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- Last Updated: April 21, 2023
How to Become a Home Health Aide
As a growing section of the population gets older or becomes less independent due to illness or injury, those individuals will need someone to take care of them. In some cases, the person’s family will do so, but that’s not always feasible. That’s where home health aides (HHAs) come in. HHAs provide daily support for a person unable to do certain activities themselves, like bathing or housekeeping, as well as other non-invasive medical tasks.
If you’re considering becoming a home health aide, you’ve picked a good time to start. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the projected growth for HHA jobs is 33% between 2020 and 2030 due to the aging Baby Boomer population. 33% is much higher than the average of around 8% for all other occupations
If you’ve ever wondered, “how do I become a home health aide?” or “what does a home health aide do?” you’ll find all the answers you need below, including:
- Career paths for home health aides
- The average salary for a home health aide
- Common home health aide qualifications
- And more
Home Health Aide Job Responsibilities
The difference between a home health aide and other types of caregivers like Certified Nursing Assistants is the training required to become one and the corresponding responsibilities and duties they’re able to perform. For example, personal care aides are not licensed and may have varying degrees of training, while an HHA must meet a federal minimum of 75 hours of training (with potentially more required by individual states), and certified nursing assistants are required to pass a certification course, usually from a community college. Because of this, HHAs are trusted with more responsibilities than personal care aides and tend to be a good balance between duties performed and cost. Here are some of the tasks HHAs are allowed to do:
- Monitor a patient’s condition
- Check vital signs
- Administer prescribed medications
- Help with daily personal tasks, such as bathing or dressing
- Perform housekeeping chores, like laundry and vacuuming
- Keep a client’s schedule organized and plan appointments
- Provide or arrange transportation
- Shop for groceries or prepare meals to meet a client’s dietary needs
Career Path For Home Health Aides
Because HHAs are generally considered entry-level positions, there are a lot of options for where their career path will go. Usually, you will start your career by working for a home care agency and will be assigned to one or a few clients. If you work there long enough or prove you can handle more responsibility, you might get additional clients, or you could be promoted to a managerial position.
You also have the option of furthering your medical knowledge and advancing your healthcare career. Many HHAs take classes to become nurses or assistants in the medical field. Here’s a breakdown of what some of those positions entail:
- Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs): CNAs are similar to HHAs, but have more experience, certifications, and increased responsibility. CNAs usually work in nursing homes, hospitals, or other long-term care facilities.
- Registered Nurses (RNs): RNs administer medications and provide treatment to patients while coordinating patient care with doctors and other nursing staff. RNs require an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing.
- Medical Assistants: Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other healthcare facilities. They usually have a diploma or certificate from a training program.
- Physical Therapy Assistants/Aides: PT assistants help patients regain movement and manage pain after injuries and illnesses under the supervision of a physical therapist. They are required to have an associate degree from a two-year program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.
- Bachelor's Degree (26.4%)
- Vocational Degree or Certification (21.5%)
- High School or GED (21.1%)
- Associate's Degree (18.1%)
- Master's Degree (8.7%)
- Some College (1.9%)
- Doctorate Degree (1.5%)
- Some High School (0.9%)
Requirements to Be a Home Health Aide
The main requirement to be a home health aide is completing a certification course consisting of at least 75 hours of training. However, some states require additional training, so be sure to check your state’s regulations here. Regarding education, you only need a high school diploma or GED, but if you have a vocational or associate degree, you are more likely to stand out to employers.
To be a truly great home health aide, there are also certain qualities and skills that you should have. Employers will likely be looking for these traits, so if you can highlight them on your resume or showcase them during an interview, it will increase your chances of getting hired. As an HHA, you’ll work in your client’s homes and will likely form close, personal relationships with them. Because of this, you will need excellent emotional and interpersonal skills. You will also need to be detailed oriented and have the endurance or stamina to work on your feet for many hours while performing strenuous tasks like turning or lifting your client. And finally, you should be dependable and trustworthy if your clients are going to rely on you in their homes.
Take a look at these other skills, education, and training employers look for in HHAs, including those trending on iHireNursing.
The type of patient and their location may increase or decrease your salary, so be sure to use our free Salary Research Tool to determine a fair salary in your area.
You'll need a top-notch home health aide resume to find a spot at the best home care agencies. Remember those qualities and skills mentioned earlier? Now’s your chance to make them shine. A good place to highlight soft skills like dependability or interpersonal abilities is in your summary section at the top of your resume. Then you can highlight your other hard skills in your job history.
You want to make sure you tailor your resume for each and every job you apply to; otherwise, you might not make it past the employer’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Tailoring your resume means looking for keywords in the job description and adding them to your resume where appropriate. Keywords can be found throughout the job posting, but your best bet is to look in the requirements and job responsibilities sections. For HHAs, they’ll usually be in the form of certification and training terminology as well as specific skills like patient care, charting/recordkeeping, patient safety, and activities of daily living.
Because HHAs are considered entry level-positions, you might not have a lot of experience to add to your resume. That’s normal, and you don’t need to worry. You can make sure you stand out to hiring managers by highlighting any other training or transferrable skills you’ve picked up in other jobs or volunteer roles throughout your life, like caring for a relative or providing excellent customer service.
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