Nurse Aide Jobs in Zimbabwe

Are you a trained nurse aide but you have no clue where to get a job in Zimbabwe? Do you want to venture into health sector but you think its not possible because you don’t have five O’ Levels?

Have you been wondering if you can get a job after training and how much will you get? Have you been asking yourself if you can upgrade your education from being a nurse aide? Or you were asking yourself if nurse aide is broad profession that is worldwide?

You will get all the answers here in this platform. I will give hints and brief description of your take off.

Let me start by explaining to you that you don’t need any O level to begin your career as a nurse aide. All you need is ability to read and write, if you can speak English its an added advantage.

Nurse Aide training course is a very short program such that for one person who is serious can excel within a year.

In the previous article i listed the nurse aide training schools in Zimbabwe and the process to enrol. In this article i will refer interested parties to an agent who helps with all the process throughout.

Getting a job after you qualify is not something you must worry about. Here are is the list where you can be employed as a nurse aide:

Government Hospitals

Government Hospitals employ nurse aides throughout the year. If you are interested to be part of the civil service this is the opportunity.

Working conditions are favorable and the duties of a nurse aide are the same. You work as a nurse assistant.

Examples of government hospital include Central Hospitals like Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital, Harare Hospital, Mpilo Hospital, United Bulawayo Hospital. Provincial Hospitals such as Gweru Hospital, Bindura Hospital, Chinhoyi Hospital and many more.

District Hospitals such as Gokwe Hospital, Karoyi Hospital, Banket Hospital and many more.

Rural Clinics such as Zvimba clinic, Svisvi Clinic, etc

All these are under government and you can make your choice.

Council Clinics

Council clinics are those clinics run by the city councils. These clinics are common in cities and towns and they can be found at our locations. We have City of Harare – All poly clinics and other local clinics are under City of Harare.

Other cities and towns such as Bulawayo, Gweru, Kwekwe, Mutare and every town you know around Zimbabwe there are clinics. Nurse aides are needed in those clinics so imagine how broad a nurse aide can go.

Private Hospitals

Recently private hospitals are increasing which also increases job opportunities for nurse aides. Almost in every city you can get a private hospital, even in small towns private hospitals are increasing.

Harare is full of private hospitals which includes Avenues Clinic, Health Point, Coroprate 24, Mbuya Dorcas, Baines the list is endless.

Bulawayo has Mater Dei , Gweru with Claybank and many more.

Private Hospitals differ their way of services with government , they have their policies which you have to follow but the duties of nurse aide are the same.

Nursing Homes

Recently Zimbabwe has recorded an increasing number of nursing homes. Previously nursing homes were there as charity organisations were old people, the disabled and orphans were kept free of charge.

Now things have changed, there are now nursing homes as profit making business were old people can live and being taken care of with medical personnel. An example is Athol Evans Nursing Home. We also have Dandaro in Borrowdale just to mention a few.

Nurse aides are employed in both Charity nursing homes and profit making nursing homes.

Private Homes

Nurse aides can also be employed by individuals were they will be taking care of the patient at his or her home. Some patients with chronic conditions and those require home based care, they employ nurse aides to take care of their relatives.

Surgeries or Clinics

Many doctors have surgeries rooms where they consult patients as private patients. At these surgeries and rooms , nurse aides can be employed to manage patients and take care of other duties.

How Much Do Nurse Aides Earn?

Nurse aides get paid according to the employer. Roughly least paid nurse aide gets $150 usd while the most paid can get up to $500usd per month.

Duties & Responsibilities of a Nurse Aide

Providing care, support and treatment to patients and residents of medical, rehabilitative and residential care facilities according to treatment plans established by medical, nursing and other health professionals

Assisting patients with personal and therapeutic care needs such as personal hygiene, feeding, dressing, physical mobility and exercise, communication, taking oral medications and changing dressings

Positioning, lifting and turning patients and transporting them in wheelchairs or on movable beds

Maintaining patients’ environmental hygiene standards, such as cleaning patient rooms and changing bed linen

Providing massage and other non-pharmacological pain relief measures, such as during pregnancy and labour

Observing patients’ condition, responses and behavior and reporting changes to a health professional

How to Get Nurse Aide Jobs in Zimbabwe

In Zimbabwe you will need to search for available vacancy from the newspaper meaning you will need to read the newspaper on daily basis.

Another option of getting vacancy is to use online platforms such as google, facebook were posts are published which means you must have data in your phone.

There are Agencies which help find you a job. Some agencies can help you from the beginning for example helping you to find a place to train, find you attachment as well as getting you a job but you will need to become a member of the agent and you pay a monthly subscription fee.

Nurse Aide Jobs Outside Zimbabwe (Diaspora)

Nurse aides are also on high demand abroad, it means if you train as a nurse aide in Zimbabwe you can also work outside Zimbabwe as far as UK.

Nursing aides in diaspora help patients of all ages perform the most basic daily tasks.

They work under a licensed nurse’s supervision, and since they have extensive daily contact with each patient, they play a key role in the lives of their patients and in keeping the nurse up to date on vital information about the patients’ conditions.

Nursing assistants provide assistance with such tasks as:

• Dressing
• Bathing and skin care
• Feeding
• Mouth and hair care
• Making beds
• Toileting assistance and catheter care
• Bowel and bladder care
• Taking vital signs (temp, pulse, blood pressures etc)
• Helping patients walk with gait belts, walker, cane and other devices
• Assisting with range-of-motion exercises
• Transfer wheelchair-bound patients using safe patient handling devices
• Turning and positioning bedridden patients regularly
• Reporting all changes to the nurse
• Safety awareness
• Observing, reporting and documentation
• Post-mortem care

Working Conditions

Due to staffing shortages in recent years, a vast majority of nursing assistants find themselves in the challenging position of attempting to provide quality care for far too many patients at once.

The turnover rate for nursing assistants is high, due largely to the job’s heavy workload and physical demands.

Salary Range and Outlook

Salaries for this career vary from state to state, and even in differing work environments. Hourly wages can range from $8.80 to $16.99.

Academic Requirements

Nursing assistants must complete a state-approved education program in which they learn the basic principles of nursing and complete supervised clinical practice. These programs are found in high schools, community colleges, vocational and technical schools, hospitals and nursing homes.

In addition, nursing assistants typically complete a brief period of supervised on-the-job training to learn about their specific employer’s policies and procedures