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Home Health Aides

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth
  • Numerous Job Openings

Monitor the health status of an individual with disabilities or illness, and address their health-related needs, such as changing bandages, dressing wounds, or administering medication. Work is performed under the direction of offsite or intermittent onsite licensed nursing staff. Provide assistance with routine healthcare tasks or activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, toileting, or ambulation. May also help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry depending on the patient's abilities.

What you’d do

  • Plan, purchase, prepare, or serve meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets.
  • Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
  • Bathe patients.
  • Maintain records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager.
  • Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming.
  • Check patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration.
  • Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
  • Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness.

Skills that matter

  • Service Orientation
  • Active Listening
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Monitoring
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Time Management

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Caregiver
  • CHHA (Certified Home Health Aide)
  • CMA (Certified Medical Aide)
  • Home Care Aide
  • CNA (Certified Nurses Aide)
  • Direct Care Professional

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