Marie Hendrie’s goal when she started her career in care was to become a nurse, before realising her passion lay in the adult social care sector. She loves that her career offers her the chance to support others every day as well as the deep-rooted personal connections you’re able to forge with colleagues, the people you support and their families.
“I started out studying nursing at college but I eventually felt I’d rather move into social care. I started out in a community support role, helping people with a range of learning disabilities, life-long conditions and/or physical support needs. I then moved to the Isle of Mull as a Senior Social Care Worker within residential care.
“The one thing that’s always remained constant throughout my career is my love of the time you get to spend with people and the relationships you’re able to build with them because of this. I feel so lucky to wake up and genuinely love what I do every day.
“Of course, there are challenging days, as with every job, but I’ve been so fortunate to enjoy a range of training to help me to continue to progress. I’ve done both my SVQ3 and 4 in Health and Social Care as well as completing a Leading and Managing Care Services professional development award through the University of Highlands and Islands. There are also many training opportunities available through the HSCP and care partners. These have supported my existing skills and enable me to perform the role to the upmost of my abilities.
“I really can’t imagine doing anything else for a job. I don’t know many other roles that would offer you such job satisfaction, allow you to work with a fantastic team of colleagues and opportunities to have a positive impact on the lives of others.
“In my current position I find it so rewarding to be in a situation where I can support colleagues with the knowledge I’ve gleaned in my career and pass that onto younger people in the industry to help them develop.”
Marie’s advice to people looking to apply for an adult social care position:
“I believe you need to have a genuine interest in people and want to develop ways to support individuals in their day to day lives and with achieving goals. You can have such a positive impact on, not just the person you care for but their family as a whole, which I find so rewarding.
“There are a range of different roles on offer within adult social care and opportunities that will help you grow both personally and in your career. If you feel you’ve got a caring nature and passion for others, my advice would be to go for it!”
