What Is Home Health Aide Training and Certification?

Home health aides take care of older or disabled individuals who can no longer live independently in their homes. They are a crucial part of a vulnerable person’s care team, and they are currently in high demand in New York.

If you’d like to become a personal care aide, you have to first pass the local home health aide certification.

Training for Home Health Aides in New York

The home health aide program is offered for free or at a low cost by several local organizations. It is regulated by the New York State Education Department and the New York Department of Health, and the courses and certification exams must meet certain guidelines. During the training program, you’ll spend at least 59 hours in the classroom and 16 hours in the field.

Classroom training for home health aides includes a 40-hour home care curriculum and a 19-hour health-related task curriculum. You’ll learn about how to assist your patients, evaluate their homes, maintain good hygiene, and prepare nutritious meals. The specific requirements of each course vary slightly, and you may receive training for more than 75 hours.

Prerequisites

You don’t have to have extensive skills to start your classroom training because you’ll be taught everything you need to know. However, almost all training courses have some education requirements. Typically, you need to have a high school diploma because this proves that you have the necessary level of education to pass your test and perform the required clinical work.

Additionally, you’ll have to undergo a physical to show that you’re in good shape. Because you sometimes have to assist patients with physically demanding tasks, you have to be strong and healthy.

Where Can I Find a Good Home Health Aide HHA Certification Program?

In New York, you can find high-quality programs all over the city. Some are run by private companies, while others are funded by the state. Check out your local community colleges or reach out to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice to find high-quality healthcare training in your borough.

Because certified home health aides are in high demand, many courses are offered for free or at a very reasonable price. If you opt for a free course, you might have to spend around $100 on materials. If you choose a paid home health aide certification program, you might spend $300-600.

The Training Program

You have 60 days to complete your certification. Some programs offer classes full-time, so you can finish the required coursework within two to three weeks. There are also part-time options for applicants who are working or have personal responsibilities. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Parent Care if you’d like more information about our preferred training courses. We’ll help you to choose a reputable institution in your borough.

Is There a Certification Exam?

After you’ve completed each section of the training course, a written exam or practical skills exam that tests three to six skills will be administered. This helps to ensure that you have understood the materials taught in the course and that you are ready to start working as a home health aide.

How Should I Study for the Exam?

To make sure you pass your home health aide training course, attend all relevant classes, and pay close attention. Take notes whenever you learn something new, and spend a few hours a week studying for your certification.

If you’re a nervous test taker, or you don’t feel ready to take the exam, speak to your exam moderators. They will provide you with tips on how to study. Depending on the course you’re taking, they might also be able to offer you additional training and support. Ask them whether there are any online resources or mock tests you can take, so you can better understand what the exam is like.

What If I’m Already a Home Health Aide or Nursing Assistant?

If you’re already a certified home health aide in a different state, or you’ve previously worked as a nursing assistant, you don’t have to go through the whole training program. Instead, you can complete a competency evaluation at a facility that offers HHA training.

What Can You Do with the Home Health Aide Certification?

Once you’re a certified home health aide, you can work with clients all over New York. Your job responsibilities include helping your patients to wash, get dressed, and move from one room to the other. You might also perform light housekeeping tasks such as washing dishes and picking up objects. Additionally, you’ll provide emotional support and communicate with the patients’ family members. With your help, clients can stay safe in their houses or apartments and avoid going to group homes.

Typically, you’ll provide care to people on Medicare who can no longer complete the Activities of Daily Living on their own. They might struggle to prepare their own meals, maintain good hygiene, take their own vital signs, take the correct medication, and even move around their homes. Many home health aides work with older adults, but you might also assist individuals who are permanently or temporarily disabled due to accidents or chronic illnesses.

Is Being a Home Health Aide (HHA) a Good Job?

Certified home health aides are well-paid, and they might also receive benefits and free job training. In New York, the average home health aide makes $18 or more per hour. This means that they can easily achieve an income of $40,000 if they work full-time.

One of the most important benefits of working as a home health aide is that this job is extremely flexible. If you’d like to earn a high wage, you can work full-time and take on overtime hours. If you have many other commitments, you’re still studying, or you have a second job, you can work part-time. This reduces stress and makes it easier for you to keep working if your circumstances change.

Getting a Job: How Home Health Agencies Help

Once you’ve completed your certified home health aide training program, you can start sending out job applications. The best place to look for HHA jobs is an agency like Parent Care. When you collaborate with a healthcare company, you don’t have to find your own patients, so you save a lot of time and money. Additionally, you receive training and ongoing support. If there’s an issue with a patient, you can simply reach out to your supervisor or coordinator, and they will help you to resolve it.

At Parent Care, we make sure that all our aides are well-paid. That way, they don’t have to worry about money, and they can focus their attention on serving their patients.

What Is the Job Outlook?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, certified home health aides are going to be in high demand in the coming years. More and more New York Medicare patients want to remain in their own homes instead of going to a nursing facility. Additionally, the number of elderly and disabled people is growing in New York.

Once you’ve completed your program, you can get additional certifications that allow you to become a nursing assistant or even a registered nurse. These programs take much longer than the HHA certification, but you can keep working while you study.

In New York, you can become a certified home health aide and start working for a reputable agency within a few weeks. Send us a message at Parent Care or call us at 718-486-7100 to find out more about open healthcare jobs. We are always looking for great caregivers, and we’re happy to accommodate your schedule.