Home health aides provide care at home, including personal care, medication assistance, and light housework. In the US, they often need certification as a nursing assistant and may also need to pass a home health aide test. Preparation should include reviewing the textbook, practicing clinical skills, and taking practice tests. A separate home health aide test may be required to demonstrate independence and capability.
Home health aides (HHA) are licensed practical nurses who specialize in providing care at home. Their duties often include taking vital signs, bathing and other personal care, assisting with administering medications, making small meals, and light housework. Home health aides are often placed in patients’ homes by a nursing agency, and their care is intermittently supervised by a nursing supervisor (RN). In the US, most home health aides need certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who have earned their state certification by successfully completing a two-part test consisting of a written exam and a clinical test. Preparation for this assessment and for the Home Health Support test should generally consist of reviewing the class textbook, returning to completed class tests, practicing the necessary clinical procedures, and taking the various prep tests found on the Internet.
The first step in preparing for a home health aid test is to start early, at least a few weeks ahead of time. It is recommended by testing centers that students review the textbook used during classes in the course and pay special attention to topics also emphasized during classes. Students should also keep a written list of vocabulary that is unfamiliar or unclear and transfer this information to flash memory cards for ease of study. It is also helpful for students to refer to tests administered during class to help highlight important concepts that will undoubtedly appear on the official exam.
Students are also expected to practice the necessary clinical skills and procedures. It is often helpful to ask a partner or classmate to observe your actions against the proper procedures described in the book. There are also many online tests for use in practice on the Internet. Particularly helpful are the practice tests sponsored by the certification organization that sponsors the home health aid test.
As noted above, in most states, the certified nursing assistant exam serves as the de facto test for a home health aide. Some organizations and employers, however, have begun to require one of several home health aid tests in addition to the more familiar CNA exam. One of the main reasons for encouraging additional preparation, education and certification through the home health care test is the growing recognition of the extent to which home care workers work independently and outside of constant supervision. A separate successfully completed home health aide test in addition to a CNA certification demonstrates almost conclusively that a home health aide is capable of performing all duties of a certified nursing aide independently and without supervision.
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