely with participants and are involved in every aspect of their lives. They may have to deal with confidential information relating to a participant including their personal finances.

Support workers may also have to assist participants with personal care and hygiene, such as dressing, bathing, and toileting.

As a support worker being trustworthy is key in building solid and long-lasting relationships where participants can rely on them and know they have their best interests at heart.

Good communicator

Working with participants with diverse needs and health issues means that support workers need to have good communication skills.

A good support worker will be able to understand and communicate with participants so that they always feel in control. Through effective communication they can help alleviate any stress, confusion, or frustration a participant may feel in certain situations.

As an effective communicator, a support worker can also act as a voice on behalf of their participant when communicating with others.

Empathetic

Being empathetic is integral to being a good support worker. By putting themselves in a participant’s shoes a support worker can better understand a participant’s needs. They can think about how they would feel in certain situations or how they would react.

It’s a similar situation for support workers who are working with participants with different levels of mobility, communication, or sensitivities. 

Empathetic support workers build stronger and more trusting relationship between support worker and participant.

Adaptable

As a support worker no two days are the same. A participant’s needs and wants can change regularly and so being able to adapt to that is important.

A good support worker can expect the unexpected and handle any obstacles or challenges by calmly and effectively working with their participant for a positive outcome.

Adaptable support workers remain calm under pressure and, consequently, provide reassurance to their participants that everything will be ok.

If you think you have what it takes to become a support worker, explore your career options today. There’s never been a better time to jump into this rewarding and fulfilling career.

Author - Unidex Healthcare Recruitment