May also be called: Home Care Workers; Homemaker Health Aides; Nurse Assistants; and Home Attendants
Home Health Aides help elderly, convalescent, or disabled persons in their own homes instead of a health facility. Some help discharged hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs. They work for licensed home care agencies and provide basic nursing care in private homes or hospice programs under the supervision of Registered Nurses. The number of people living into their eighties continues to grow, a group that usually has health problems that need at least some assisted medical care. These people prefer to stay in their own dwelling where they are more independent, comfortable, and where the cost is usually lower than nursing home rates. Home Health Aides provide health-related services. They teach patients ways to care for themselves despite illness or disability. Home Health Aides help keep patients mentally alert by talking and listening to them. They may also care for children of their sick or disabled patient.
Each task below is matched to a sample skill required to carry out the task.
Home Health Aides work in patients’ homes where other family members may live. They also work in hospice settings caring for patients who are dying. They need to have the ability to deal calmly and good-naturedly with patients who may be in pain, uncooperative, or depressed. In addition, Aides sometimes have unpleasant duties such as emptying bedpans, collecting urine or stool specimens, and changing soiled linens. Home Health Aides may go to the same patient’s home for months or even years. However, most Aides work with a number of different patients, each job lasting a few hours, days, or weeks. They may spend a good portion of the work day traveling from one patient to another. Mechanical lifting devices are seldom available in patients’ homes, and Home Health Aides can sustain injuries resulting from positioning patients. They need a valid California driver’s license and usually need access to a car. Home Health Aides may work full-time, part-time, or on-call, depending on patient needs. Full-time certified Home Health Aides normally visit five or six patients a day and spend about one to two hours with each patient per visit. Many agencies hire only on-call, hourly workers with no extra benefits except for paid mileage. Other agencies hire Home Health Aides on a full-time or part-time basis and with a guaranteed minimum number of hours. Evening, weekend, and holiday work is common. The occupation is generally non-union.
Prospective Aides should first decide if this is the kind of work they want to do. Job satisfaction and willingness to stay on the job usually comes from doing work that holds one's interest. People who like Home Health Aide work usually have a social interest. This means they truly like to help others, talk to them, teach them how to do things, and provide services.
The median wage in 2018 for Home Health Aides in California was $27,947 annually, or $13.43 hourly. The median is the point at which half of the workers earn more and half earn less.
Depending on the hiring agency, benefits for full-time workers usually include vacation, sick leave, and medical and dental insurance. Some employers also pay for vision, life insurance, and retirement plans.
The outlook for Home Health Aides is excellent. With more people living longer, more Californians are living with disability and/or illness. Most people needing care would prefer being cared for in their home rather than a nursing home or hospital, leading to more jobs for Home Health Aides. This occupation will grow much faster than average compared with all occupations in California. This high rate of growth is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. The occupation provides good opportunities for job seekers who want a short training period and for those who want part-time or temporary work.
In California, the number of Home Health Aides is expected to grow much faster than average growth rate for all occupations. Jobs for Home Health Aides are expected to increase by 41.0 percent, or 10,900 jobs between 2016 and 2026.
A high school diploma is not required to work as a Home Health Aide. In general, Home Health Aides must take classroom and clinical training approved by the Department of Health Services, Aide and Technician Certification Section (ATCS). Course content includes basic nutrition, meal planning and cooking, home cleaning tasks, and ways for bathing, turning, and moving the patient. Home Health Aides also learn to deal with patients’ emotional problems caused by illness or aging and learn something about behavior, particularly in elderly patients. Health care agencies that employ Home Health Aides must give them at least 12 hours of in-service training and do a performance review each year. Home Health Aides are required to renew their certification every two years.
There are no experience requirements for Home Health Aides. However, most employers prefer applicants who have experience in this occupation or a related field.
High school classes that might help pepare one for a job in this field includes domestic arts, strength training, English and a foreign language would be good preparation for a career in this field.
Adult education programs and regional occupational programs (ROP) in many local school districts give Home Health Aide training. In addition, some private career schools and colleges train for this occupation. The local EDD One-Stop Career Center can help the job seeker find training.
Contact the agency that issues the license for additional information. Click on the license title below for details.
To work in California, Home Health Aides need a certificate issued by the California Department of Health Services (DHS). Applicants need:
There are two ways to search for training information at www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/resources/training-and-apprenticeships.html
Contact the schools you are interested in to learn about the classes available, tuition and fees, and any prerequisite course work.
Most Home Health Aides work in patients homes. Some work in residential care facilites, nursing homes, and hospitals. Most Aides find work with the help of agencies. The largest industries employing Home Health Aides are as follows:
Home health agencies and hospice programs hire Home Health Aides. Recent graduates can apply at their school for job placement. Many go to work for the agency where they did clinical on-the-job training. They should also apply at a local Visiting Nurses Association of America. Direct application to employers remains one of the most effective job search methods. Online job opening systems include JobCentral at www.jobcentral.com and CalJOBSSM at www.caljobs.ca.gov.To find your nearest One-Stop Career Center, go to Service Locator. View the helpful job search tips for more resources. (requires Adobe Reader).
You can focus your local job search by checking employers listed online or in your local telephone directory. Below are some suggested headings where you might find employers of Home Health Aides.
To locate a list of employers in your area, use "Find Employers" on the LaborMarketInfo Web site at http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/aspdotnet/databrowsing/empMain.aspx?menuChoice=emp
With more training, Home Health Aides can become Medical Assistants, Licensed Vocational Nurses, or Registered Nurses.
Below is a list of occupations related to Home Health Aides.
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The following codes are provided to assist counselors, job placement workers, or other career professionals.
Printed on Sunday, February 17, 2019