Home Health Aide Careers How To Train For And Win This Job
Home health aides are in such high demand today, home health aide training programs can hardly keep up. Unlike many other career fields that have experienced a decline in job growth, job growth in the home health aide industry is expected to grow by more than 50% by 2018. This means, individuals that would like to break into this industry will have their pick of more than 230,000 job openings each year. By 2018, the workforce will increase from around 800,000 workers to nearly 1.2 million.
So why the spacious increase in job growth over the next 8 years? For starters, America’s elderly population is growing at a rapid pace. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world’s 65-over population is growing at a rate of more than 800,000 per month. Many of these individuals are living healthier lives, so they mostly need basic care in the home. In addition, America’s physically and mentally disabled population is expected to grow in the coming years. This will beget a demand for skilled workers that specialize in this area.
Home health aide careers offer little room for growth but they can help prepare workers for a career in other areas of health care such as nursing, physical therapy, and other related areas. As a result, job growth in this field will also occur as workers advance to other positions. Job growth will occur as a result of retirement or as workers leave the field for other reasons.
In addition to job growth and experience, home health aides earn a competitive salary. According to Collegedegreereport.com, home health care aides’ salaries start out on the low raze, but the salary increases with experience. The figures are as follows: entry-level personal & home care aides earn a starting salary of $12,590 per year, but the average salary is $18,180. Top earners make anywhere from $21,200-$24,120 per year.
If you’re considering a career as a home health aide, you should consider enrolling in a home health care program at a community college or vocational school or through an elder care program or home health care agency. In addition to a formal training program, certification is plus. Certification for home health aides is offered through The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC).
To score certification, you must complete 75 hours of coursework in the following areas: providing home care, theories of basic human needs, food and nutrition, safety and prevention of injury, personal care, care of home and personal belongings, diversity, caregiver observation, family spending and budgeting, confidentiality, aging, working with children, working with the mentally ill, and working with individuals with developmental and physical disabilities. Students will also rob communications classes and recording and reporting.
To salvage certification, you must also pass a written exam, and complete a competency assessment administered by a registered nurse.
After completing a training program and obtaining certification, there are a number of employment options. Yes, home health aides do work in the home, but they also work at nursing homes, assisted living residencies, and in private practices. Roughly 4.5% of all home health aides are self-employed and 35.6% work part-time.
For m ore information about home health aide careers, visit:
Home Health Aide Careers: Employment & Salary Trends for Aspiring Home Health Aides – a comprehensive career guide, from CollegeDegreeReport.com
http://www.bls.gov/ – The United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics homepage
Home Health Aides – Career, Salary & Employment Info – job statistics viewable by city and state, from CollegeDegreeReport.com
http://www.nahc.org/ – The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) homepage
http://www2.ed.gov/index.jhtml – U.S. Department of Education homepage
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Filed under United Health Care by on Jan 28th, 2012. 