Become a Licensed Adult Critical Care Sitter
As the "baby boomer" generation grows older, jobs in elder and home health care are also growing steadily. Adult sitters allow seniors to live at home safely when they can no longer function independently. They perform tasks like cooking, cleaning, administering medication and providing companionship. Sitters should have the ability to help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and with handling medical emergencies. Adult and senior sitter positions range from entry level jobs to more complicated nursing roles. In order to become an adult care sitter, you will need to have patience, emotional strength and excellent organizational and life skills. Read more on how to become a licensed adult critical care sitter.
Steps
- Evaluate if you are emotionally capable of being a critical care sitter. Taking care of people who are in critical condition is an emotionally taxing job. Sitters should be able to manage end-of-life care and help the family to deal with emergencies.
- Ask for references from your current job. Senior sitting requires that you are a trustworthy person with a long history of good references. Elder care agencies and individuals looking to hire someone for a family member will check references and criminal records thoroughly.
- Obtain training. Caregivers and critical care sitters do not need to be trained nurses; however, they should know CPR, be trained in seeking help and be trained in taking care of another person. The following are 2 ways that you can obtain training:
- Apply for a job with a medical staffing company. Many home care and medical companies recruit people without a past history of nursing to become caregivers. Most companies provide at least a few weeks of training, job shadowing and per diem contracts. This is an excellent way to start a career in care giving, because you can be paid to train and your first jobs will be found through the agency.
- Enroll independently in CPR and emergency care courses. You may also look for caregiving classes at your local Lifelong Learning center, at a local hospital or at a community college. You will be required to pay for these classes, but they will add to your qualifications when you are looking for work.
- Some people learn the necessary skills of caregiving by taking care of their own sick or elderly family members. If you have over 1 year of experience taking care of a critical care patient at home, you may be able to seek employment without official training. However, it is a good idea to enroll in a CPR class if you have not already.
- Develop and bring activities for your adult sitting jobs. After training, companionship is the next important element of being a good critical care sitter. You will need to bring books, puzzles, movies, crafts and any other activities that your patient may enjoy doing to pass the time pleasantly.
- Contact your state's Department of Health. Ask about obtaining a license to be a home care provider in your state. Request a list of requirements to obtain a license and a copy of the laws pertaining to home or hospice care.
- Apply for your home care provider license. Take any applicable tests and submit to a criminal check. You will need to be licensed in most states, and it is also necessary in order to be considered by any family that wants to use Medicare to help pay for your services.
- Apply for adult or senior sitting jobs with medical staffing companies, nursing homes, hospitals or hospice clinics. Part or full-time work in an institution gives you opportunities to sit for patients with many different problems. Work for at least 1 year in an institutional setting and you will have the experience to look for work on your won.
- Ask for references from all of the families you work for. Outside of evaluations for the hospital, nursing home or clinic, ask the patient or the patient's family if potential employers can contact them to ask about your past work. Work for an agency until you can provide 3 or more references when you apply for a job.
- Become an independent contractor. If you have worked as a critical care sitter for over a year, you can start to market yourself as a sitter for hire. This step is not necessary, if you prefer to work for an agency that provides you with work in your area.
- Consider the number of hours you are willing to work and your pay range before you begin applying independently for adult sitting jobs. Your hourly wage will depend highly upon the services you are asked to perform. Keep a list of services in your repertoire to send potential clients.
- Market yourself. If you want to work independently as a critical care sitter, you will need to make flyers, business cards and, possibly, a website that shows your credentials. Tell past employers that you welcome referrals.
- Put up flyers on community bulletin boards. State your qualifications and the types of critical care patients that you can care for. Include your phone number or email to encourage them to contact you.
- Place classified ads on Craigslist, Angie's List or in your local paper. Include your years of experience, qualifications and license information.
- Draw up a contract for each critical care sitting job you take. This should outline your responsibilities, the way in which you will be paid and any services that you will not perform. This contract will protect you, and it will usually be submitted to Medicare if the patient is trying to get home health care covered by their plan.
- Reapply for your home health care provider license on an annual basis, unless otherwise specified. The fees you pay to become licensed may depend upon your income from adult sitting in the previous year.
Things You'll Need
- References
- Emotional strength
- Training
- License
- License fee
- Medical staffing agency, nursing home, hospital or clinic
- Flyers
- Classified ads
- Critical care sitting contract
- Activities
