At school Kate McCamley chose sports studies as her option, enjoying football, sprinting, dance and the performing arts, but when it came to deciding on a future career path, she switched lanes and opted for Health and Social Care.
The move paid off as five years on Kate has risen to the rank of relief senior care assistant at Longlands Care Home, gained her Level 3 National Vocational Qualification and now has a range of options to choose from.
“At school I had a think about next steps and thought Health and Social Care was an area where you would never be out of work,” said Kate. “I joined Longlands on a placement and then secured a job, now I’m never away from the place.”
The qualifications and experience gained means Kate is now able to continue in residential care or consider a range of specialisms including nursing, childcare, a paramedic or working for herself.
“There’s a whole new area in health care of aesthetics which I’m interested in and ultimately I would like to set up my own business one day,” she said.
Kate is the first in her family to join the caring profession and though she first chose health care because of the job security it offered, she quickly grew to love the job.
“You do need to be a certain type of person to do this job as you have to deal with some challenging situations and at times it’s not for the faint hearted,” said Kate. “However, the residents are lovely people and it is very rewarding to know that every day you are making a difference to their lives.”
Her advice to anyone thinking of joining the profession is to give it a go.
“Don’t agonise too much, roll up your sleeves and get stuck in, it’s hard work but very fulfilling.”
So, can Kate ever see herself switching back to a job in sports?
“I still like football, but now it’s watching it down the pub with a pint,” she said. “I love my job at Longlands and running up and down stairs all day keeps me fit.”
