If you are thinking that you would like to become a home health aide then you will be pleased to know that there are not really any formal requirements for you to follow. However, most of the time, you will be required to at least have a high school diploma or a GED.
You will find that the agency you work for will require you to have some type of training through them. Once this formal training is done you may need to pass a formal test.
As you work on getting your HHA certificate you will find that you are going to be trained by a nurse, supervisor, or even another home health aide. There are many different areas that you will are going to be trained in. Here are some of those areas:
- Various housekeeping tasks
- Being able to cook for clients that have special dietary needs
- Learning specific safety needs that will protect you and the client
- How to respond to an emergency situation such as CPR and even first aid
You will see that once your training is over you will most likely need to take
some type of a competency test. This is necessary to ensure that you know what you are doing and that you have learned all of the skills needed to work with someone in their home environment. As you become a certified home health aide you will see that many of the clients have their own preferences. Therefore, it may take some time for them to get use to working with you. You will also need to become use to working with them in return.
If you want to know how to become a home health aide you will need to look at your specific state. This is important because you will see that most states will have their very own requirements.
In many states you are going to see that some on the job training is all that you will need to have, as previously mentioned. But, there are some states that are going to require you to have some type of formal training. That is often where the home health agency is going to come into play.
Many of them are going to offer this training for free if you agree to work for the company for a certain amount of time when your training is over. Most states will also require you to have a background check. This is to ensure that you are not going to be a danger to the person that you are working with.
A certified home health aide will need to have some very important characteristics of their own. Here are some of the qualities that may help you be really good at your job:
- Detail oriented – It will be important for you to be able to follow very specific rules and different protocols when you are working with the clients that you have been assigned to.
- Interpersonal skills – You have to be sensitive to the emotions of the clients that you are working with. Every day with your clients can be different. It is necessary for you to be able to identify how they are feeling and help to make them feel better.
- Physical stamina – There may be times when you are trying lift a patient or you will be doing heavy lifting. Therefore, it is always good to be able to lift properly to ensure that you are not injuring yourself or the patient.
- Time management – If you have an agreed upon time that you said you would be at the patients home then you need to be there. They depend on you and you have to be able to stick to your schedules.
Finally, there are a lot of home health agencies that receive funding through
Medicaid and Medicare. Therefore, they may be required to have aides that have a home health aide certificate and that are registered at the state level. You can always speak with your employer about what their requirements are before you begin working. They will be able to direct you and to help you identify what steps you might need to take in order to become certified.
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