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

Just like most other states, Virginia is in great demand for workers in the healthcare industry.

If you want to enter this field as a home health aide, this guide will explain the process you have to follow.

Ideal Candidate

Of course, you can’t enter a field without knowing if you’re made for it.

Good home health aides have the following qualities:

• Compassion
• Detail-oriented
• Dependable
• Strong physically

Occasionally, other skills will be needed and the aide may already have them or they may have to learn them.

As such, willingness to learn new skills is another quality you should have for this position.

Training and Certification

In Virginia, home health aides are considered as unskilled workers, though it’s obvious they do need certain skills.

Because of how the occupation is seen, they need minimal training.

These professionals don’t need to be licensed, but their agency does.

There are some instances in which the agency doesn’t need credentials.

The situations are related to chores involving homemaking.

To work as a home health aide or home attendant, you can receive training as one of the following:

• Nurse
• Home health aide
• Nursing assistant

The minimum training is set at the federal level, with a total of 75 hours.

Out of these, 16 hours must be spent in a clinical setting while supervised.

These schools are approved to offer such training courses.

Your training will cover topics such as:

• Understanding patient needs
• Observing and reporting patient status
• Maintaining adequate fluid and nutrition intake
• Using infection control
• Providing safe, appropriate hygiene and grooming
• Recording vital signs

It’s important to know that only those who meet the following requirements will be accepted to enroll:

• 18 years, minimum age
• Having a high school diploma or GED
• Passing a TB test
• Passing a general health check

The classes will end with an exam.

The exam has a written part and a skills part.

Generally, only 5 skills will be tested and the individual must perform all the skills at a satisfactory level.

If you want to train as a certified nurse assistant, your program will be at least 12 hours long.

Your exam will be organized through Pearson Vue and once you pass you’ll have to register with the Board of Nursing.

Details about Employment and Salary in Virginia

Like in all other states, those hiring home health aides the most are agencies in Virginia.

To be employed by a home health agency, you’ll have to pass a background check.

Below you can see the best agencies in Virginia to apply to:

• AMEDISYS Home Health Care, in Abingdon
• Southern Virginia Regional Home Health, in Emporia
• Home Nursing Services of Southwest VA Inc., in Abingdon
• LivHome, in Arlington
• Amaisa Home Care, in Loudoun County
• Home Instead Senior Care, in Manassas
• Home Instead Senior Care, in Fredericksburg
• Caring.com

The higher salaries are in the higher cities, but also experience and specific workplace can increase the average salary.

Some of those cities are Arlington and Alexandria.

Regional Salary in Virginia

Extra Info

Home health aides are generally expected to help clients with:

• Mobility,
• Hygiene,
• Nutrition

Home health aides, no matter which certification they got, usually work under the supervision of a nurse.

HHA Schools by State