About
Bridging the gap in aged care
Preferred Care Nursing Agency is a family run business started by a registered nurse (our own Candice) who saw a gap in the aged care industry. Facilities were struggling to find quality nursing care for their aged and vulnerable patients, especially when there was short notice demand. And nurses were locked into the perspective that hospitals were the only (and best) places to work, leaving quality nursing staff in short supply.
This left a gap in the aged care industry that needed to be filled by expertly-trained and fully-supported nursing staff. Our mission is to fill that gap.
How we fill the gap
We fill this gap by bringing together the best nursing staff that we can find, ensuring that they’re always up to date on their training and continuing professional development and fully supporting them as needed. Our expert nurses are rostered into our fully integrated portal where our clients can book one, two or multiple shifts at the click of a button.
Easy. Accessible. Quality. Those are our promises to you.
Let’s change the perspective
We’re ready to change the perspective on working in aged care.
After years of working in the aged care industry, we know first-hand the challenges and, more importantly, the opportunities that it presents for nurses. In a hospital nurses have doctors backing up their decisions. In aged care, nurses make many decisions themselves. In a hospital nurses are likely staffed into a single department. But in aged care they’ll be exposed to many different ailments and challenges.
In a hospital if a nurse doesn’t have the right skill set, they can find someone who does. In aged care, nurses are the first line of defense, and need the skills to back that up. The same holds true for in home care.
These challenges are opportunities. They make aged and in home care interesting and energising. You will upskill, learn and truly help people that need you.
We want to change the perspective on aged care and in home nursing because we need only the best. We need top quality nursing staff who have or can learn more skills and who are willing and able to take on more responsibilities for a chance to feel more reward.
What we do for your facility
Our role is to source and provide staff to your facility at short notice, so you always have the right help on hand to serve your patients. With one click of a button you can book the staff that you need, when you need them. And because you’re getting a Preferred Care nurse, you can be confident that you’re getting the expertly-trained, quality help.
What we do for our nurses
As a nurse with Preferred Care we promise to support you to ensure that you’re comfortable and able to fulfill your job with confidence and skill. We’ll never just toss you in the deep end. We provide you with training as needed, including access face to face workshops so you can easily maintain your CPD. As a new graduate nurse we’ll give you buddy shifts with an Enrolled or Registered nurse to ensure you feel safe and confident in your practice
Community and clinical care
Providing quality in-home and clinical care is important to us. We want to make it easy and accessible, and give our clients the confidence that their needs will be filled by a nurse who’s a great fit. We work with NDIS and Aged Care and make all bookings simple with our proprietary, easy-to-use booking system.
As an organisation we know how important having steady care can be for the vulnerable and the aged. We take that personally, and will give you the personal attention you need and deserve.
Our values
Our values help us provide expert care to our employers and nurses, who then provide expert care to their patients. Ultimately, our mission is to bridge the gap in the way our elderly and vulnerable are cared for. Our values drive that mission.
- Respect: Always respect yourself and others.
- Integrity: Do what is right and speak up even when it seems uncomfortable.
- Care: Care holistically for families, patients and each other.
- Nurturing: Nurture yourself and those around you.
- Listening: Actively listen to families, patients, colleagues and clients.
- Growth: Share ideas, research and knowledge.
- Accountability: Accept responsibility for decisions, actions and outcomes.
About Candice
Candice Thompson, R.N, Founder
Candice began her career working in aged care. But, as many graduate nurses are, she was soon seduced into believe that working in a hospital was the true pinnacle of nursing success.
So, after a time, she shifted into the hospital environment. But it didn’t take her long to realise that the hype about hospital life was just that… hype.
Candice soon realised how much she enjoyed the challenges of working in aged care, and how much need there was in this part of the industry. Aged care facilities were often understaffed on short notice, and in-home carers were difficult to source quickly while still ensuring they were of excellent quality. And nurses themselves were hesitant to leave the hospital environment for the unknown of aged care and in home work. Candice knew these were problems that she could help solve.
Candice became a passionate advocate for the staff and the residents and was determined to find a way to bring together the right people to the right places at the right times. Her Residents and Participants, and now our clients, love working with her because she has incredible compassion and empathy for people. She feels the ailments and upsets that her patients face, she understands the worries and fears that nurses feel and she is able to see how to ease the problems and challenges that facilities deal with every day. And so she founded Preferred Care.
Today Candice runs Preferred Care with her family, and focuses on helping the aged and the vulnerable receive the help they need which gives her so much joy. When she doesn’t have her nursing hat on, you can find her out bushwalking, going on adventures and enjoying really good burgers.
