Are you considering becoming a Certified Home Health Aide in the state of New Jersey?
This complete Certified Home Health Aide Guide for New Jersey is an overview of all the information you need to know as a Home Health Aide. Becoming a Certified Home Health Aide is a rewarding career.
Certified Home Health Aides are among the top 10 occupations with the largest job growth.
Our team of researchers and instructors spent the past few months putting together a guide just for you.
We’ve compiled the most common questions that include the following questions:
To become a Certified Home Health Aide registered by the New Jersey Board of Nursing requires no experience. However, it requires training and certification. Before you decide to jump into training, here are some common questions and a guide to help you get started.
What is a Certified Home Health Aide?
A certified home health aide is a healthcare professional who provides care for their patients. You may have heard that your relative was being taken care of by someone. Home Health Aides assist patients at their homes.
Certified Home Health Aides (CHHA) act as personal caregivers to people who need assistance in their day-to-day activities due to a medical condition. They’re like in-house nurses that can perform a variety of tasks such as doctor appointments, bathing, eating, walking, taking blood pressure, using the restroom, and picking up medications for their car.
You may have heard home health aides by other names such as:
Healthcare Assistant
Home Care Assistant
Personal Caregiver
Home Carer
Home Attendant
Community Care Assistant
Home care agencies and other medical facilities are where home health aides can find work. Additionally, they may decide to work as a freelancer too.
Agencies that employ aides are regulated by the Division of Consumer Affairs. The aides themselves are regulated by the New Jersey Board of Nursing.
This is an overview of what you can expect as a home health aide.
The common tasks that home health aides are responsible for:
Monitoring vitals
Passive and/or active range-of-motion exercises
Measuring patient’s weight
Performing fingerstick and glucometer readings and reports
Provide personal hygiene assistance for elderly patients or those recovering from surgeries, injuries, or accidents.
Medication Reminders
Help with mobility around the house or outside (doctor’s appointments, walks etc.)
Plan and prepare meals and help with physical therapy exercises if needed
Perform housekeeping duties
Act quickly and responsibly in cases of emergency
Offer activities that are essential for daily living by assisting patients with their meals, including serving and other tasks, if necessary
Home Health Aide Qualifications / Skills:
Creating a safe, effective environment
Health promotion and maintenance
Nursing Skills
Health care administration
Patient services
Verbal communication
Listening
Training
Dependability
Emotional control
Medical teamwork
Common Home Health Aide Benefits:
Flexible schedules and good pay
Sign-on Bonuses
Retirement savings plan with company matching contribution
Holiday pay (time and a half)
Paid sick leave (up to 40 hours per year)
Supportive office staff
Paid vacation
Career growth and opportunities
Employee referral bonus program
Direct deposit
Support and supervision by an RN
How to Get Training as a Certified Home Health Aide in New Jersey?
You’ve decided that this is the right choice. After doing your research, you’ve decided that you want to become a certified home health aide because it’s rewarding and you really enjoy helping others.
If you want to be certified as a Home Health Aide, you’ll want to find a school that is approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing. The training program must be 76-hours in New Jersey. Courses vary in price and quality.
Prices can vary between $500-$700 for a Certified Home Health Aide program. Certified Home Health Aide classes empower individuals with the necessary skills to become compassionate healthcare attendants.
How Long is a Certified Home Health Aide Course?
A Certified Home Health Aide course is required to be 76-hours in the State of New Jersey. Different programs in New Jersey will vary depending on the program. Usually, courses can be anywhere between 3-6 weeks.
In some cases, courses may be offered for free, but you may have to sign a yearly contract with the agency you plan to train with.
Due to the increasing demand, courses can be offered in morning or evening sessions. Furthermore, you may find courses that are offered online or during the weekend. It’s flexible in the state of New Jersey.
What are the requirements of a Certified Home Health Aide?
There are requirements that you need to have before becoming a Certified Home Health Aide. This is a list of requirements of a Certified Home Health Aide includes the following:
76 Hours of end-to-end training including 60 hours of Educational Training and 16 hours of hands-on clinical instruction.
Must be at least 18 years of age
Must be a US citizen or eligible to work in the U.S.
Pass Competency Test issued by the state
Mandatory Attendance for the full required time.
Clear Criminal Background
Employment or Promise of Employment by an Accredited Home Care Agency.
Where Can Certified Home Health Aides Work?
