registered nurse

assistant in nursing

personal care assistant

nurse

registered nurse - infusion

Opal Aged Care

I love working at the sports store as it is a family run business and you feel like part of the family I have learnt  above all patience with customers and enjoy the sales side of things Management are understanding to personal needs as well eg time off for family commitments etc We all get along great and help each other when needed .The hardest part of the job is the travel now that I have moved to Maitland I am basically staying there for loyality reasons  they are good to work for but the travel expense is hurting me 

 the age care facility is a different story I feel we are just a number in a big money making company I love working with the elderly but the actual work is very hard emotionally and physically and I receieve far better pay rate working as a casual sales assistant then caring for peoples loved ones at the end of their life It just doesnt add up without aged care workers where would our older generation be I certainly dont do the job for the money The other staff are wonderful and we need each other sometimes to vent our frustrations they are a fun group of girls but feel even at my age I would love to get back into retail full

I did not feel adequately supported in my role, and management practices lacked professionalism, which impacted my overall experience. Work culture was a joke- everyone at work were busy gossiping about me and others. One of my cousins even heard nurses talking about me badly when i was only there for few weeks. They didn’t know that she was my cousin as she had only joined Opal for few weeks at that time as well. 
I usually didn’t want to involve in any talks and gossip. I used to mind my own business and go home but i was still the topic of the conversation. 
Also, one day i was sick hence called in sick. I already had worked back to back 8-9 shifts that week. In next few hours the manager calls and asked me to come back as she presumed the panadol has done its effect on me and said they couldn’t find any other person to replace me. I was called constantly and asked to come back to work and so i did as i felt there was no point discussing this. I was exhausted and i eventually resigned from there in little bit less than a year. The female manager at the time was really unprofessional and rude. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
There isn't any. Youre treated like a number. They absolutely destroyed my wife's career and as a result I moved on too. When I started looking for work that's when I started being treated poorly too.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The lack of ethics, communication and team work. They cut lifestyle to 2 people for such a large home so in the end a large population of residents got neglected as they're not actively engaging in activities. So called care staff didn't help bring them out or do anything 1-1 with them and all the cleaners did was put everyone down by complaining all the time.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Extremely poor. Management only care about turning beds and making profits. No continuity of care for the residents. Each department kept to themselves and don't help each other.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stretched to the max. To be able to do any back of house computer work done means residents sit bored or be plonked in a lounge room with TV or a concert. Too bad about bed ridden people.

Check client needs with Registered Nurse or other senior person to ensure coverage of care tasks.
Priorities are identified and followed through and outcomes are reported.
Provide physical care to clients, according to routines and assessed needs (eg toileting, showering, dressing).
Provide care to individual residents according to care plan.
Follow facility routines and required practices at all times.
Facilitate and ensure client access to personal care activities provided by others.
Ensure client information remains confidential and secure at all times.
Monitor client condition and report uncharacteristic conditions or observations:
Report uncharacteristic conditions or behaviours to the Registered Nurse or other appropriate senior person.
Share observations with relevant others.
Support and assist clients (e.g. walking, transfers, wheel chair, personal needs and requests):
Ensure client is assisted according to need.
Comfort of client is assured at all times.
Safe practices are observed at all times to ensure client and staff safety.
Maintain client’s environment (as per duties list):

Taking care of residents was a challenging but crucial part of the job, well it was the job. I do not regret working there at all. Attending to not only the living needs, I had the deep honour and pleasure of sharing in the laughs, humour from the residents and staff, there is nothing like it.

The hardest part of the job, there are many, however the most hardest was trying to execute my duties to the allocated residents while having one staff member down, this was rather frequent(more than a year), the attitude from management didn't help either, but we stuck to our 'guns' and went to ground to finish the job.
The level of communication was good but not good enough, was an ongoing problem through out my employment, however we made it through with what we had, even without the help of management at times.

In the end I do not regret ever working there, most of the experiences I will treasure forever. I do miss working there with my former co-workers and with the residents, I must move onto other ventures.

