Tennessee Home Health Aide Programs

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

Home Health Aide in Tennessee - Becoming a Tennessee Home Health Aide

Home health aides, also called personal care aides, offer assistance to elderly, disabled (physically or mentally), infirm and recovering patients. They usually work in the homes of their patients, but there are positions in institutions, such as mental health residences and nursing homes. Technically, there are no requirements to become a home health aide in Tennessee. However, most individuals and agencies hiring home health aides will not even consider applicants who do not have at least a high school diploma (or its equivalent). Because there are no education requirements to take a job as a personal care aide, home health aide programs in Tennessee are limited, but they do exist.

Training in home health aide programs in Tennessee is geared toward helping students get national certification as home health aides. It is not necessary to be certified to be a home health aide in Tennessee, but it does make it easier to get the higher paying and more desirable jobs in the field, because it proves to potential employers that the applicant has an industry-standard set of skills and knowledge. National certification in this profession is offered by NAHC (National Association for Home Care and Hospice). To be certified, the applicant must have completed 75 hours of training in a personal care aide program, demonstrate knowledge through a written exam, and pass a skills assessment.

Working as a home health aide in Tennessee can be very rewarding. Many personal care aides develop strong, lasting relationships with their patients and their families, and they provide support, comfort, and much-needed help to those in need. The duties of a personal care aide can vary according to the needs of the client. They typically involve organization (schedule and planning), transportation (such as helping them get to the doctor's office or out to run errands), light housekeeping (laundry, vacuuming, dishes, etc.), assistance with personal hygiene and grooming, grocery shopping and meal preparation, and simply providing some companionship for patients who are usually fairly home bound.

Home health aide training programs in Tennessee are available through Donelson Home Health Care Institute; NATS, Inc.; Tennessee Health Careers; Career Academy, LLC; and online programs like Ashford University. The annual mean wage for a home health aide in Tennessee is $18,420, which is slightly lower than the national average of $20,560. The largest number of jobs available in this field in the state are in individual and family care (taking care of patients in their homes), but there are also opportunities through agencies and in residential facilities.

• Tennessee Department of Health