Home health care is a booming industry, as more and more patients prefer to remain at home instead of going to a nursing facility. In New York, you can find high-quality home health care jobs with agencies like Parent Care. However, building a successful long-term career takes some planning and training. Let’s have a closer look at how you can enter the healthcare industry in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx.
Building a Successful Career in Home Health Care in New York
Are you looking for a career change? Do you feel stuck in your current role, or are you worried that it will disappear as more and more tasks are automated? If so, working in home health care could be a good fit for you. Personal care aides visit patients at their homes and help them with daily tasks such as washing, getting dressed, and preparing meals. They also help elderly or disabled patients with their medication and take them to appointments.
Becoming a home health aide is relatively straightforward. You take a short training course and then start applying to agencies that offer personal care services. Once you’ve obtained your first job, you work hard to provide every patient with the best quality service. As you build up experience and attend continued education courses, you improve your skill set and reputation. This allows you to take on more senior responsibilities and earn more money.
Attending a Training Course
Before you can accept your first job, you have to fulfill the minimum training requirements. They include a 16-hour Basic Core Curriculum that aims to teach you the principles of hygiene, basic human needs, communication, and home care. You’ll learn more about the challenges of interacting with elderly patients and taking care of children with injuries or disabilities.
Additionally, you’ll build up practical skills, so you’ll be able to prepare meals, perform light housekeeping tasks, and keep your patients safe in their own homes. The training course includes classroom learning as well as practical application, so it optimally prepares you for your future work. You have 60 days to complete your training, but you can do it in as little as two or three weeks if you attend the classes full-time.
Practical Considerations
If you’re currently working at another job and don’t have the time to dedicate two weeks to home health aide training, you can attend an evening or weekend course. The best way to get started is to reach out to us at Parent Care and ask us about good training providers. We can recommend a reputable company that meets your needs and isn’t too far away from your home.
It’s also worth noting that home health aide training is affordable for almost everyone. Many programs are free, so you only have to pay for your books and materials. This makes them accessible, no matter your background and current financial situation.
Finding Home Health Care Jobs in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx
After you’ve successfully completed your training, you have to undergo a physical. Home health aides perform physically demanding tasks like heavy lifting and supporting patients’ weight, so they need to be in reasonably good shape.
When applying to jobs, include the results of your physical as well as your CV and details of your home health aide training. Having all your documents ready gives you the best chance of being accepted by a high-quality agency like Parent Care.
Why Parent Care?
Building up a loyal customer base takes time and effort. To help you kickstart your career, we do all the hard admin work for you. You simply let us know what borough you’d like to work in and how many hours a week you can dedicate to home health care, and we’ll connect you to suitable patients.
At Parent Care, we offer competitive salaries and great benefits, so you can focus on caring for your patients without having to worry about your financial situation. We also prioritize communication within the team. Whenever you have an issue or question, we are here to help you.
Providing Patients with an Excellent Service
The best way to further your career and build up a positive reputation as a home health aide is to provide each patient with excellent care. Our most successful home health aides are individuals who love interacting with others and are passionate about what they do. They go above and beyond to take care of the physical, emotional, and social needs of the New York residents they serve.
Continued Education
Medicine is constantly evolving, and home health care jobs often change as a result. Twenty years ago, most aides took notes on paper and had physical calendars, but many companies have now purchased software that speeds up and automates admin processes. Home health aides in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx who would like to remain competitive need to take regular continued education classes to keep on top of innovations.
We offer our employees a wide range of classes that help them to hone their skills. Some of them focus on the practical or medical aspects of the job, while others help aides to work with certain patient groups or offer a more compassionate service. Aides who take part in these educational opportunities can often take on more senior roles and further their careers.
What Skills Should I Work On?
During your training program, you’ll learn all the practical skills you need to be a great home health aide. In the meantime, you can work on your soft skills. They include being able to engage with a wide range of people, organizing your schedule efficiently, and working as part of a team.
If you’re not a native English speaker, you might consider taking a course or using language learning apps. Most of your patients will speak English, so being fluent is important. It’s also worth remembering that over two million people speak Spanish in NYC. If English is your first language, learning Spanish could give you an edge over your competition.
Do I Need to Work Full-Time to Be Successful As an Aide?
Working full-time is a good idea for aides who want to maximize their income. However, it isn’t necessary to be successful. An important benefit of this job is that it can be done part-time, so you can choose how many hours you’d like to work per week. This makes it easier for you to manage your other commitments. If you have children or are looking after an elderly or disabled relative, home health aide work could fit well into your schedule.
What Is My Long-Term Outlook?
Once you’ve qualified as a home health aide, you have several options. You can start working full-time or work part-time and continue taking classes. Depending on your skills and interests, you could eventually become a care coordinator, registered nurse, or administrator at a home health organization. All these options require further training, so you’ll need to attend a community college or specialized training center.
Starting a career in home health care is a good idea at the moment because aide jobs are more in demand than ever. Successful individuals start by completing the necessary training and finding employment with a reputable New York agency. They regularly attend continued education courses to hone their skills. Send us a message at Parent Care to find out more about our home health care jobs in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx.
