The Home Health Aide Profession

Home Health Aides provide assistance to elderly, disabled, ill, and mentally disabled persons who live in their own homes or in a residential care facility. Some Home Health Aides work with families in which a parent is incapacitated and small children need care. Others help discharged hospital patients who have relatively short-term needs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the Home Health Aide is projected to be the fastest growing occupation through 2018. Numerous job openings with excellent opportunities are expected. Job opportunities will be prevalent in hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, home care, long-term care facilities, hospice and assisted living facilities. Home Health Aides can be in the form of paid employees who come into the home for a few hours a day or who live in the home fulltime or can be family members or friends of the resident.

The Home Health Aide Program

This comprehensive program prepares students for a position as a Home Health Aide. Emphasis is on giving personal care in a client’s home, communications, working with ill persons, basic human needs, eldercare, nutrition, special diets, and home management. Many different types of individuals require assistance in daily tasks, assistance with minor medical tasks, and companionship because they are ill, elderly, or disabled in some way, may be of any age, and live at home or in a home-like residential facility. Home Health Aides provide this assistance entirely or provide some of the care to allow family caregivers a respite. This program will ensure students are prepared to provide a variety of essential services for their clients including health care management and monitoring, assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) ranging from bathing, dressing, eating, using the bathroom, housekeeping and laundry to medication reminders and/or management, recreational activities and companionship, security and transportation.

Education and Certifications

• Students should have or be pursuing a high school diploma or GED.
• There are no state approval and/or state requirements associated with this program.
• There are several National Certification exams that are available to students who successfully complete this program:
• National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) Exam
• Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) Certification Exam.

Certification Opportunities

Detailed Course Information

National Certification

Upon successful completion of this Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) program, students would be eligible to sit for the National Healthcareer Association (NHA) Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) exam and the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exam. Although there are no state approval, state registration or other state requirements for this program, students who complete this program at TAMIU will be prepared and are eligible to sit for the NHA CCMA certification exam and the MOS national certification exam and are qualified, eligible and prepared to do so. TAMIU works with each student to complete the exam application and register the student to take their national certification exam.

Clinical Externship / Hands on Training / Practicum

Although not a requirement, once students complete the program, they have the ability to participate in a clinical externship and/or hands on practicum so as to practice the skills necessary to perform the job requirements of a professional in this field. Students will be assisted with completing a resume and/or other requirements necessary to work in this field. All students who complete this program are eligible to participate in an externship and placed with a participating organization near their location. TAMIU works with national organizations and has the ability to place students in externship opportunities nationwide.

Technical Requirements

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