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Do I need ACLS certification or not? Should I work in a nursing home or an assisted living community? Where are the best job opportunities?

If you are looking to work in senior care, it is important to know what types of positions are available, what training is required and which settings have the most job openings. Linda Brenner of Woodcrest Village, an assisted living community, discussed current job opportunity trends and explained what training is required and recommended for senior care employees.

What types of positions are available?

According to Brenner, senior care professionals generally work within two areas – assisted living and nursing homes. Senior care facilities require the following types of healthcare employees:

• Registered Nurses (RNs)
• License Practical Nurses (LPNs)
• Licensed Nursing Assistants (LNAs)

In addition, most assisted living communities hire resident assistants, who are not required to have any formal education in the medical field, but instead receive on-the-job training.

Other positions within a senior care community include:

• The executive director, who is responsible for managing the community
• The health service director, who oversees the scheduling and the aids and the residents' care
• The social activity directors, who plan programs and activities that residents

What training and skills are required?

Training requirements vary based on an individual's position and the type of senior care facility in which he or she works. Resident assistants require the lowest level of training, but according to Brenner, the rigor of a resident assistant's training varies from community to community.

"Some communities may be very aggressive with their training," Brenner said. "Others may feel that their job doesn't require as much.

All senior care staff, including those in non-medical positions such as maintenance workers, housekeepers and food service employees, are required to go through dementia training.

"[These staff members] are on the floors and coming in contact with dementia residents, and I think they need to know where that resident is coming from so they can better understand how to address them,” Brenner said.

In addition to the training from their respective licensing programs, RNs, LPNs and LNAs can seek out additional healthcare certifications, such as ACLS certification, to make themselves a more viable candidate for a position at a senior care facility.

Medical training aside, Brenner said it is most important for those who work in senior care to be aware of the age group they are working with.

"Seniors have different needs," she said. "They look at life differently. You need to understand where they've been and what their expectations are for the latter part of their life. They're definitely opinionated. You have to have patience; you have to be extremely kind and respectful. My philosophy is you can teach a caring person skills. But you can't teach a skilled person to care."

What settings have the most job opportunities?

According to Brenner, like most industries, senior care has been affected by the economy.

"[Some] seniors are not able to sell their homes, so therefore they don't have the income to move into a private community," Brenner said. "Visiting nurses programs are seeing a lot more people in their homes."

While assisted living communities have taken a hit from the recession, Brenner said there are more job opportunities in need-based programs, such as dementia units in senior care facilities.

"We just opened up [a new facility] in Peterborough, New Hampshire and the dementia unit filled up almost immediately because it's need driven," she said. "It's a lot more taxing dealing with somebody that has dementia versus somebody who is just frail. So, I think that people will do almost anything they can to help somebody get into a dementia community."

Brenner said the demand is higher for licensed medical professionals, including RNs, LNPs and LNAs, because of the growth in need-based programs.

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