When cleaning (which I was rostered to do 4 days a week with a six hour shift). Commence work at 7am proceed to clean toilets in staff rooms and Visitors area then go up to the level I was allocated which catered for 30 residents. Clean their rooms which all had an ensuite attached, then vaccum and mop the corridors dining room, lounge area, nurses station,and all other areas required. Clean all glass windows, polish sideboards and all furniture. When doing Food Services (which I was rostered to do 2 days a week with a 4 hour shift) I would commence work at 3pm prepare and serve afternoon tea, clean up proceed to the main kitchen collect the meals for dinner, transfer into the bain marie record and document temperatures to ensure compliance check the matrix for any dietary changes. Serve the meals. clean the kitchen area all utensils crockery & cutlery mop floors clean down benches and counter tops change linen in the dining rooom set tables for breakfast service.
I didn't find my job hard I did however enjoy the interaction with the residents and staff.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Overall experience was not enjoyable. Toxic Management and Carers. No Team Work and Manager actively working against me, whilst in my role. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
No Support from the Manager. Felt bullied most days. Head Office and management were not on the same page. What was conveyed in Lifestyle Coordinator Meetings were ignored by Residential Manager.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Top heavy Management. Qualifications and experience is not necessarily required. Recruitment Process is inconsistent. Do not employ for skill.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Stressful, under staffed. Assisting with personal care needs, whilst trying to Coordinate Lifestyle programs and documentation, with no additional staffing in a high care environment for those living with dementia

I completed my placement at  Opal Calamvale, in 2019 the staff were excellent compassionate and showed respect and dignity to residents. They were fantastic to buddy with and answered any questions that I had.The kitchen staff were on the ball and new every resident by name and by  meals requirements  very professional with a good variety of meals. Overall the residents needs  were look after in a speedy time frame and had a lot of daily activities to keep them occupied throughout the day. I had a excellent rapport with residents and staff and felt like a extended family I miss them dearly. Even tho I was kept running the whole day I still found time to have one on one conversations with residents putting a smile on their face. I would love to have full time work with them , however it’s just a bit of distance from where I live .i only spoke with management on a few occasions and found them to be kind and helpful.

- The quality and quantity of daily work, thoroughness, productivity and goal attainment.
- Communications and interpersonal skills, teamwork, cooperation, listening, persuasion, and empathy.
- Planing, administration, and organisation, goal setting and meeting targets/budget, prioritising and profit orientation.
- Leadership, accessibility,responsiveness, decisiveness, collaboration, and delegating.
- Job knowledge and expertise, knowledge base training, mentoring, modelling and researching.
- Positive attitude, dedication, loyalty, reliability, flexibility, initiative, energy and volunteering.
- Ethical, diversity, sustainability, honesty, integrity, fairness and professionalism.
- Creative thinking, innovation, receptiveness, problem solving and originality.
- Self development and growth, learning education and continuous improvement.

From the get go the interview was strange, and mostly unnecessary for the role. I applied for a General Services role, which was cleaning and kitchen duties. In the interview I was told that it was unlikely I would be hired because I did not have any qualifications (in cleaning??) I did have a lot of experience. The residents really made the workplace bearable, it was extremely understaffed, with no attempt to rectify it and training was poor.
I fell pregnant and applied for maternity leave (unpaid leave, casual employee) to hold my position for me when I returned, it was approved. Upon returning after around a year, I was told by management that I would have to completely re-apply and re-interview for a job there, and that they weren't hiring at the time so chances were no job for me. So I'm not sure what the point of filling in the forms and getting it all approved was for, if not to have a job to come back to.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Registered nurse 9 salaries reported	$41.65 per hour
Assistant in nursing 16 salaries reported	$30.17 per hour
Personal care assistant 15 salaries reported	$32.09 per hour
Nurse 8 salaries reported	$35.06 per hour
Registered nurse - infusion 8 salaries reported	$30.11 per hour

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