Occupation · SOC 31-1121
Home Health Aides
Monitor the health status of an individual with disabilities or illness, and address their health-related needs, such as changing bandages, dressing wounds, or administering medication. Work is performed under the direction of offsite or intermittent onsite licensed nursing staff. Provide assistance with routine healthcare tasks or activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, toileting, or ambulation. May also help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry depending on the patient's abilities.
Median wage
$35,940
$27,050–$46,360
Projected growth
—
—
Annual openings
—
per year
Employed (US)
5,464,490
Job Zone 2
Typical preparation
Some preparation
Stackable credential programs
23 mapped
Core skills
Active ListeningService OrientationSocial PerceptivenessCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionMonitoringWritingTime ManagementSpeakingPersuasionInstructingLearning StrategiesJudgment and Decision MakingCoordinationComplex Problem SolvingActive LearningNegotiationMathematicsManagement of Personnel ResourcesOperations MonitoringSystems EvaluationSystems AnalysisQuality Control AnalysisManagement of Material ResourcesManagement of Financial ResourcesTroubleshootingScienceOperation and ControlTechnology DesignOperations AnalysisRepairingProgrammingInstallationEquipment SelectionEquipment Maintenance
Knowledge areas
Customer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguagePsychologyPublic Safety and SecurityAdministration and ManagementMedicine and DentistryTelecommunicationsLaw and GovernmentTransportationEducation and TrainingPersonnel and Human ResourcesComputers and ElectronicsAdministrativeCommunications and MediaTherapy and CounselingPhilosophy and TheologyMathematicsEconomics and AccountingForeign LanguageSociology and AnthropologyGeographySales and MarketingDesignBiologyMechanicalFood ProductionProduction and ProcessingEngineering and TechnologyHistory and ArcheologyChemistryPhysicsFine ArtsBuilding and Construction
Technology & tools
AIGHD OASISEnterprise resource planning ERP softwareFaceTimeLinuxMi-Co softwareMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft ExchangeMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft WordOracle DatabasePythonSAP softwareSalesforce softwareUNIXWeb browser softwareWord processing software
Representative tasks
Assisting and Caring for OthersGetting InformationCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesDocumenting/Recording InformationIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsHandling and Moving ObjectsEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsEvaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsOrganizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeProcessing InformationThinking CreativelyInspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialsMaking Decisions and Solving ProblemsJudging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or PeoplePerforming General Physical ActivitiesScheduling Work and ActivitiesResolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersEstimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationInterpreting the Meaning of Information for OthersPerforming for or Working Directly with the PublicCoaching and Developing OthersAnalyzing Data or InformationCoordinating the Work and Activities of OthersTraining and Teaching OthersDeveloping and Building TeamsMonitoring and Controlling ResourcesOperating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or EquipmentDeveloping Objectives and StrategiesProviding Consultation and Advice to OthersCommunicating with People Outside the OrganizationControlling Machines and ProcessesPerforming Administrative ActivitiesGuiding, Directing, and Motivating SubordinatesStaffing Organizational UnitsWorking with ComputersSelling or Influencing OthersDrafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and EquipmentRepairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Patient mobility assistance — follow step-by-step protocols to help residents move in and out of beds and wheelchairs under direct supervisor guidance in a private home setting.Basic bathing procedures — perform supervised sponge and tub baths for patients using established hygiene protocols in a residential care environment.Vital signs observation — measure and record pulse, temperature, and respiration using standard thermometers and pulse oximeters under nurse or case manager direction.Patient care records — document daily observations of patient condition and progress in written logs using agency-provided forms under supervisor review.Bed linens and laundry — change bed linens and complete basic household laundry tasks following care plan instructions in a client's home.Prescribed meal preparation — prepare simple meals that meet a patient's prescribed dietary requirements under the direction of a supervising care coordinator.Patient engagement activities — read aloud, converse with, and engage patients in basic recreational activities to support mental alertness as directed by the care plan.Dressing and grooming assistance — support patients with dressing, hair care, and personal grooming tasks using safe handling techniques learned in entry-level training.Active listening during patient interaction — recognize and report changes in a patient's mood, complaints, or expressed needs to the supervising case manager.Electronic health record entry — enter basic patient care data into medical software or agency databases following data-entry guidelines provided during onboarding.
