Vicki was born in Norfolk and has lived in Walcott all her life. After attending school in North Walsham, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do long term but loved the idea of earning whilst she learnt so signed up to do an apprenticeship in childcare. However, when she was made redundant a few years later and a friend suggested pursuing a career as a carer, Vicki was uncertain. She questioned whether she wanted to responsibility of looking after someone else and was worried about the practicalities of whether she would be able to do it.
Nevertheless, Vicki decided to give it a go and agreed to do some shadow shifts. In her own words, any concerns she had about the role “disappeared instantly” and it wasn’t long before she decided she preferred working with adults to children!
“I love working with the elderly in particular. They are so fascinating – I love to hear their stories and communicate with them. The conversation and friendship I am able to have is amazing, so it hardly even feels like work.”
Fully committed to a career in care, Vicki undertook the mandatory training and hasn’t looked back. Over the years, as her confidence has grown, Vicki has moved from day to day caring to supervising and administration, and now to senior management. As Operations Manager for Cavell Healthcare, she is responsible for everything from budgeting, compliance, payroll and invoicing. However, she is also determined to keep doing what she loves and there isn’t a week that goes by when Vicki doesn’t go out on home visits. In fact, over lockdown, she was working seven days a week.
“I think a lot of people don’t fully understand the role of a carer, but it is so diverse! It’s not just about the personal care element for our clients, although that is obviously important, it can also involve helping prepare meals, ensuring their cupboards are stocked, taking them out on appointments and, more importantly, for some of our clients, we are the only face they see all day. That is a big responsibility and also a privilege – to bring companionship to someone who might otherwise be lonely. Nothing could be more rewarding.”
Vicki would be the first to admit she had doubts and concerns when she started her career as a carer, but she says she cannot see herself doing anything else…
“It’s a job you do because you love it. Making someone else feel good and ensuring their needs are met is so fulfilling. Obviously, it is a responsibility as well because at the end of the day it is your role to ensure that the people you visit are properly cared for but they are always so grateful. Plus I work with an amazing team here at Cavell, so I feel very lucky to be where I am today.”
We think the message is clear – being a carer is definitely rewarding and we only need to look at how Vicki has progressed in her career to see that it is a career with great prospects as well!
