What is a Certified Home Health Aide?

When thumbing through job postings, those that are seeking to gain employment in the home health aide industry, may see a job posting for a certified home health aide. A certified home health aide has received an education that must meet the minimum requirements  set out by the NAHC, or health care agencies that receives reimbursement for medicare or medicaid. It is important to know that a certification is not required to work as a home health aide, or gain an entry level position. A certification simply will increase your options when applying for positions, as the certification adds a level of trust for employers of home health aides.

The guidelines for the certification offered by the National Association for Home Health Care and Hospice (NAHC) includes 75 hours of in class training. There also will be a competency exam, which will assessed by a registered nurse, which will document 17 skills for competency of the home health aide, along with a written component developed by the NAHC.  Once the curriculum is completed, and the 2 exams passed, the individual can use the title of a certified home health aide.

The curriculum for the program offered by the NAHC, and by private home health agencies generally  will include training in personal hygiene, safe procedures for patient transfers and lifting, reading and documenting vital signs, infection control, and a basic understanding of nutrition.

Eligibility for Certification:

• Preferred education: In some but not all cases a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) will be required, in all cases the ability to read, write, and speak English, and ability to follow verbal and written instruction will be required.
• Required certification/licensure: a clean, valid drivers license in the state you wish to work.
• Physical demands: ability to lift up to 40 pounds unassisted
• Previous volunteer experience will be seen as an asset.
• A criminal background check
•  A physical examination, including State-mandated tests for tuberculosis and other diseases, may also be required.

As we mentioned above, agencies that  receive reimbursement from medicare and medicaid, must only employ home health aides with a minimum level of training. The standards are quite similar to those offered by the NAHC, as it will include 75 hours of training, and subsequent competency exams. The other requirement will be a minimum of 16 hours of supervised practical training before an aide has direct contact with patients or residents. These certifications are the minimum requirements set out by the federal government, in some states there may additional training required.

Some agencies provide their own training to new hires. The requirements for employment may be similar to the eligibility for certification bullet points above. These agencies will put you through a program like that mentioned above, and upon completion, you will be employed within that agency as a certified home health aide.

Now that you have an understanding of what a certified home health aide is, you can choose ways to in which to gain this certification to enhance your options for meaningful employment. Whether you decide upon completing the program offered by the NAHC , or find an agency who is willing to offer you the training as part of the hiring process, those that are certified should be in strong demand.