Who are the Nurse Next Door Care Services Specialists and what do they do? They are a talented team of individuals who schedule visits for clients, answer calls, respond to e-mails and work directly with Franchise Partners. This fast-paced yet highly rewarding job is suited for individuals who can handle stress, are able to multi-task and want a job knowing that they are making lives better. We have a diverse team of Care Services Specialists who come from different backgrounds but all embody the core values of Nurse Next Door. We interviewed a few of our Care Services Specialists to learn more about them and see what they think about the job.
Saaranga S
One of our most recent Care Services Specialists, Saaranga, joined the Nurse Next Door team three weeks ago. After seeing the Nurse Next Door car, it sparked her interest and she decided to do some research on the company. Graduating with a Bachelor’s of Medical Laboratory Science from the University of British Columbia, Saaranga was looking for a job she could gain medical and administrative experience in while completing her Masters of Health Administration.
Saaranga has found that working as a Care Services Specialist has increased her skills in multi-tasking, communication and patience in stressful situations. Although the job has solo aspects, Saaranga states that there is very much a team-focused environment with everyone willing to help each other to achieve their goals. She was very pleased with the two week training period that Nurse Next Door provided as her trainers were patient and took the time to set everyone up for success before starting the role.
Although she has only been at the job for a short while, she has already been impressed with the culture and lean principles that Nurse Next Door has adopted. She thoroughly enjoys the connections she makes with clients and caregivers and finds the work rewarding. The littlest things, such as filling a visit for a client, are very gratifying.
Andrew M
Originally hearing about Nurse Next Door through one of our Nurse Next Door Care Designers, Andrew thought the role of the Home Health Care Services Specialist sounded interesting and challenging. Having worked previous jobs as a lifeguard, swim teacher and server, he thought the role was a great opportunity to utilize his multi-tasking and technical skills. Andrew states that working as a Home Health Care Services Specialist presents high pressure situations that involve working multiple duties such as filling visits, answering calls, responding to e-mails, and communicating directly with Franchise Partners. However, despite the high stress, Andrew finds that the work is rewarding and his colleagues make the culture very positive.
Working as a Home Health Care Services Specialist for the past six months, Andrew says he has picked up time management skills, learned different scheduling tools, improved his ability to prioritize work and practice sales skills through speaking with potential clients. One of his favorite moments occurred during a call from a lady ecstatic about our services. Shortly into the call, Andrew realized he had been the one who had originally set her up with Nurse Next Door.
Andrew knew he wanted to pursue a nursing career and thought that working as a Nurse Next Door Home Health Care Services Specialist would allow him to see what a daily routine of a caregiver or nurse was like. He says he has learned a lot about different situations, illnesses and levels of care based on client care plans he handles. He appreciates the encouragement he receives to ask questions and is impressed by how much he is educated by the Nurse Next Door Care Designers.
“Caring is rewarding.” – Andrew M
Ron S
After hearing about Nurse Next Door from his nursing colleague, Ron applied to be a Care Services Specialist. He was also drawn to the position because he heard that everyone who worked there was friendly and supportive. While completing his Bachelor of Nursing from Langara College, Ron worked as a Care Services Specialist for over a year in hopes to expand his skills and prepare him for a career in nursing. Earlier this year, Ron left Nurse Next Door to start his career as a Registered Nurse at Mount Saint Joseph’s Hospital, but credits Nurse Next Door for giving him experience and skills he applies to his new job as a Registered Nurse. 
One of the biggest skills he developed as a Home Health Care Services Specialist was time management. Many times, clients are in need of urgent support when they call, so it is important to prioritize needs and help clients in a timely manner – something which is also relevant in a hospital setting. Another skill he learned through the role was therapeutic communication. Ron states that dealing with home care and health care in general equate to stressful times for families. Communicating with them while he worked as a Care Services Specialist has helped him resonate with patients in the hospital he works at.
Ron found that working as a Home Health Care Services Specialist allowed him to explore a different part of health care than previous experiences he had working in hospitals. He says, “most schools send nursing students to hospitals for experience but as I worked at these hospitals, I started to see that public health care has its gaps. Nurse Next Door is part of a spectrum that helps fill these gaps for various clients and their health care needs.” He also found that Nurse Next Door is a great opportunity for those in the health field who want to explore the administrative aspect of care.
Claudia M
Claudia became a Home Health Care Services Specialist one year ago and was attracted to Nurse Next Door because of the inclusive work environment she heard about. Once she started working in the role, she was not let down as this speculation was proven true by the tight-knit community there was in the office. She noticed that her colleagues not only cared about clients but they also cared about each other. In many jobs, it’s often hard to build close relationships with your co-workers but Claudia says that the Care Services Specialists are like family.
Claudia believes that working as a Home Health Care Services Specialist has improved her customer service skills, helped her ability to think on the spot and has given her better communication skills. Different from her previous jobs, she enjoys the personal connections she develops through speaking with clients and caregivers on the phone. Often speaking to the same client or caregiver daily, she says she not only gets to hear their stories – a relationship is built. She enjoys going home from work knowing she made a difference in someone’s life.
One of her favorite parts of the job is that she can call a client or caregiver and they will often know who she is right away by the sound of her voice. She finds it rewarding how they are simply happy to hear from her and will engage in conversation more than scheduling, such as asking her “How are you?” or saying “I haven’t heard from you in so long! Where have you been?”
While working as a Home Health Care Services Specialist, Claudia is also attending BCIT for Interior Design and finds that Nurse Next Door has already helped her with skills she can utilize in her future career path. She feels that the communication skills she has learned as a Care Services Specialist can help her tremendously being an Interior Designer because networking and working closely with clients are a huge part of the job.
If you are interested in working as a Nurse Next Door Care Services Specialist in our Vancouver, British Coulmbia office, you can apply here: http://goo.gl/Z8rAjR