developing
Patient transfer techniques — execute safe bed-to-wheelchair and home-to-automobile transfers with minimal oversight, adjusting approach for individual patient mobility limitations.Bathing and personal care routines — complete full personal care sequences for multiple patients within a scheduled shift, maintaining dignity and hygiene standards in varied home environments.Vital signs monitoring and trending — check and log pulse, temperature, and respiration at regular intervals, identifying deviations from baseline and escalating concerns to the supervising nurse.Care progress documentation — write organized, accurate narrative notes in patient records and relay meaningful updates to case managers during routine check-ins.Dietary meal planning and grocery procurement — plan, shop for, and prepare weekly menus aligned with prescribed diets, adapting recipes to patient preferences and cultural considerations.Household maintenance support — manage laundry, cleaning, and household organization tasks efficiently across a caseload of multiple clients without prompting from supervisors.Social and emotional support — engage patients in purposeful conversation and recreational activities that reinforce cognitive alertness and emotional well-being during routine home visits.Family caregiver instruction — explain basic caregiving techniques such as safe patient handling or wound observation to family members using clear, plain language.Time management across client caseload — organize daily visit schedules and task sequences to meet all patient care obligations reliably across a multi-client assignment.Video conferencing for care coordination — participate in telehealth check-ins and remote case conferences using video conferencing software to share patient observations with supervisors.
proficient
Complex mobility and transfer management — independently adapt transfer and positioning strategies for patients with advanced physical limitations, including post-surgical or neurological conditions, in challenging home environments.Comprehensive personal care delivery — perform the full spectrum of bathing, grooming, and dressing assistance autonomously for clients with diverse and complex needs, maintaining dignity and infection-control standards.Vital signs interpretation and escalation — assess patterns in pulse, temperature, and respiration readings over time, making sound judgment calls about when to escalate findings to clinical supervisors or emergency services.Detailed patient record management — produce thorough, accurate, and well-organized care records using medical software and database tools, ensuring documentation meets agency compliance and audit standards.Individualized diet and meal adaptation — design and implement meal plans that accommodate prescribed diets, food allergies, cultural preferences, and swallowing difficulties without requiring external direction.Family and patient health education — provide structured instruction to patients and family members on topics including disability adaptation, infant care, and chronic disease self-management using clear teaching strategies.Holistic emotional and psychosocial support — recognize signs of depression, anxiety, or cognitive decline in patients and apply evidence-informed communication techniques to provide meaningful emotional support during home visits.Non-routine problem solving in the home — identify and resolve unexpected care challenges such as equipment malfunctions, sudden health changes, or unsafe home conditions using critical thinking and sound judgment.Interdisciplinary care coordination — communicate effectively with nurses, physicians, and social workers through electronic mail and care management platforms to ensure continuity across the patient's full care team.Independent caseload oversight — manage a full personal caseload across multiple clients, self-monitoring performance, prioritizing competing demands, and maintaining high care quality without routine supervision.
advanced
Mentorship and on-the-job training — guide newly hired home health aides through skill demonstration, feedback, and coaching in real client environments, accelerating their readiness for independent assignments.Agency documentation standards leadership — develop and improve patient record-keeping templates and data-entry protocols in medical and database software to enhance accuracy and compliance across the team.Care quality monitoring program — establish and oversee a systematic process for reviewing aide documentation and observational reports to identify care gaps and drive continuous improvement across an agency's caseload.Family caregiver education program design — create structured instructional materials and group sessions that teach family members and new aides caregiving best practices, including safe mobility assistance and prescribed diet adherence.Complex case consultation — serve as a resource for colleagues and supervisors when non-routine patient challenges arise, applying deep experiential knowledge to recommend care strategies for clients with advanced medical or behavioral needs.Interdisciplinary collaboration leadership — represent the home health aide perspective in multi-disciplinary care team meetings, contributing patient observations and social context insights that influence care plan decisions.Workforce scheduling and coordination — coordinate shift assignments and visit scheduling across a team of aides using enterprise resource planning or office suite software to ensure consistent, gap-free client coverage.Technology adoption facilitation — lead team-level adoption of new medical software, telehealth platforms, and electronic health record systems by demonstrating use cases and providing peer coaching during rollout.Patient advocacy and ethical judgment — identify and escalate concerns about patient safety, dignity violations, or unmet psychosocial needs to agency leadership, acting as a consistent advocate for vulnerable clients in the home care setting.Organizational performance reporting — compile and present data-driven reports on team care outcomes, documentation compliance, and client satisfaction using spreadsheet and database reporting software for agency leadership review.
Also known as
42 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
Care WorkerCaregiverCertified Home Health Aide (CHHA)Certified Medical Aide (CMA)Certified Nurses Aide (CNA)CompanionDay Support ProfessionalDigital Health CaregiverDirect Care CounselorDirect Care ProfessionalDirect Care WorkerDirect Support Professional (DSP)Habilitation Training SpecialistHealth Care AssistantHealth Service WorkerHealth Support Specialist (HSS)Healthcare AssociateHome AttendantHome Care AideHome Care AttendantHome Care GiverHome Care ProviderHome Health Aide (HHA)Home Health AttendantHome Health Care ProviderHome Health Preventative AideHome Health ProviderHome Health Social WorkerHome Help AideHome Hospice AideHome ProviderHospice AideIn Home CaregiverIndependent Living SpecialistNurse's CompanionResident AssistantResident Care AideResident Care AssociateResident Care ProviderResidential Aide