At the moment, home health aides are in high demand because an increasing number of elderly patients prefer to stay at home instead of going to a nursing facility. Aides perform a wide variety of tasks, such as helping with personal hygiene, basic medical care, and housekeeping. In today’s post, we’ll have a closer look at training certified home health aides have to complete, and answer what are the educational requirements for home health aides?

Home Health Aide Training

To become a personal care aide, you have to first complete a home health aide certification. This usually takes a month or two, and it includes classroom learning as well as hands-on experience.

Although aides don’t need extensive medical experience, they have to know about basic wound care, the most common chronic conditions, and several types of medications. That’s why many aides regularly participate in courses and programs that teach them about various aspects of working with vulnerable patients.

Prerequisites

People who would like to become home health aides need to have a high school diploma. This is because they need basic literacy and mathematical skills to succeed. Aides have to communicate effectively with doctors, registered nurses, and medical assistants to provide patients with optimal service.

They also need to be in good physical condition because the job often involves heavy lifting and strenuous activities. Most home health agencies ask applicants to get a physical exam before applying. This is to prevent health and safety issues and make sure the aide can provide the necessary level of care.

The Training Programs

In New York, there are many good home health aide training schools. The programs are available at community colleges and vocational schools, and they usually take 21 to 60 days. Some courses are full-time, so they can be completed within two to three weeks. Others take place in the evenings or on weekends, which means they take longer, but they can be combined with a day job.

During your clinical training, you’ll learn everything you need to know to perform home health aide services. You’ll also find out about how to keep elderly and disabled clients engaged and safe, and you’ll get to practice all the relevant skills. Most programs are free, so you only have to pay for your materials.

First Aid Courses

If you don’t yet have a first aid certification, you might have to attend an extra course. Knowing how to take care of people in emergencies is important for home health aides because they often work with patients who have chronic illnesses.

During a medical course, you’ll learn how to help people who are injured, help take vital signs, and collaborate with a medical assistant to provide emergency care. You’re likely to earn a higher wage and get a better job if you’re trained in emergency assistance.

Continued Education Opportunities

Before you start your job with Parent Care, we’ll provide you with information about the specific services we offer and the software we use to communicate with other healthcare professionals. We offer on-the-job training to all our new aides, so they can provide their customers with excellent service.

Additionally, we run continued education programs. Every year, our home health aides get to participate in training sessions that teach them about the technical, social, and psychological aspects of healthcare. We keep up to date with recent trends and innovations and pass our knowledge on to our staff. This allows aides to further their careers and build up impressive resumes.

Can I Become a Registered Nurse After Completing Home Health Aide Training?

Becoming a certified home health aide is quicker and easier than becoming a registered nurse. However, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. Once you’ve completed your home health aide schooling, you can start working and pursue your nursing certification at the same time.

Most agencies offer both full-time and part-time positions, which means that home health aides work flexible hours according to their needs and other commitments. If you’d like to pursue further education, let us know. We’ll help you to come up with a schedule that allows you to keep working while you study.

What Skills Do You Need?

To be successful as a home health aide, you have to be able to complete a wide range of basic tasks and work with people who have chronic illnesses. You need good communication skills to collaborate with nursing assistants and other medical professionals, perform housekeeping duties, and help patients with their daily hygiene-related tasks.

Basic Health Related Services

Most elderly and disabled patients require a lot of help because they have several medical conditions. They might receive care from a medical assistant or nurse. Although home health aides aren’t the primary medical caregivers, they still need basic skills to help clients with their routine healthcare needs.

During their training, aides learn how to help patients take their vital signs and blood pressure, administer medication, and perform basic wound care. They also gain experience reading and interpreting medical records. On the job, aides learn about each of their patient’s medical conditions and requirements, so they can cater to their individual needs.

Personal Care Skills

As a home health aide, you help your patients with their everyday tasks, which might include using the bathroom, bathing, grooming, and taking their prescribed medications. You’ll learn everything you need to know about personal care during your training. There is also a unit that teaches you about basic hygiene, the principles of infection control, and food safety.

Housekeeping Skills

Aside from helping with patient bathing and grooming, you also have to prepare nutritious meals. That’s why one of the certification requirements is a course in basic nutrition. You’ll learn how to put together balanced, healthy meals that are also tasty.

Home health aides perform light housekeeping duties such as cleaning up after the patient and helping them with vacuuming or dusting. This is important because a clean and tidy home environment prevents accidents such as falls and improves patients’ mental health.

Soft Skills

Becoming a certified home health aide isn’t enough to be successful in this job. To progress and become a highly sought-after professional, you also need certain soft skills. If you want to supercharge your career, work on your communication and organization skills. They are particularly important for home health aides, who need to keep on top of their busy schedules and work with family members and other professionals every day.

Home Health Aide Definition

The job description of a home health aide varies depending on the type of help they provide. Some aides work with elderly people, so they mainly assist patients with household and hygiene-related tasks and make sure they take their medication.

Others assist younger people who are either permanently or temporarily disabled. These aides have slightly different skill sets, and they often work with more individuals because younger patients are more likely to recover.

What Does a Home Health Aide Do Every Day?

As a home health aide, you might visit the same patient for many years. You assist them with their daily personal tasks, medical needs, and nutrition. You also communicate with family members and other medical professionals to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

The fact that you get to build up a long-term connection with the patient and their relatives is one of the reasons why home health care is such a rewarding career. Over time, you become a part of the patient’s family. You make sure that they can stay at home and don’t have to move to assisted living facilities. This significantly improves their quality of life and allows them to age gracefully.

Is This a Demanding Job?

Home health aides work with chronically unwell patients, so the job can be demanding. However, it is also fulfilling because many people are very grateful for their aides. They understand that they couldn’t live in their own homes without their personal care nurse. Over time, many patients and home health aides build up long-term friendships.

What Is the Average Home Health Aide Salary?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average home health aide makes over $30,000 per year. Aides in Washington can expect the highest average annual wage at over $37,000 per year. However, New York isn’t far behind. Here, certified home health aides often earn $17 or more per hour, especially if they work with a high-quality agency.

Is the Average Hourly Wage Good?

In New York, home health aides earn a good hourly wage. It’s also worth noting that the salary is set to increase in the next few years. Because there is a shortage of aides, many agencies are willing to pay a significant amount of money for certified home health aides.

What Is the Long-Term Job Outlook?

Becoming a home health aide is a great way of future-proofing your life. This job is likely to be in high demand in the next few years because many baby boomers are becoming older. The majority of them don’t want to go to nursing homes. Instead, they want to keep living in their own New York house or apartment.

This means that the number of home health aides required is going to increase dramatically. As a result, you can expect your home health aide salary to increase rapidly, especially if you keep your credentials up to date and gain a lot of relevant industry-related experience.

Is Working with an Agency Best?

As a home health aide, you can either work with an agency or try to find your own patients. The former option is almost always best because it’s simpler and more convenient. With an agency, you don’t have to worry about advertising and finding enough work. Instead, you can simply tell your supervisor how many hours you’d like to work, and you’ll be assigned the correct number of shifts.

Become a Home Health Aide With Parent Care

At Parent Care, providing all our patients with excellent service is our priority. We pay our home health aides an excellent wage because we know they work better when they’re not worried about money. We also provide opportunities for continued professional development, so aides can make the most of their careers.

To start working as an aide, you need a high school diploma and a professional qualification. Since the training process only takes a few days, most home health aides can start working within a month or two. Reach out to us at Parent Care or give us a call at 718-486-7100 to find out more about our open positions. We’re always looking for certified home health aides.