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I've ran across several positions in healthcare/ living assistance that I would not qualify for professionally. Yet, because I've helped my mom (recently deceased), and now more and more my father, I feel that this experience could be transferred. But because this is personal experience, and the exact nature of what happened, it could end up sounding bad that I'm trying to get financial gain out of a tragedy. I'm in the United States. Some of the employers actually state in their job description that they will offer training as well. On the other hand, some employers state that XYZ certification (depending on the specific position) is required.

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  • Are these positions by law required to hold a certain certification?
    – AsheraH
    Mar 24, 2020 at 17:51
  • please state your country and what type of healthcare job you are interested in. legal requirements may play a big role in this and they vary between country and exact job.
    – d_hippo
    Mar 24, 2020 at 17:52
  • Are you able to obtain the certification needed?
    – Seth R
    Mar 24, 2020 at 17:54
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    @SethR "possibly." I can take some of the money from the will and go back to school. But I'm not sure if I want to. One of my friends went back to school and ended up being over stressed, even though she was doing it to better herself.
    – Jesse Cohoon
    Mar 24, 2020 at 17:56
  • Does this answer your question? Can added qualifications make up for experience?
    – gnat
    Mar 24, 2020 at 17:58

2 Answers 2

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I'm not from the US nor do I work in healthcare, so I cannot say anything about the legal requirements that might apply.

However, some general advice:

  • Find out if there are legal requirements concerning formal education and/or certificates for the jobs you're interested in. Possible starting points for your search could be government institutions concerned with healthcare, unions, training institutions or people working in healthcare.
  • Do not overestimate your qualification. Taking care of one or two close relatives is different then working professionally in healthcare. Overwhelming experience sounds a bit over-confident.
  • Prepare a detailed list of all healthcare related duties you've performed and send in to potential employers together with your CV. It helps them evaluate if you are already qualified or could shorten the mandatory training.
  • Don't worry too much about sounding creepy. It's okay to try to make a living with what you've learned so far, that is what most employees do. People who need healthcare die sometimes, that's sad but unavoidable.
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Condolences on the loss of your mother.

I've had friends who did exactly what you are doing. It's not creepy, not at all. People with personal experience often bring strong empathy to the work.

Ask the person in charge of the organization (skilled-nursing facility? hospice?) that helped you care for your mother. They almost certainly will be willing to give you some time, good advice, and suggestions about where to work and what training to get. They may even recruit you.

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