First Impressions

The first day of the course did surprise me. Not least by the sheer size of this company. I don't know what I expected but I had in my head a smallish company that catered for Great Ayton, Stokesley and Northallerton. How wrong can you be?!

This is one enormous company - currently employers of 1700 staff.They cover most of the North too - so much for a little local firm. I suppose I was surprised because I was offered the job so quickly. Underneath my positive exterior I think I was secretly expecting a 'mickey mouse firm' that was going to have hundreds of catches and loads of small print. As it is I feel that I've really landed on my feet.

There is a bit of security in a company this size. Clearly they know what they're doing - bring on the training :) The speed they're expanding each year makes me feel safe about my job prospects too. The guy that's taking the training has been promoted four times in as many years which just shows I can get as much out of it as I care to put in. Which - just so we're clear on this - is quite a lot. Should I mention that Ray, the guy in question, has also had a heart attack in that time too?! Perhaps not ...

The other thing that really stood out was the people - all women and all ages. Apparently there's usually a token male in the mix but not this time. One overriding factor though is personality. All strong. Very. Actually when I think about it it's hardly surprising, is it? We all need to be self motivated, tough enough to cope with accidents and emergencies if they happen and obviously we have to cope with personal hygiene things that many people would steer clear of.

But despite the strong personalities there's a genuine desire to be kind to 'service users'. (They were The Elderly before I started training) Most of the people have done some form of caring before. I feel a bit of a novice in comparison. They have some horror stories to tell too - most about care homes - which makes me glad I've chosen a 'care in the home' type of company.

When I say horror I'm not talking about cruelty. More 'horror' from the nurse's perspective. Lack of time, too many residents to staff that sort of thing. Which is why they've all turned up on this course. That's another positive too - these are women who have been out and done it already and yet they've chosen this company. It gives me hope that I've made a good decision and not just jumped in feet first in desperation.

One final thing on first impressions was how happy everyone was. Apparently the office is chaos and non stop yet whenever I see someone they smile and take time out to see if I'm enjoying my course. The others on the course are happy to chat about it all too. I have so many questions I want to ask! Not that I can't do anything - I just want to know how to do things the right way.

I don't doubt that there will be problems. I'm sure not everyone will be as cheerful every time I see them but it's a good start - a great start actually. I feel more positive than I did before I started - in fact 100% sure that I'm doing the right thing. I'm genuinely excited about the future and itching to get on with it. How many people can say that about their job I wonder?