Certified Home Health Aides have the flexibility of where and who they want to work for. Typically, home health aides can be found in the following facilities:
Home Care Agencies
Nursing Homes
Hospitals
Medical Facilities
Private Homes
Pay and Outlook for Certified Home Health Aides?
In recent years, the home health pay outlook continues to get better. Since the pandemic, home health aides are receiving more recognition and are considered a vital part of the team.
According to the U.S Bureau of Statistics, home health aides and personal care aides can earn a median salary of $30,000. Their pay continues to grow in a number of states due to their value and their need. You can expect some home health aides to make way above the average with excellent benefits too.
What Do You Learn as a Certified Home Health Aide?
There are plenty of rewards for working as a Home Health Aide. You build strong and meaningful relationships.
Home Health Aides learn a number of skills. It’s a great experience builder for medical professionals. In addition to learning people skills and soft skills, you learn how to
Home Health Aides can expect to learn the following:
Housekeeping
Companionship
Using equipment such as Mechanical Lifts
Properly transferring patients
Emergency and Safety Procedures
Long term care, acute care, outpatient services, assisted living, and hospice
Components of Communication
Introduction to Human Behavior
Infection control
Body Mechanics
Anatomy and Physiology
Cultural Diversity
Introduction to Infant and Child Care
Personnel Policies and Agency
Job Descriptions
Throughout your time as a certified home health aide, you’ll learn how to use the following equipment too:
• Adult scale
• Alternating mattress or the like, egg crate stick, sock donner, button loop
• Bedpan (regular and fracture pan)
• Cane
• Catheter equipment (tubing, drainage bags, leg bags)
• Colostomy/ileostomy equipment
• Commode
• Crutches
• Enteral feeding equipment
• Feeding utensils (e.g. plate guard, rocking spoon)
• Gown/gloves/ mask/ face shields
• Hi-rise toilet seat
• Hospital bed
• Hoyer lift
• Infant/child equipment (e.g. bathtub, formula, scale, hi-chair)
• Old clothes for practice with dressing and donning
• Over-the bed table
• Oxygen equipment (nasal cannula, mask, tank, concentrator)
• Personal Care items (e.g. emesis & bathing basins, toothpaste, denture cups combs)
• Shower chair/bench/handrail
• Sink (for handwashing RDC)
• Slide board
• Slings/immobilizer, ace wraps)
• Thermometer (electronic)
• Transfer belt
• TV, AV equipment
• Urinal
• Walker (e.g. rolling, platform
• Wheelchair
What is the New Jersey Board of Nursing?
The New Jersey Board of Nursing is responsible for regulating the nursing and home health aide profession.
For further questions, please feel free to contact them at 973-504-6430 or email them at NursingUpdates@dca.lps.state.nj.us
Does Being a Home Health Aide Lead to Better Jobs and Careers?
Students who are searching for a career builder. This is it.
Certified Home Health Aides that lead to better jobs and careers. It’s an awesome starting point for those who aren’t sure healthcare is for them. When you’re ready to move up, home care agencies and hospitals offer great educational incentives.
Home Health Aide jobs can lead to rewarding career advancements such as management, nursing, or other medical professionals. It’ll give you a nice experience builder while you decide what your next choice is.
With you working with people, if you decide to transition to another field, you have plenty of soft skills experience. ‘
Can I transfer My New Jersey License to Another State?
It depends on the state. It’s on a case-by-case basis. There are some states where a New Jersey license can be transferred over to while others may require you to take another course or finish a set amount of hours.
Do Certified Home Health Aide Licenses Last Forever?
Certified Home Health Aides must renew their license every two years and must have a specific amount of work hours to renew. It’s a great license to have, but you must use it to keep it.
If your license becomes expired, you’ll need to look into reinstatements. You can find the status of your license here at https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/hhh/Pages/default.aspx
Final Thoughts
You’re probably on the path to deciding whether this is right for you. Now that you have a guide that can point you on the right path, a Certified Home Health Aide is a wonderful profession, and you can’t lose in this profession.
You’ll learn patience and understanding. It’s a rewarding path. There is a reason why home health aides stay in the profession for many years.
As a Certified Home Health Aide, you can expect to work in a meaningful and valuable profession. It is one of the fastest-growing fields today. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2030 the number of jobs available as a home health aide will increase by 41%.
A career as a home health aide gives you the chance to do important and significant work that makes the world a better place.