Home Health Aides
Overview
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
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.
Demand
Core Tasks
Maintain records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager.
Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming.
Administer prescribed oral medications, under the written direction of physician or as directed by home care nurse or aide, and ensure patients take their medicine.
Bathe patients.
Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
Plan, purchase, prepare, or serve meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets.
Care for children who are disabled or who have sick or disabled parents.
Check patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration.
Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness.
Accompany clients to doctors' offices or on other trips outside the home, providing transportation, assistance, and companionship.
Perform a variety of duties as requested by client, such as obtaining household supplies or running errands.
Change dressings.
Direct patients in simple prescribed exercises or in the use of braces or artificial limbs.
Massage patients or apply preparations or treatments, such as liniment, alcohol rubs, or heat-lamp stimulation.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Customer and Personal Service
73%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
English Language
69%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Psychology
52%
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Public Safety and Security
52%
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Administration and Management
51%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Medicine and Dentistry
49%
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
Telecommunications
48%
Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
Education and Training
47%
Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Law and Government
47%
Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Transportation
47%
Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Top 10 Skills
Active Listening
75%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation
73%
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness
70%
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Critical Thinking
68%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
65%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Reading Comprehension
65%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Instructing
63%
Teaching others how to do something.
Persuasion
63%
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Speaking
63%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management
63%
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Top 10 Abilities
Oral Expression
78%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension
75%
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Problem Sensitivity
75%
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Near Vision
70%
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Inductive Reasoning
68%
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Deductive Reasoning
65%
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Information Ordering
65%
The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Speech Clarity
65%
The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Speech Recognition
65%
The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
Written Expression
63%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Top 10 Work Activities
Assisting and Caring for Others
96%
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
Getting Information
88%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
86%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Documenting/Recording Information
84%
Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
82%
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Handling and Moving Objects
80%
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
77%
Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
76%
Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
76%
Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
74%
Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Detailed Work Activities
Assist patients with daily activities.
Give medications or immunizations.
Maintain medical records.
Teach basic living or other adaptive skills to patients or caregivers.
Engage patients in exercises or activities.
Feed patients.
Assess physical conditions of patients to aid in diagnosis or treatment.
Apply bandages, dressings, or splints.
Accompany patients or clients on outings to provide assistance.
Administer therapy treatments to patients using hands or physical treatment aids.
Work Context
Physical Proximity
To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
Contact With Others
How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Frequency of Decision Making
How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Consequence of Error
How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not readily correctable?
Exposed to Disease or Infections
How often does this job require exposure to disease/infections?
Education
Interests
Social
100%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Realistic
72%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
39%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Enterprising
34%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Artistic
29%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Investigative
29%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Top 10 Work Styles
Integrity
93%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Dependability
92%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self Control
92%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attention to Detail
90%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Concern for Others
90%
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Cooperation
88%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Stress Tolerance
88%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Adaptability/Flexibility
84%
Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Independence
83%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Social Orientation
83%
Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
Work Values
Relationships
62%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence
39%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions
36%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement
34%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition
29%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
