Whilst or after studying for your health and social care NVQ, you may want to utilise your newfound qualification overseas. Providing you can get the appropriate visa, the USA may be somewhere to try.

To find places to work, you need look no further than the home care directory. You can look up hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and home health care services and narrow your search by geography (zip code, state or city).

The site also provides a lot of background information on the industry so it really is a one stop shop where you can research all of the options open to you. The directory of services is comprehensive and each provider page has detailed information and a simple to use further information request form. The site also has a page on industry jobs which health and social care professionals will find very useful.

If you are considering working overseas, or you know of someone who needs some care at home in the USA, then the home care directory is the place to go.

This is the unit which will tell you what you need to know regarding health and safety. It deals with your health and safety when working and it deals with the health and safety of people you are caring for, colleagues and other individuals who you may come across throughout your working day.

In this unit you will be taught about the relevant legislation and how it affects you and others in your working environment. It will show you how to undertake the health and safety procedure and will help you use excellent and safe practices in your work.

This unit will also show you how to deal with real emergencies like accidents, security incidents, and fire.

Being able to communicate with the individuals you are caring for is one of the most important skills you can have. Communication is not just talking but listening as well. Listening to an individual can determine vital information on how they are feeling and can enhance the quality of your communication skills. Good communication will also enable you to speak effectively with relatives and colleagues. Furthermore, you will be able to write concise records.

This unit deals with effective communication, whether it is talking, listening, body language or the written word. It shows you how each form of communication is used in a health and social care environment . The unit ultimately shows you how to adapt various forms of communication to the understanding and ease of the people you are caring for. For instance, the way you communicate with a visually impaired person may be totally different to the way you interact with a person with mental health problems.

This unit also deals with good record keeping. It tells you why records need to be kept, your involvement in this process, and how to keep precise records. It will also show you where to record your notes pertaining to an individual , when you should record and any issues relating to obtaining data.

Good question. Both Health and Social Care NVQ qualifications are assessed in the workplace. Therefore, you must be working in a caring role. You can be full time or part time or even voluntary.

Your skills and knowledge will be assessed by your tutor where you work.

So, once you have completed your health and social care NVQ 2 course and hopefully with commendations. I reckon it would be rude not to further your knowledge by taking the Health and Social Care NVQ 3 qualification.

This qualification is for carers delivering care and support, usually without supervision. You may even be responsible for supporting and developing other care workers. You will have some responsibility. People like Senior care workers, home based care workers would be interested in this qualification.

The Health and Social Care NVQ 3 is a level 3 qualification and is split into two areas of study and you have to choose which route to go down. You can either study:

Health and Social Care NVQ 3 – caring for adults
Or
Health and Social Care NVQ 3 – Caring for Children and young people

Whichever route you take you have to take four compulsary units and then a further four units which you can choose.
According to City and Guilds the compulsary units are as follows:

Promote effective communication for and about individuals
Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security in the working environment
Reflect on and develop your practice

If you are studying the adult pathway then you have to study:
Promote choice, well being and the protection of all individuals (adults)

If you are studying the Children and Young People pathway then you have to study:
Promote the well being and protection of children and young people ( Children and Young People)

For your optional units, the choice is even wider. You have to choose four options and you have 105 topics to choose from. Again, not all establishments will offer all of them, but it will be topics like Youth justice, Mental Health, Drug and alcohol misuse, Protection of individuals from abuse and harm, support individuals to live at home. Again in future chapters I will try and list all of them.

If you are going to study on a Health and Social care NVQ course you will probably want to know which course to choose and what you might be learning. I have split topics up into Health and Social care NVQ 2 and Health and Social care NVQ 3.

Health and Social Care NVQ 2

Health and Social Care NVQ 2 is primarily a level 2 qualification.

This qualification is relevant for carers who aid and help people with their physical and emotional needs. For example, things that need doing on a day to day basis so that individuals maintain and enhance their independence. Health and Social care NVQ 2 is usually for people who are supervised in their position.

Therefore , the Health and Social Care NVQ 2 is relevant for care assistants in the home, residential care assistants, care assistants in the community.

According to City and Guilds there are four topics that you will have to learn but don’t worry you can choose two additional topics which you are interested in.

Firstly, the four topics which you have to do.

These are:

Communicate with and complete records for individuals.
Support the Health and Safety of yourself and individuals.
Develop your knowledge and practice.
Ensure your own actions support the care, protection and well being of individuals.

If you are not sure what these units might entail then don’t worry as I will give some examples in the pages to come.

As stated above, you can choose an additional 2 units which you are interested in, and guess what? You have 28 to choose from. However, some establishments may not offer all of the units on the Health and Social care NVQ. I will list just a few topics for you:

Help address the physical-comfort needs of individuals.
Aid Individuals to access and participate in recreational activities..
Help individuals to eat and drink.
Support individuals in their daily living.

The Pepperdine Univeristy specialises in Business and Management. The University offers EMBA, and Executive EMBA programs for those wishing to further their academic knowledge. The Pepperdine University is dedicated to academic excellence within the Christian values of today.

Take, for example, the Executive MBA. Executive MBA programs are for those people who are currently employed and are looking for an academic route to developing their skills. Perhaps you are looking to move forward in your career and the good thing about the EMBA is that you can study in the evenings and weekends whilst you are working full time. You will be able to put into practice immediately what you have learnt and see real results. The Executive MBA will enable you to enhance your decision making skills, prioritise your workload and give you practical strategies which you can use in your current work place immediately. All these skills that you will learn will mean real results for you in your career. You will also benefit from previous students who are now faculty members. These members are proven business successes and they are executives, business consultants and entrepreneurs, so you are in good hands.

Whilst studying on the Executive MBA, Pepperdine University has a unique advantage - You will have a mentor in the form of a class advisor who will see you through your studies from day one to wehen you graduate. This will give you a continuity unrivalled by any other University and will give you further opportunity to grow.

So why not enquire about the various Executive MBA programs that Pepperdine University can offer? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Go on. I dare you.

There are many benefits to studying a Health and Social Care NVQ.

Firstly, you do not have to study fulltime. Many establishments provide part time learning which takes place either during the day or in the evening. It is on the job training so you will be putting what you learn into practice almost from day one.

Secondly, student intake may happen a number of times in a year. So you don’t have to wait a whole year to enrol.

Last but not least, you will earn yourself a real qualification, relevant to Health and Social care which will give you real prospects.

So, you’ve decided that you would like to further your career in Health and Social Care.

Congratulations.

In order for you to learn the necessary skills needed, it is advisable that you enrol yourself into a Health and Social Care NVQ course or even better ask your employer . Health and Social care NVQ courses are run in establishments throughout the country. As well as your local further education college running programmes, you can also access the qualification via private training providers. Private training providers sometimes work in conjuction with colleges to provide the programme.

There are over 3 million people in the UK employed in the health and social care sectors, with an increasing demand, through regulation and an aim to improve standards, to recruit, retain and develop the skills of the workforce. With this there has been increased funding to to support training and qualifications in health and social care.

Health and social care NVQs (and their Scottish equivalent SVQs) are the benchmark qualifications. They have been developed in line with National Service Standards in social care and Agenda for Change in the NHS.

Health & Social Care NVQs were introduced in 2005 and are based on National Occupational Standards. They have been created to cater for a range of job roles, differing settings, such as care homes, homecare and hospitals, and the need for ongoing development.

The NVQs have been developed to fit in with the workers circumstances, allowing for work-based assessment which is sensitive to confidentiality issues.

There are 3 levels of Health and Social Care NVQ - Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4. Levels 3 and 4 are split into Adult and Children options.