Home Health Aides
People classed as Home Health Aides 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. The skills rated most useful are service orientation, active listening, and social perceptiveness. Expect to plan, purchase, prepare, or serve meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets. Its interest code is SRC. Social leads at 6.3 out of 7, so expect helping, teaching or caring for people, with Realistic next at 4.2. Getting in usually takes a few months to a year of learning on the job, a level O*NET calls some preparation. It tends to suit people who want helping, teaching or caring for people, and it offers little for anyone seeking creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
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.
Main tasks
- 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.
Skills
- Service Orientation
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Time Management
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You get energy from helping other people move forward.
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
- You are comfortable relying on service orientation and active listening.
May not suit you if
- You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.5 out of 7 here.
- You want a career built on years of advanced study.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SRC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.
Preparation
Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.
Also called
- Caregiver
- CHHA (Certified Home Health Aide)
- CMA (Certified Medical Aide)
- CNA (Certified Nurses Aide)
- Direct Care Professional
Related careers
Is this your direction?
See how your interests line up with SRC and 906 other careers.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.