New Jersey Home Health Aide Programs

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

How to Become a Home Health Aide in New Jersey and Home Health Aide Programs in New Jersey

More and more people need help with normal activities of daily living. The most common person to come help them is a trained home health aide. These professionals have special training in helping people perform those activities of daily living that are becoming more difficult. Most home health aides work in private homes but they may find work in nursing homes as well. Common activities that HHAs help patients with include bathing, skin care, hair care, meal preparation, getting in and out of bed, and bathroom assistance. For some patients, the home health aide assists with basic home health care tasks. Many people want to know how to become a home health aide in New Jersey.

In New Jersey, those who want to work as a home health aide must be a Certified Home Health Aid. In order to obtain this certification, students learn how to handle patients' ongoing needs. The certification course must have at least 76 hours. Sixty hours of it is classroom learning and 16 hours is practical learning. Many programs exceed this minimum requirement. Most courses have registered nurses on staff to teach. The CHHA has the task of helping patients with normal activities of daily life. They do not undertake housekeeping tasks as this is not part of their job. A CHHA must work under the supervision of a nurse in order to work in this capacity. They are there to help patients get through their daily living tasks.

Most CHHA programs in the state of New Jersey are run by private companies training them to provide contract services. However, with the CHHA certification, the person can work for any company after this point as long as they maintain their certification and licensing. All applicants must pass background tests besides having this certification. There is a constant need for people to fulfill this type of job. Many can find work as a live-in CHHA for patients who need constant 24/7 care.

Many use the training they receive as a CHHA to start their careers in the nursing field. Becoming a CHHA allows them to establish working knowledge of the nursing profession and have a source of income. Many companies who handle nursing professionals can help with tuition. This can be a rewarding career path for those who want to help people. Many work for the same patient or patients for years. For those who want to go further, this is a great starting point.

• New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services