Health Care Assistant

Your role with the HSE

Health Care Assistants provide assistance, support and direct personal care to patients and residents in a variety of healthcare settings such as hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, as well as community settings.

The role of the HCA is to support the delivery of patient care under the supervision and direction of qualified clinicians.

Working in a frontline role alongside other members of the multidisciplinary team, health care assistants are integral to the HSE’s commitment to supporting patient-centred care.

Healthcare professional with a female patient

How do I become a Health Care Assistant (HCA)

The Health Care Assistant brings their care skills, compassion and life experience to the essential role of supporting people.

There are multiple entry routes to become a HCA, with Further Education & Training (FET) and Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses delivered in person and online. Qualifications at QQI Level 5, (Major Award) are a requirement for entry to the role.

If you are currently in receipt of a Social Welfare payment and would like information to establish if this payment would be impacted by taking up employment, please click here to access the Department of Social Protection’s Benefit of Work Estimator.

Healthcare professional assisting a female patient

Career Progression - Vertical Pathway

Train as a nurse or midwife

Sponsorship to train as a nurse or midwife is available to health care assistants working in HSE and HSE-funded section 38 organisations through the nurse sponsorship programme. To be eligible, the health care assistant must be directly involved in delivering care to patients/clients in a nursing or midwifery context.

If successful, the applicant’s basic salary is paid for the duration of their nursing or midwifery degree programme. The applicant will be expected to return to their substantive post outside of the academic semesters for the duration of the programme.

For further information, please click here

Career Progression - Horizontal Pathway

1. Working as a HCA

This pathway offers HCAs opportunities to work in a wide and varied range of HCA roles across sectors such as Acute, Community, Mental Health, Older Persons and Disabilities.
Within the acute setting, you can work in specialised departments, for example, Emergency Department, Paediatrics, Maternity, and Theatre. When working in these specialised departments, based on the Training Needs Analysis, it is usually expected of the HCA to undertake the sector-specific training module provided either through the Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Education (CNME) or through private providers (in limited circumstances).

2. Working as HSCP Assistant

There are some HSCP Assistant roles (Occupational Therapy Assistant, Physiotherapy Assistant, Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, Audiology Assistant, and Radiography Assistant) available in hospital and community services. These provide alternative pathways for people interested in a HCA career. Eligibility requirements vary with some having the same criteria as HCA roles and some requiring specific extra modules to be completed.

Further training and development

There are many ways of deepening your skills as a Health Care Assistant. Details on available courses can be accessed by visiting HSELanD, the HSE’s portal that offers an array of training and development opportunities delivered either online or in a classroom-style setting.

Staff benefits and testimonials

Working in a rewarding and challenging career is just one of the many benefits you’ll enjoy as a HSE employee. We offer attractive pay and benefits, professional supervision, career support and development opportunities, friendly colleagues, and an excellent quality of life.

See Pay scales – HSE Staff

Please click on the below links to hear more about different Health Care Assistant Roles:

Paula Curran, Health Care Assistant who works in the Day Centre for Older Persons in Clonskeagh Hospital, Dublin.

Ann Conlon Health Care Assistant, talks about making a difference in Mental Health Services.

Elaine Clifford, outlines the rewards of working as a Health Care Assistant in St. James Hospital, Dublin