Career Overview
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.
Also Known As
- Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA)
- Certified Nurses Aide (CNA)
- Home Care Aide
- Home Health Aide (HHA)
Alternate Job Titles
- Care Worker
- Caregiver
- Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA)
- Certified Medical Aide (CMA)
- Certified Nurses Aide (CNA)
- Companion
- Day Support Professional
- Digital Health Caregiver
- Direct Care Counselor
- Direct Care Professional
- Direct Care Worker
- Direct Support Professional (DSP)
- Habilitation Training Specialist
- Health Care Assistant
- Health Service Worker
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
- Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
- Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
- Plan, purchase, prepare, or serve meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets.
- Check patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Assist patients with toileting and incontinent care.
- Feed patients.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Customer and Personal Service
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Active Listening
- Service Orientation
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Near Vision
- Inductive Reasoning
- Speech Recognition
- Information Ordering
- Speech Clarity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Written Expression
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Integrity
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Support
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Achievement
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Linux
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word
- Oracle Database
Tools & Equipment
- Abdominal binders
- Anti-embolism elastic stockings
- Bathtub seats
- Bed cradles
- Canes
- Crutches
- Desktop computers
- Electronic blood pressure cuffs
- Enema equipment
- Foot boards
- Gait belts
- Glucometers
- Heat lamps
- Home care ventilators
- Hoyer lifts
Work Environment
- Contact With Others
- Physical Proximity
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Nursing Assistants
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $39,530
Personal Care Aides
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: Varies
Paramedics
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $58,410
Psychiatric Technicians
Education: Some College Courses
Median Salary: $42,590
Occupational Therapy Aides
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $37,370
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.