Currently in school for healthcare administration, will be receiving my Bachelors summer of 2014, but I also plan on starting my Masters that Fall term, just haven't decided where yet. The job I am considering is a 'companion' job, meaning I basically interact with mostly elder people, drive them to appointments, run some errands, things like that. I'm in healthcare administration for a reason - and that's to not have to do hands-on things like that, but would it be good experience to have? My thought is that even though I want to work on the administrative side of the healthcare field, perhaps this would give me a glimpse of how the clinical side works, which will ultimately benefit me in the long run?
That said, I am not too sure about this. It would be nice to have some extra money, but it's not a necessity for me as I'm also busy with school, an internship, the GRE, and applying to graduate schools. The hours for the job are not guaranteed, which makes it even more difficult for me to decide, however, they are very flexible, which is also a positive.
I guess the most I want to get out of this opportunity is the experience of just knowing how the world of healthcare works, on both sides, and it will probably look pretty good on my resume when applying to grad school.
I know some of you ladies work in healthcare, so any input would be highly appreciated!
Btw, even though I applied for this job, when would be an appropriate time to ask if there are administrative positions available? The company works pretty close with the university I'm attending and have hired quite a few students after they graduated.
I think it's great that you are considering working as a companion! I used to be a companion, I am considering going into it again. I don't know how often you will work, but if you work for an agency, often times they prefer people to drive, they should reimburse for gas and mileage. Also, I would voice your preferred hours to them, sometimes agencies ask workers to cover, so while it's good to be flexible with your schedule, I would say up front your preference for hours.
I don't know if they require a certification, ask them if you are interested in becoming a certified nurses aide, how to go about it. Don't hesitate to ask for help with body mechanics training/proper lifting of people.
I think working as an aide/companion can be very rewarding!
Good luck!
Amy
Last edited by seabiscuit; 11-02-2013 at 02:48 PM.
I think it's great that you are considering working as a companion! I used to be a companion, I am considering going into it again. I don't know how often you will work, but if you work for an agency, often times they prefer people to drive, they should reimburse for gas and mileage. Also, I would voice your preferred hours to them, sometimes agencies ask workers to cover, so while it's good to be flexible with your schedule, I would say up front your preference for hours.
I don't know if they require a certification, ask them if you are interested in becoming a certified nurses aide, how to go about it. Don't hesitate to ask for help with body mechanics training/proper lifting of people.
I think working as an aide/companion can be very rewarding!
Good luck!
Amy
Thank you for your input Amy! I went to the interview and already got the job - it does not require certification of any kind. My biggest problem is probably the hours, as they are not guaranteed. I just hope they give the schedule a few days in advance as I'm busy with school also. Did they do that where you worked at? What are some pros/cons of the job for you?
Congratulations on getting the job, that's awesome!!!
I think that companion jobs can be very rewarding, it was nice for me to get to know people, spend relaxing get to know you time with the client, and there are quite a few clients who I worked with who were very appreciative of my working with them. Those were the pro's, I felt that it could be a feel good in your heart type of job because companion care is where you can really help someone and make a positive difference in someone's life.
The con's that I found were that my former employer seemed to be rather demanding, I burnt out, and that caused a lot of it. I don't mean to be discouraging because I truly enjoyed my work. The other frustrations which I experienced were that some of the clients were depressed, or had other serious medical conditions which could be upsetting, I wanted the best for them.
As far as scheduling, I wish my former employer had been more accommodating with not scheduling clients back to back, and the hours could be erratic, sometimes last minute.
I would be very cautious about the use of your personal vehicle with this job.
Depending on the state you live in, and the insurance company you have, any claim may be denied if you're using your personal vehicle to drive this person around or running errrands for them.
I would be very cautious about the use of your personal vehicle with this job.
Depending on the state you live in, and the insurance company you have, any claim may be denied if you're using your personal vehicle to drive this person around or running errrands for them.
Source: I'm an insurance agent.
Wow, really? I didn't even think about that... I have a pretty new car so it would suck for something to happen to it and have the insurance not pay for it... Last time someone put a dent in my car in a parking lot and left, the insurance paid 2k for it, but my insurance went up. Rethinking about this now... Not sure if it's worth the wear and tear on my car, even though they reimburse for gas.
I had doubts accepting the job to begin with and there's many other issues, so I'm just going to turn them down. Have a lot of stuff to worry about anyway. Thanks for bringing this up!
Having just finished a graduate degree in Health Policy & Management I would say do it if you would like the experience or if you need the money but don't do it if you are hoping it will get you closer to your career goals. I worked in a similar position while doing my undergrad (as a support worked for adults with schizophrenia) it was a great experience and helped me pay the bills but it is so unrelated to the kind of jobs that I'm applying for now that I sometimes don't put it on my resume. I don't think it's helped me get any jobs, the skills aren't really transferable.
Having just finished a graduate degree in Health Policy & Management I would say do it if you would like the experience or if you need the money but don't do it if you are hoping it will get you closer to your career goals. I worked in a similar position while doing my undergrad (as a support worked for adults with schizophrenia) it was a great experience and helped me pay the bills but it is so unrelated to the kind of jobs that I'm applying for now that I sometimes don't put it on my resume. I don't think it's helped me get any jobs, the skills aren't really transferable.
thanks for the advice!! have you had any luck with jobs, post grad? im starting my grad program next fall! trying to get as much experience as i can.
Should I accept this job offer?
Hi!
