Home Health Aide Certification
As a Home Health Aide who has completed the Home Health Aide Certification process you are regarded as a paraprofessional.
As a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) you can expect to make more money and enjoy greater opportunities for advancement than the non-certified Home Aide.
Home Health Aide (Non-Certified)
Generally neither formal education nor a high school diploma is required for becoming a non-certified home health aide.
Home health aides usually receive on-the-job training by working with Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Certified Home Health Aides (CHHAs) or other experienced but uncertified Home Health Aides.
This type home health aide training usually takes a few months of working side-by-side with the professional. Aside from in-service training, the trainee attends workshops and lectures. Once the training is completed, the Home Health Aide may have to prove they can properly perform required tasks by undergoing a competency evaluation.
Getting Your Home Health Aide Certification
The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) has developed guidelines for the Home Care Aide National Certification Program.
The Home Health Aide Certification Program consists of three competency-based elements :
Training: This includes 75 hours of in depth training which is based on the Teaching Guide for the Home Care Aide.
Skills Demonstration:The Skills Competency Assessment Checklist for Home Care Aides.
Written Exam: A standardized test which is based on the NAHC certification guidelines.
Home Health Aide Job Outlook
Home Health Aide Jobs Outlook Key Points Your job opportunities as a Home Health Aides are projected to be excellent for the next decade because of the rapid growth in the need for in home care and high replacement needs. Training requirements vary by state, what type of source funds the position and which type of home service agency is involved. You may work weekends and part time or evenings to accommodate the clients needs. Home Health Aide Job DescriptionHome Health Aide Jobs - Understanding Your Mission As a Home health aide you may be helping older adults, people who are chronically ill, disabled or cognitively impaired and those who live at home or residential facilities who need special care. You could be assisting people with disabilities go to work and remain engaged in their communities. As a home health aide you may work in hospices and day programs or assist those who mentally disabled. In other positions, you may be helping hospitals discharge patients who have relatively short-term needs. In many instances, you will be working under the supervision of an RN Registered Nurse) Home Health Aide Certification for Medicare and Medicaid JobsIf you work for an agency that receives reimbursement from Medicare or Medicaid you must receive home health aide certification training. You are required to complete both a training program consisting of a minimum of 75 hours and a competency evaluation or state certification program. Your training will include information regarding personal hygiene, reading and recording vital signs, safe transfer techniques, and the basics of nutrition and infection control. At a minimum, your home health aide certification will include 16 hours of supervised practical training before you are able to have direct contact with a patient. Search for home health aide certificate programs in your local area. You may also find nearby colleges that offer a combined nursing assistant and home health aide certification program. The Federal Government sets up minimum requirements. Check with your state. It may require additional hours of training for certification. For more information about training, certification and advancement please go to our pages titled Home Health Aide Training and Home Health Aide Certification. You can also find additional information thru the National Association for Home Care and Hospice at www.NAHC.org
Building Your ResumeHome Health Aide Jobs - Resume - Short Version SampleNancy Job-Hunter123 Surrey AvenueAny Town, USA 11820Home: (866) 000-1234 Email: njobhunter@sampleresume2.com OBJECTIVE A position as a Certified Home Health Aide SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS Qualified aide to the elderly, convalescent or disabled; good communication skills, organized, pleasant, professional EXPERIENCE Home Health Aide, 2006 to present: Sunrise Home Health Services, Inc., My City, USA. Responsibilities included assisting patients by administering oral medications, checking patients temperature, respiration and pulse rates. Helping patients perform prescribed exercises as well as getting into and out of bed. Also assisted in their bathing, grooming and dressing. Home Health Aide-in-training, 2004 -2006: Goodwell Home Health Care Agency, Inc., My Town, USA. Trained to provide in-home care to the elderly, disables, and infirm disabled patients under the prescribed supervision of a registered nurse and a certified home health aide. EDUCATION Rochester Community College - A.A. Health Care Services, 2003 ACCOLADES AND INVOLVEMENTS Member of National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC).
Which additional job duties match your experience?NOTE: The resume above is a shortened sample of a full resume. It serves as a beginning outline for a complete resume. Below are examples of additional experience one might find on a resume. If any match your actual experience, you should consider including them. Home Health Aide Jobs - Additional Professional Experience Administer prescribed oral medications under specific written directions of physician or as supervised by nurse. Changing dressings. Check and monitor patients respiration, pulse and temperature. Direct patients in prescribed exercises and in the use of artificial limbs and braces. Provide patients and families with emotional support. Train them in areas such as preparing healthy meals, infant care, adaption to illness or disabilities, and guidance for independent living. Performing a wide variety of duties requested by client. Examples: Shopping for household supplies and running errands. Helping patients maintain mental health and awareness by entertaining, conversing with and reading aloud to them. Accompany clients to doctor appointments, short trips outside the home. Providing companionship and transportation. Maintained records of patient conditions, care, progress and any problems. Reported observations with supervisors and case managers. Assist patients in safe transfer. Examples. In and out of baths, their beds, vehicles, wheelchairs and scooters. Assisting them with grooming and dressing. Prescribed massage. Rubs with alcohol and liniment. Heat-lamp stimulation. Caring for children who are disabled or who have parents who are disabled or sick. Plan, shop, prepare, and serve meals to patients and other family members, according to prescribed diets. Wash and change patients bed linens. Clean patients room. Laundry.
Home Health Aide IncomeHome Health Aide Jobs - Salary Projections As you see in the chart below, Certified Home Health Aides make significantly more than non-certified. This chart is an average from a nationwide sampling. This gives you an overall picture of potential income levels. However, rates vary by state. The survey was taken in 2009. I suggest that you add 3% each year to the figures shown to get an estimate of current rates.
 Source: Genworth Survey 2009
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