Meet the Team – Dovida National Caregiver Training Manager, Aisling Cooke  

Ahead of National Hiring Day, we caught up with Aisling Cooke, Dovida’s National Caregiver Training Manager, to discuss the comprehensive training new Caregivers undergo to prepare them for their new role. Aisling also told us about her career path and how working as a Caregiver equipped her with the knowledge and skills to excel in her current position.  

Hi Aisling, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you started your career with Dovida?  

I started my career with Dovida in 2016 as a Caregiver in the Nutgrove office. I was winding down my business and could only initially commit to part-time hours. I saw an ad for Dovida offering flexible working hours and gave them a call. I had personal experience of caring and knew it was something that would be a good fit for me, and I saw a long-term future in the care sector.  

In 2019, I was offered a role as a Care Manager. I had to put a lot of thought into accepting it, as I loved being a Caregiver, and I had a very close relationship with all my clients – they were very important to me. Thankfully, the Care Managers in Nutgrove agreed to allow me to be the Care Manager to those clients, so the relationships continued. While working as a Care Manager, I also trained to become a Healthcare Trainer and delivered Induction Training in the Nutgrove, Ballsbridge and Wicklow offices. In 2024, I moved to National Office as National Caregiver Training Manager.  

What is the most rewarding aspect of working in the care sector?  

Knowing that you have made a difference to someone’s day. Whether that be helping someone from bed and safely setting them up for the day or just sitting with them and listening to their stories. Many of our clients live alone, and you might be the only person they see that day, so you need to make them feel valued and listened to and never ignored.  

How did working as a Caregiver and Care Manager help to prepare you for your current role?  

Having worked in both roles, I understand the challenges both the Caregiver and the office staff may face. The end goal is the same: to help our clients live independently at home for as long as they can. Both Caregivers and Care Managers strongly support each other and are part of a team which also includes the client. In my current role, I look at ways of providing new job aids and modules that will support both roles, whether that be technical job aids or holistic job aids. It also helps when I am meeting with new trainers to be able to share some stories with them that they could include in their training.  

What does Caregiver training entail?  

The Caregivers begin their career with us by attending three days of Induction Training. This is high-level training which covers everything from expectations of a Caregiver to medication management and Patient Moving and Handling. Some offices deliver the first day online, but most deliver the three days in the classroom setting. This is a great way for Caregivers to meet some other team players and to familiarise themselves with the office. It also allows them to make new friendships over the course of the three days.

That is then followed by carrying out eight Shadow Shifts. The new Caregiver observes experienced Caregivers as they are assisting their clients in the client’s home. This is done with different clients and different Caregivers to give a good overview of the care we provide. This is also a great opportunity for a new Caregiver to ask questions and gain knowledge from someone who has been a Caregiver for quite a while.

We want to instil confidence in our new Caregivers through this training and also to remind them that the office is there to support them every step of the way.  

What about upskilling of Caregivers – is there specialised training available?  

Our learning management system, LMS, is called the “Home Care Professionals Academy”, or “The Academy” for short. Some of our modules are mandatory and need to be completed at Induction and then refreshed every two years. But there are many other job aids available to help the Caregiver carry out their role. We have training on Parkinson’s Disease, Acquired Brain Injury, Catheter Care and Autism Awareness, amongst others. We also deliver a City and Guilds-accredited Dementia Awareness course, which Caregivers have found very interesting and valuable to their role. We are constantly adding new job aids.  

How did Dovida support your career progression journey?  

Dovida recognise potential, and they support and encourage you to gain further training that will help your career. Dovida supported me by allowing me paid time off work to attend classes or take exams and, in some cases, paid for my courses.  

What advice would you give someone considering a career in care?  

If you are already considering it, you are probably the right person for the job. You have maybe cared for someone in a personal capacity and seen the difference you have made to that person’s life, you may feel empathy very strongly and want to use that gift to connect with others when they are struggling a little with looking after themselves, or you may be a great listener and have the ability to make someone feel like they are the most important person in the world at that moment. If they are the reasons why you are considering it, do it! And don’t be afraid, if you have a caring and empathetic personality, we can train you in the day-to-day skills you need to be a Caregiver, and we will support you at every turn.