5 Reasons to Consider a Career as a Professional Caregiver

The United States is one of the most populated countries in the world, with nearly 320 million people. In recent years we’ve seen an increase in the overall age of Americans. Thanks to more people leading healthier lifestyles and improved medical practices, life expectancy also continued to increase in recent years.

With the average number of seniors and life expectancy growing, professional caregiving is becoming a more popular career choice among individuals across the country. It’s also a much-needed position that brings various benefits, from flexible scheduling and limited commutes to rewarding work and developing lifelong skills. 

You can find a work/life balance

Since the pandemic of 2020, many individuals have realized the importance of a proper work/life balance. People want to spend more time at home with their loved ones and less commuting to work or putting in extra hours outside their designated work hours. 

 One of the great things about caregiving is flexible scheduling. At Visiting Angels, we ask our caregivers what hours work best for their lives and find clients who require services during those times. We also provide bonus opportunities for those weeks when caregivers have additional free time or are looking to pick up more hours. Plus, all our clients are local, meaning no long commutes! 

You’ll build meaningful relationships with clients

Caregiving is a social job. You’re spending the entirety of your shift interacting with clients and helping them care for themselves. At first, your interactions with clients might feel awkward, but as you spend time with them and get to know them, you cannot help but build meaningful and rewarding relationships. Many of our clients and their families rave about how their caregiver feels like part of the family, and they can’t imagine what they’d do without their Angel. 

You’ll see the immediate impact of your daily work 

It can be difficult working a corporate job where you cannot see your work’s impact each day on the company or customers. But with caregiving, each moment you help a client, you see how your services positively impact someone’s life. Seeing how much it means to your client when you pick up groceries, prepare a healthy meal, or provide transportation to an appointment makes the job feel special. It’s also motivating and makes it easier to wake up and come to work with a smile each day. 

There’s room for growth and specialization in caregiving 

Caregiving may seem like a one-track career choice, but it’s not. Many caregivers continue their education to become certified nursing assistants (CNAs) or nurses. Other caregivers choose to remain a caregiver but instead specialize in a specific type of care such as dementia care or end-of-life care. Working as a professional caregiver can open many doors within the home care and healthcare communities. At Visiting Angels, we’re happy to help you develop a clear career path that makes sense for your goals. 

You’ll develop lifelong skills 

The skills you develop as a caregiver goes far beyond job-specific techniques. You will learn caregiving skills such as providing dignified personal care or working with dementia patients. Still, you’ll also develop transferable skills such as leadership, communication, time management, and organization, all of which are valuable outside the world of caregiving. 

Are you ready to start your journey as a professional caregiver? If so, the team at Visiting Angels Flagstaff would love to connect. We are filling part-time and full-time positions to work with seniors in Flagstaff, Payson, ShowLow, and the surrounding areas. You can send us an application online or call 928.220.4100 to learn more.