Liesl Kruger
Liesl Kruger is excited to see what the future holds for her after completing a qualification with NZTC.
Name: Liesl Kruger
Qualification: New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing – Health Assistance Strand (Level 3)
Liesl Kruger’s passion for caring began back in 2016 when she started working at a retirement village.
“I had no formal training or experience, so I felt completely thrown in the deep end. While I absolutely loved working with the elderly, I was terrified that my lack of knowledge and inexperience would hurt them. Because of this, I ended up resigning after just two weeks.
“A few years later my husband began working at a newly opened retirement village and I ended up accepting a job there as a porter. I found any time I spent with the residents so fulfilling, and I wanted to learn more about caring - dementia care in particular. It was this that led me to enrol in a New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing – Health Assistance Strand (Level 3) with New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC).”
Liesl says that her NZTC qualification has significantly enhanced her learning and understanding of health care.
“I am constantly drawing on my training in my current position as a part-time healthcare assistant. There are things that I have learnt throughout the qualification that I never thought I’d need, but I have found that they have become the most important. Once I understood the how and why of caregiving, my passion for this work grew even stronger.”
Liesl found the support from the college extremely helpful during her educational journey.
“The support was amazing. There were days where I felt overwhelmed or just struggled, but there was always helpful guidance and information in the online forums. Everything you need is at your fingertips.”
Liesl is excited for what the future holds.
“I am currently living the dream, but my plans are to just keep learning, keep growing, and continue to be the best caregiver that I can be.”