It’s a question health care professionals might ask when they see an advertisement for a job in aged care.

As one of Australia’s largest aged care providers, employing nearly 7,000 staff across 71 homes, Opal Aged Care knows only too well the importance of finding the right people to work in their homes.

Opal recruits staff to meet their values of respect, compassion and accountability. “For us, it’s vital staff are connected to our values, and they’re able to translate them into their everyday behaviours, delivering the highest levels of care and compassion to our residents” says Opal’s Recruitment Manager, Katrina Hawkins.

Australia has an ageing population making aged care one of Australia’s fastest growing industries.  People are living longer, healthier lives with more support available to help them age in their home. This means when the time is right for them to come into residential aged care, they often have more complex health needs.

Yolande Nealon, Opal’s General Manager of Human Resources says “There is great opportunity for our staff to have a long term career in aged care. As a provider, Opal can deliver high level specialist aged care, meaning staff are trained in the very best clinical care. They continually develop skills in dementia care, palliative care and areas such as wound management.”

Judith Lewis, Opal’s National Quality Advisor says “Opal’s commitment to a Registered Nurse led model offers many opportunities for the clinical teams to advance their technical skills and become proficient in delivering high quality specialised nursing care to residents. This model is a blending of both chronic and acute illness, with a primary focus on preventative and rehabilitative person- centred care. The Registered Nurse is central to the quality of life of the resident and is often able to make a real difference to their experience, in collaboration with the other staff in the home and the broader multidisciplinary health care teams in the community.”

Ms Nealon also says “Staff are now coming to us from more sub-acute sectors, and when we ask them what they enjoy about the aged care sector, their overwhelming response is the ability for them to establish relationships with the residents and their families, and opportunities for career progression. We have a number of long-term staff who have joined at AIN level, completed their training over the years and are now leading a care team in one of our homes. There’s certainly a lot of opportunity to become a key member of the Opal Aged Care team.”

Opal Aged Care is now recruiting for Registered Nurses. For more information, visit: www.opalagedcare.com.au/careers/current-vacancies