Care as Currency

Existing care experience refers to those who have already gained experience in a caring role. This could be through volunteering, work placements, looking after someone in your personal life or a combination of these. When we say ‘experience’ we mean the opportunity to provide different types of care, to different types of people. This will help develop insight to ‘person-centered care’.

Using experience to strengthen your application:

When you apply to your chosen course, it is important you provide good quality information, with supporting examples, of how you satisfy the entry requirements in your personal statement, detailing the relevant skills, behaviours, qualities and values you demonstrated in your caring role. This will help strengthen your application, making it the best it can be. 

To help you achieve this, we consider you follow our three step guidance to writing your personal statement:

1. Refer to and describe the activity or experience.

What did you do, achieve or experience?

2. Explain how this benefitted you.

What skills did you develop? What did you learn?

3. How does this relate to the course you are applying for?

How can this be applied to your chosen healthcare profession?

It’s also important to think about how your skills and experiences relate and reflect the core values of the NHS. Your experience of care can be a great source of insight to your values and how you have demonstrated them.

For those without any care experience, we can support you to secure paid work within the health and social care sector. Working in care is an incredibly rewarding experience and will give you a head start on your journey at university. We work closely with a number of organisations who offer a range of opportunities which are bespoke to students, meaning you can flexibly work around your studies and other commitments whilst being mentored and supported by professionals.

Partner Organisations:

• My Care My Home are a domiciliary care agency providing care in the community. As part of the Care as Currency initiative, they offer paid work as a Community Support Worker. You can flexibly work around your commitments whilst being mentored and supported by professionals to gain valuable, first-hand care experience.
• Established in 2001, Radis is a community based provider of social care and support, focussed on supporting people to live independently in their own homes. The University of South Wales is currently working with Radis to finalise arrangements and opportunities for prospective students to gain care experience.
• Shaw Healthcare deliver a wide spectrum of care ranging from elderly residential and dementia to complex care specialities such as Mental Health and Acquired Brain Injuries. The University of South Wales is currently working with Shaw Healthcare to finalise arrangements and opportunities for prospective students to gain care experience.

As a care worker, you are responsible for providing ‘physical, emotional and social support to help people develop and maintain independence, dignity and control in their lives.’ (NHS; Working in social care | Health Careers). Care workers can be based in different settings including care homes, individuals’ own homes and out in the community.

You may work with a variety of people including adults with mental health conditions, substance and alcohol dependencies, physical disabilities, learning disabilities and the elderly. 

In the health and social care sector, you need to be:

• Motivated to help others
• Able to take responsibility
• Be a team worker
• Be good at listening
• Good communicator
• Keep learning
• Have a positive attitude
• Be trustworthy

Pursuing an opportunity working in care not only enhances these skills, but also contributes to the development of your confidence as an applicant, student, and practitioner.