Nebraska Home Health Aide Programs

New graduates celebrate with their families at their nursing commencement ceremony.

How to Become a Home Health Aide in Nebraska and Home Health Aide Programs in Nebraska

Home health aides work with a variety of clients including the disabled, elderly, and cognitively impaired. The primary duties of a home health aide are assisting the client with basic everyday tasks such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, and housekeeping. This job can vary greatly with the individual client. Some may need assistance sorting and preparing medications. Others might require assistance with errands, being driven around town or having the errands run for them. Home health aides also provide companionship for clients who don't leave the house often. Attention to detail, organization, empathy and stamina are important qualities for a home health aide.

If you're interested in learning about how to become a home health aide in Nebraska and home health aide programs in Nebraska, there are a few important requirements that you should know about. In Nebraska, home health aides are required to have 75 hours of training and 16 hours of clinical practice. Home health aides must also obtain state licensure. Both a written examination and a skills test are required for state licensure. There are many different providers that offer adequate training for a home health aide. In addition to these training courses, home health aides may also pursue online training courses available from the National Association for Home Care & Hospice and RCTCLEARN.NET.

Approved nurse aide courses in Nebraska that can provide the state's required 75 hours of training include but are not limited to the following: * Central Community College * Midland University * Ashland Care Center * Good Samaritan Society * Heavenly Health Care University, Inc. * Grand Island Veterans Home * Blue Valley Lutheran Care Home * Providence Health Career Institute LLC * Mid-Plains Community College * Nebraska Methodist College * Garden County Health Services * Western Nebraska Community College * Metro Community College * Elms Health Care Center With numerous programs available throughout the state, pursuing this course of education is possible almost anywhere.

As baby boomers age, there is a growing need for home health aides. Many individuals prefer to receive care in their home rather than a hospital or hospice and this is what home health aides provide. Nationally, job opportunities for this profession are expected to increase by 69 percent over the 2010 to 2020 decade. This is much faster than the average for all occupations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual mean wage for home health aides was $23,910 as of May 2011. Earnings in the bottom ten percent were less than $17,280 while those in the top ten percent were over $32,130.

• Nebraska Department of Health
• The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department in Lincoln, Nebraska