Carol Toohill
With English being her second language, Carol Toohill was impressed with the well-structured and informative layout of her courses.
Name: Carol Toohill
Qualification: New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Advanced Support) (Level 4)
It wasn’t until she emigrated from France to New Zealand with her husband and two children that Carol Toohill was inspired to pursue a career in healthcare.
“I have held a few different roles throughout my lifetime – I’ve been a waitress, a secretary and worked on superyachts. But I didn’t feel I could make a career out of any of those jobs.
“However, when we moved to New Zealand I found a casual position as a housekeeper and kitchenhand at a retirement village. Working in an aged care facility inspired me to later apply for a caregiver role, where I could help make a difference in the residents’ lives and also embark on a long-term career.”
Carol decided to complete both the New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing – Health Assistance Strand (Level 3) and the New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Advanced Support) (Level 4) with New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC) so she could provide quality care and support with increased confidence and knowledge.
“Even though I could have continued to work as an ‘unqualified’ Healthcare Assistant, I wanted to enhance my expertise as much as possible.
“After coming across NZTC’s website, I jumped on the phone with a few questions. I got some very good advice from the Admissions Team and found that the college offered the qualifications I was after.”
While Carol found her studies particularly challenging with English being her second language, she felt the courses were well-structured and informative.
“The videos and animations kept the courses engaging and reduced potential monotony, as online learning can sometimes be based solely on written materials.
“Also, the online library has a great number of resources and the discussion forum is a fantastic space where we get targeted information about assessments by the lecturer.”
Carol says she is thrilled to be on a path that offers a real career.
“I am excited to have started a senior caregiver induction which will allow me to eventually take on a more advanced role in my workplace. Overall, I feel much more confident as a Healthcare Assistant now.”