What does a Community Rehabilitation worker do?

Post by Open Colleges on September 24th, 2019

Are you interested in a career where you can assist people with physical, psychological, emotional or social disabilities following illness or injury? As a community rehabilitation worker or Allied Health assistant, you will be able to do just that.

Read this blog to find out more about what your role as a community rehabilitation worker will typically involve, what you need to know, the personality traits you need and what qualifications can help you to find a job in this field.

Key responsibilities of the role

As a community rehabilitation worker, you will support individuals in developing their strengths and adjusting to their limitations. The goal is to enable patients to live and work more independently following an illness or injury which has left them debilitated. This could be through helping individuals gain access to housing, social activities, employment and other life skills that can aid them in gaining independence as they work through their injury.

You will work with a range of different people from all walks of life, including injured workers, military veterans, adults with learning disabilities, deaf or blind people, physically disabled individuals, as well as those with mental health conditions and drug or alcohol addictions. You will also work alongside other health care personnel such as social workers, physiotherapists and speech pathologists to provide holistic care to patients.

Your role will be varied and can depend largely on the organisation you work for, as well as who your patients are. However, to give you a sense of what you will be expected to do daily.

Here are some example tasks you may be required to carry out:

  • Identifying and assessing the needs of patients
  • Advising individuals on how to use specialist equipment
  • Developing a treatment plan in consultation with other professionals
  • Teaching or assisting patients with daily living skills such as walking or speaking
  • Overseeing treatments
  • Organising social events and community activities

Personality traits you’ll need

Being a community rehabilitation worker is rewarding but challenging. It isn’t something that will suit everyone, but with the following personality traits, you’ll be in a good position to succeed:

  • Be a great listener and observer:  Illness and injury can greatly affect a person’s mental well being. You will, therefore, need to be extremely sensitive to the needs of the people you’re working with. You’ll not only need to listen, but also observe general behavioural signs of people who may be dealing with other issues.
  • Be comfortable working under pressure :Rehabilitation therapists often work under pressure in highly emotional situations. Whether you’re assisting someone in learning how to walk again or teaching them new skills and strategies to cope with their disability, you must be able to discuss and address their concerns in a calm and professional manner.
  • Have a great deal of patience and empathy: Since you are working with people in challenging situations, you must be prepared to deal with people’s frustration, anger, resentment and even apathy. Grief and loss can make people behave in ways which require a great deal of compassion and understanding.

How to become qualified with Open Colleges?

While it is important to have the right personality to work in social care, a vocational qualification like Open Colleges’ HLT43015 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Community Rehabilitation) can help you gain the knowledge and confidence you need to pursue this career path.

This is a flexible course where you’ll learn about the human body and how it works, how to communicate effectively with a diverse range of people, how to develop tailored treatment plans and much more. You’ll even have a work placement element to this course, to provide you with the necessary experience you’ll need.

If you’re interested in working as a community rehabilitation worker and have the right personality traits, make sure you have the suitable qualifications too. Visit our website to learn more about HLT43015 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (Community Rehabilitation).

Open Colleges
By Open Colleges

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