Utah Home Health Aide Programs

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

How to Become a Home Health Aide in Utah - Home Health Aide Programs in Utah

For those who have never heard of home health aides, they are the people who are hired to come in and assist clients who can't stay home alone by themselves because of medical conditions. The home health aide is responsible for making sure the client gets fed, gets their medications, and does the proper amount of exercise, especially if they are bedridden because they can get bed sores if they are not moved every so often throughout the day. For the more ambulatory clients, some home health aides will even drive them to run errands, go to doctor's appointments, and other various things. It just a matter of what each particular client needs in their home health aide.

Most states do not require any formal training for home health aides and Utah is no different. The only thing that you should definitely have is CPR certification. It is also helpful to take a class in administering medications. Because there is an extreme need for home health aides in Utah, there are many home health assisting companies that are located in the state. Working for a home health assisting company is a really good idea, especially if you are new to the field. Most home health companies provide their own training courses for their employees so that you learn everything you need to know before being placed with clients.

As the home health aide does not require formal education, the salary is not that much more than minimum wage. Most home health aides can expect to make $9.00 an hour starting out. That equals around $20,000 a year, which is not bad for someone with just a high school diploma or GED. Of course, some people who work as home health aides in Utah are nursing students who are doing that line of work to help put them through school, while also giving them experience with patients in a home setting so they can become home nurses.

There is one thing about it – home health aides are in need in Utah. There are a lot of people in this state, for religious reasons, who prefer to be taken care of at home for medical needs. The field of home health aides is going to grow by close to 70% by the year 2020. A lot of those new jobs will be found in Utah as more people are added to the population. It is definitely a career that is not going away so it is a good one to consider working in for the foreseeable future.

• Utah Department of Health
• Salt Lake Valley Health Department