Boost Your Career With Home Care Aide Training
Home care aides (HCAs), known as personal care aides (PCAs) in some states, are an essential part of care in the US Healthcare system. They support their care recipients and families with non-medical tasks like:
- Personal care tasks like bathing and dressing
- Preparing meals and grocery shopping
- Cleaning the home and doing laundry
- Running errands
- Helping to organize schedules
- Arranging transportation to medical appointments or community visits
Getting additional training is always beneficial–whether you’re a current care professional looking to upgrade your skills or are interested in becoming one. In this blog, we’ll learn about:
- What home care aide training is
- Why it matters for you and your care recipient
- 5 career benefits of home care aide training
Interested in learning more about Trualta’s training program and caregiver certification offerings? Check if you have free access.
What Is Home Care Aide Training?
Caregiver training courses are designed to train informal and professional caregivers on a variety of health and care topics.
Every state and home care organization has different training requirements for home care aides and other care professionals. Training courses usually cover many topics. Some information included may be useful for certain care professionals to know but may not be within their scope of practice in their state. It’s important to research and ensure you know what care tasks you are and are not allowed to do, as well as what training requirements apply to you. Check with your organization and ask questions if you feel unsure.
Here are some general examples of what home care aide training might include:
- Health and safety standards. For example, infection prevention and control.
- Providing person-centered care and trauma-informed care.
- Cleaning the home and properly disposing of waste.
- Supporting exercise and nutrition needs according to a care plan.
- Standard first aid and responding to emergencies.
- Preventing and responding to abuse and neglect, as well as reporting it.
- Helping with medications and avoiding mistakes.
- Using good communication and managing communication challenges.
- How to care for certain populations, such as older adults with dementia.
Why Home Care Aide Training Matters
Professional caregivers help people with disabilities or health conditions stay in their homes and communities for longer. They also are known to serve many under-served populations, addressing a clear gap in service delivery. However, many home care aides describe lack of training as one of the many stressors they face in their work. Lack of information and not enough caregiver training can put you and the person you care for at risk for injury, as well as increase your stress.
Being confident and competent when providing care to another person is important. Improving confidence and competence in care helps care recipients receive safer and more effective care. One way to build on your knowledge and skills is by accessing additional training. Many caregivers can benefit from additional education and training, whether you’re a personal care aide, home health aide, or a family caregiver.
5 Career Benefits Of Home Care Aide Training
1. More Job Opportunities
Research shows that home care aides are one of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States. With the aging population on the rise, the job outlook for caregiving positions is expanding rapidly, creating more opportunities for those interested in this field. Getting training can help you know that you have the skills and confidence to work as a caregiver in a healthcare setting, whether it’s in someone’s home or an assisted living facility. It’s also a great way to make your caregiving role official if you’re just starting on your professional caregiving journey.
2. Set Yourself Apart
While more caregivers in the workforce is great news for people receiving care, it’s important to set yourself apart from the rest! Home care training can help set you apart from other caregivers who haven’t received training. This is especially true if you get training in specialized areas, like dementia care, Parkinson’s care, mental health, or other complex care needs.
Building on your skills and taking a training course helps ensure you’re up to date on best practices. This is essential when working as part of any healthcare team. It also lets everyone know that you’re a lifelong learner who is committed to their profession.
3. Enhance Your Resume
Most home care aide training opportunities provide learners with a certificate. This can help show employers, coworkers, and others in your network that you’ve dedicated time and energy to improving your skills and knowledge. Showing dedication to your profession may help you find more advanced, specialized, or better-paying job opportunities down the road.
4. Higher Earning Potential
Getting additional training may help you earn more in your current position. You’re showing superiors and employers that you’re investing in yourself and that you care about the quality of care you provide. You’re also setting yourself apart from other caregivers who haven’t received training.
5. Advance Your Career
Getting home care training can be an important first step into the world of healthcare. Home care aides may find that they want to continue building their skills and training and move into other positions, like home health aides. They may also find they want to advance their training even further, like becoming a healthcare professional on a healthcare team and working in settings like acute care, palliative care, or a residential care setting.
Many training opportunities are offered online instead of traditional classroom instruction, which can make it convenient and easy to fit learning into your schedule. Regardless of what caregiving position you start in (or end up in), one thing is for sure: getting training can help you become the best caregiver you can be.
References
- https://www.als.org/navigating-als/resources/fyi-different-types-home-care-workers
- https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/home-health-aides-and-personal-care-aides.htm#tab-2
- Muramatsu, N., Sokas, R. K., Lukyanova, V. V., & Zanoni, J. (2019). Perceived Stress and Health among Home Care Aides: Caring for Older Clients in a Medicaid-Funded Home Care Program. Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 30(2), 721–738. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2019.0052
- Reinhard SC, Given B, Petlick NH, et al. Supporting Family Caregivers in Providing Care. In: Hughes RG, editor. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2008 Apr. Chapter 14. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2665/
- Chapman, S. A., Greiman, L., Bates, T., Wagner, L. M., Lissau, A., Toivanen-Atilla, K., & Sage, R. (2022). Personal Care Aides: Assessing Self-Care Needs And Worker Shortages In Rural Areas: Study examines self care needs for people with disabilities and worker shortages in rural areas. Health Affairs, 41(10), 1403-1412. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.00483
