Home Health Care Provider Training

Home health care providers are in very high demand because they allow people with disabilities of all kinds to function to the best of their ability in the comfort of their own home. A home health care provider can cover an extremely large range of duties, depending on their skills and certifications, and are an extremely valuable component to any medical care facility.

Requirements

• To become a home health care provider you will need a high school education or equivalent, have a valid driver's license and a working automobile with insurance. You will need to be able to travel many miles each day, as the people you care for can be spread out, not just in your immediate area but in surrounding areas as well.

Courses Available For Home Health Care Providers

• One of the easiest ways to begin your career as a home health care provider is to attend a technical school that offers a wide variety of nursing classes. The rate of pay you receive will be very dependent on what type of skills and certifications you have. If you attend classes to become an LPN, respiratory therapist, or physical therapist, you can make much more than a home health care provider who has only been trained by the facility they work for.

Free Training

• Home health care providers don't technically need to attend school at all. Most home health care companies will provide them the training they need to work in this field over the course of a week or two with paid training. The company will typically train you to be a CNA and may or may not train you to administer medications.

Job Outlook And Salary

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics has home health aides listed as "excellent" in regards to demand from the 2008 to 2018 decade. This is due to more and more home health companies being established to meet the growing demand of an aging population and to help families care for loved ones when they may not have the amount of time required to do so on a daily basis.

  As of June, 2010, the wages for a home health aide range between $8.29 and $11.17 per hour. This rate is mainly for CNAs and those who help assist individuals with day-to-day tasks, such as laundry and home duties.

Additional Information

• A home health aide will have a lot of travel time each day, and that is usually reimbursed by the company they work for. Many of the patients they visit will be elderly or developmentally disabled, and the aide will prepare meals, handle household chores and take them to and from appointments.

  If the home health care worker is med certified, they may administer medications or breathing treatments. The job duties will vary greatly on a daily basis.