Job description

Home Health Aides provide routine individualized healthcare such as changing bandages and dressing wounds, and applying topical medications to the elderly, convalescents, or persons with disabilities at the patient’s home or in a care facility. Monitor or report changes in health status. May also provide personal care such as bathing, dressing, and grooming of patient.

• 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.
• Bathe patients.
• Administer prescribed oral medications, under the written direction of physician or as directed by home care nurse or aide, and ensure patients take their medicine.

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Salary

Home Health Aides with little to no experience tend to make between $19060 and $21750 while the more experienced ones can earn over $28030 per year.

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Home Health Aide is to move to a higher paying state like NV. Right now, the highest paying states for Home Health Aides are NV, ND, CA, RI and MA.

However, a higher pay at NV doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at NV might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Home Health Aide is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.

Requirements

We asked other Home Health Aides what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by a Post-Secondary Certificate.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Home Health Aide.

What is the job like

65% of Home Health Aides said they were satisfied with their job and 78% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.

Is this right for me

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

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