How to Become a Home Health Aide in New Jersey (Requirements & Schools)

Here is where you’ll learn more about becoming a home health aide in New Jersey.

In most states, the position of a home health aide is one of the first and easiest ways of entering the healthcare industry.

Ideal Candidate

The position of a home health aide is perfect for those who like to help others, especially the elderly.

It’s not only the elderly who require help, however, but also those suffering from various disabilities or recovering after traumas or surgeries.

The following attributes are among the most important for a future home health aide:

• Respectful
• Dependable
• Accurate
• Detail-oriented
• Compassionate
• Physical strength

In some cases, other traits are also very useful and can increase employment chances and even salary.

These include:

• Knowing how to prepare meals, according to dietary needs
• Being able to speak another language
• Being able to work with pets, such as taking them for a walk or feeding them
• Knowing how to work with children

Training and Certification

In New Jersey, home health aides need to be certified as Homemaker-Health Aides (CHHAs).

The certification is issued by the Board of Nursing after completing the appropriate training program.

The minimum accepted program has:

• 60 hours of classroom education
• 16 hours of clinical practice

The accepted programs are offered through:

• An institution approved by the State Department of Education or the Department of Higher Education
• Home care agencies licensed by the Division of Consumer Affairs
• Home care agencies licensed by other bodies approved by the Board
• Home health agencies or hospitals licensed by the Department of Health

The schools below meet the above requirements.

The curriculum has 66 hours covering job aspects that will be useful in most work settings:

• The role of unlicensed assistive personnel in long-term-care
• Foundational concepts for working with others
• How to create a safe resident environment
• Body systems
• Related care

Future home health aides will also learn about how to act around those suffering from depression, dementia, or delirium.

The remaining hours focus on job aspects encountered in-home care and hospices:

• Child care
• Responsibilities of the agency towards the aide
• Working with team members, clients, families
• Homemaker health aide considerations

The homemaker’s considerations course will include aspects such as housekeeping or how to deal with death and dying.

Not all the courses are equally organized, and some might be completed in as little as 8 weeks while others might last even 12 weeks.

Once you complete the course, you’re expected to pass an exam.

The exam can only be taken twice after completing the course.

Those who fail both exams need to re-enroll in the training program.

To obtain the certification, you need:

• Fill out the application form
• Attach a passport-style photo
• Pay the application fee – $50
• Pay the certificate fee – $30
• Pass a background check

Certification through endorsement is possible if the candidate has some work experience in the state they are already certified.

Employment and Salary Info for New Jersey

Home service organizations are the main employers for these professionals.

In New Jersey, the average salary of a home health aide is higher than in most other states.

The highest income in this state is recorded in cities like Jersey City, Newark, Clifton, Paterson, and Elizabeth.

Regional Salary in New Jersey

Further Details

In many states, a home health aide administers medicine as well.

In New Jersey, this is not a duty to be completed by the aide.

The aide can help the client take the medicine though.

The certification needs to be renewed for a fee of $15.

HHA Schools by State