Healthcare Assistant & Support
This course provides a recognised qualification for healthcare workers, currently in employment and those seeking to work in this sector. This Healthcare Support Award is one of the Department of Health and Children’s recommended qualifications for Healthcare Assistants working in the public and private sector.
| Award Name | Level 5 Certificate (Level 5 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | QQI |
| NFQ Level | Level 5 NFQ |
| Award Name | Certificate of Attendance |
| NFQ Classification | |
| Awarding Body | Irish Ambulance Training Institute |
| NFQ Level | |
| Award Name | First Aid Certificate |
| NFQ Classification | |
| Awarding Body | Order of Malta |
| NFQ Level |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 Certificate (Level 5 NFQ) | Major | QQI | Level 5 NFQ |
| Certificate of Attendance | Irish Ambulance Training Institute | ||
| First Aid Certificate | Order of Malta |
Duration
This is a full-time one year course, which runs from September to May. Exact details of the timetable will be given out to students during the induction process prior to class commencement in September.
Entry Requirements
One of the following:
- Leaving Certificate (LC Established, LCVP, LCA) or equivalent
- A Full QQI Level 4 Award (or equivalent)
- For Mature applicants (aged 21 or over) - appropriate experience will be considered in lieu of formal qualifications. Note: Mature applicants may be entitled to VTOS funding. For details about VTOS, please contact the college.
- For applicants who do not meet the above entry requirements, please contact DFEi.
- Applicants whose first language is not English require level B1 competency on the CEFR language framework. Applicants may be required to undergo English language testing to establish their language competency.
Careers / Further progression
Progression Opportunities
Graduates are eligible to apply through the CAO and/or the Higher Education Links Scheme for entry to year one of a range of higher certificate and degree programmes, at Universities, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities using their full QQI Level 5 major award. Places are not guaranteed in these Institutes and are subject to students meeting certain criteria. It is the students' responsibility to consult with the relevant HEI for information on the admissions process and any specific entry requirements. Students may also refer to the individual HEI prospectus or may also refer to the QQI FET section of the CAO website. www.cao.ie
Examples of CAO progression opportunities are listed on our website.
Career Paths
Employers actively seek DFEi graduates for employment, as support workers, healthcare assistants in the public and private sectors, nursing homes, day care facilities, hospitals, private homecare sector, intellectual disability environment, agencies and community care.
Further information
All courses commence the week beginning Monday 16th September 2024.
Admissions Information:
Admissions for the academic year 2024/2025 are now open. Applications are only accepted online.
Five Step Admissions Process 2024/2025.
Step 1 - Apply online. No application fee charged.
Step 2 - Offer: You will be notified by DFEi with an offer of a course place. Please check your junk mail.
Step 3 - Acceptance: To secure your place, you must submit additional data required through your individual online account and pay your €40 non-refundable acceptance fee (only payable online). Failure to complete this process will result in you not securing your place on the course.
Step 4 - Registration: This is done through your online account. This involves paying all of your course fees in full and uploading all of the relevant documentation below on or before Monday 26th August 2024.
Step 5 - Induction and Commencement: Induction is provided before course commencement. You will be notified in due course of the relevant dates.
Overview
This course provides a recognised qualification for healthcare workers, currently in employment and those seeking to work in this sector. This Healthcare Support Award is one of the Department of Health and Children’s recommended qualifications for Healthcare Assistants working in the public and private sector. In addition, the newly published National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People require all newly recruited care staff and those in posts less than one year, to commence training to Level 5 QQI or equivalent within two years of taking up employment. This course is the passport to work in the healthcare sector. This course is delivered by teachers including specialist nurses who bring a real depth of experience to their teaching. Students will use two fully equipped Nursing suites for all of the practical work.
Course Modules:
Care of the Older Person
Care Skills
Care Support
Infection Prevention and Control
Safety and Health at Work
Communications
Work Experience
Teamworking
Work Experience
Students will be required to undertake a period work placement in an organisation connected to their vocational area during the academic year. Work Experience is mandatory for all of our full-time Level 5 courses. Students are required to source their own work placement but will be assisted in this by the work experience teacher. The work placement for this course is 150 hours. Students may work in healthcare settings such as: nursing homes, health centres, day care or special needs centres. Students usually find the work experience element of the course to be invaluable and should bear in mind that a successful work placement can sometimes lead to further opportunities. This programme requires students to undertake work experience that will bring them into contact with children or vulnerable adults and in which they assume positions of trust. As a result all students will undertake Garda Vetting prior to commencing their work experience. Applicants should be aware that healthcare environments used in work experience may insist that students are fully vaccinated for Covid 19.
Assessment techniques will be used to assess the knowledge and skills that students will have achieved on successful completion of modules:
Student Record
Collection of Work
Assignments
Examination (Written)
Project
Skills Demonstration
A full major award is granted on passing the relevant eight components. On successful completion of each component, you will be awarded a pass, a merit or a distinction grade. See www.qqi.ie for more details
5M4339 - Healthcare Support.
Certification:
Level 5 QQI Award - Healthcare Support (5M4339)
First Aid Certificate
Manual and People Handling Certificate
Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults - HSeLanD
Infection, Prevention and Control - HSeLanD
Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute,
17 Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Tel: +353 1 2809676
Fax: +353 1 2843767
Email: info@dfei.ie