This career doesn’t require a degree and will add 1 million+ new jobs in the next 9 years.
Are you looking for a job that’s not going to let you down? Something you can do even after the worst of the pandemic has passed? Becoming a personal or home health aide is a great career for people who want to work with patients, but may not have the resources to become a nurse or doctor. If you want to make a real difference in other people’s lives, you would enjoy this career.
The hospitals are full of patients, so routine, simple care is difficult to find. Plus, most people would rather receive care at home anyway. Which means that home health aides are in high demand. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the home health aide market will grow faster than average over the next decade. Between 2019 and 2029 the home health aide market is expected to grow by 34%, with a total of 1,159,500 new jobs. If you are interested in this career option, here are some steps that you can take.
Becoming a home health aide
The good news is, to become a home care aide, you don’t need to acquire any expensive degrees. In fact, you don’t need an education level beyond a high school diploma, but will likely need to earn a certification through a short program. These certification programs vary by state, however, the standard is 120 hours of classroom training and 40 to 60 hours of clinical work. You can get certified by the National Association of Home Care and Hospice, but many colleges offer their own certification programs.
The tuition for a home health aide certification program typically costs between $300 and $650. That’s nothing compared to the average cost of an undergraduate degree, which will run you about $37,650 per year for private colleges, $10,560 per year for in-state tuition at public colleges, and $27,020 per year for out-of-state tuition at public colleges. That’s a lot of money, not to mention the four years it takes to get a degree that may not even land you a job. With home care aide certification, you will enter or re-enter the workforce with marketable skills for a growing and in-demand field.
What does a home health aide do?
A home health aide cares for people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, cognitive impairments, or age-related problems. These people decide to hire a home health aide because they wish to still live in their own home. Some home care aides live with a patient while others just work regular hours at the patient’s home. A home health aide is often hired to complete routine chores that the care recipient can’t manage on their own, like laundry, cooking, and shopping. They also assist with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, grooming, and moving from one place to another. They also monitor the care recipient’s vital signs, physical condition, mental condition, level of exercise, and how much they eat and drink. It is also the responsibility of a home health aide to handle emergencies, such as a heart attack, stroke, or accident. The job requirements of a home health aide are ultimately dependent on the individual needs of the care recipient.
Home Health Aide: A Career Poised For Substantial Growth
By 2030,the Baby Boomers will all be 65 or older. As they retire and grow older, there will be a need for more health care workers than ever before, and home health aides will become an even more important piece of the healthcare industry. Without an increase in home health aides in the next few years, there might not be enough people to care for the baby boomers in their old age!
How To Find An Available Home Health Aide Position
This ultimately presents a golden opportunity for people entering this profession. If this sounds like the job for you, how do you find them? You could search the classifieds, Craigslist, or another job board, but that’s a vast ocean you probably don’t want to navigate.
To increase your chances of finding a home care aide position quickly, create a profile on OneBook and be seen by the folks who need you. People who are looking to hire home health aides will feel confident about hiring you from OneBook because they will know you have been thoroughly vetted by our team of experts. OneBook makes it easy to search for, find, and hire local service professionals, so don’t wait to become on of those professionals.
Sign Up for the OneBook Service Pro Marketplace and take your first step toward an exciting new career!
