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

Earn your accredited, affordable Home Health Aide career diploma online with Penn Foster in as little as 13 months!

See more details >>Sponsored

How to Become a Home Health Aide in Virginia

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:

Search Home Health Aide Programs

Get information on Home Health Aide programs by entering your zip code and request enrollment information.

Sponsored Listings
Featured Program

Earn your accredited, affordable Home Health Aide career diploma online with Penn Foster in as little as 13 months!

Request Information
SPONSORED
  • 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.

School Name Address
Cardinal Care Institute for Health Careers 150 Riverside Pkwy Suite #211, Fredericksburg VA 22406
Care Perfections Career Institute 8705 Stonewall Road, Manassas, VA 20110
Gee’s Career Training Institute 1822 Featherstone Rd, Woodbridge, VA 22191
Healthcare Training Solutions 6 West County Street Suite 103, Hampton, VA 23663
Nova Home Health Care 10680 Main Street, Suite 230, Fairfax, VA 22030
Featured Program

Earn your accredited, affordable Home Health Aide career diploma online with Penn Foster in as little as 13 months!

Request Information
SPONSORED

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.

Annual Salary Range:
$21K
$25K
$30K
10%
50%
90%
Annual Salary by Location:
Location Avg. Annual Salary
Virginia Beach $24,342
Norfolk $23,975
Chesapeake $23,945
Arlington $28,179
Richmond $25,519
Newport News $23,853
Alexandria $28,179
Hampton $23,853
Roanoke $23,516
Portsmouth $23,975

Regional Salary in Virginia

Region Employed Avg. Annual Salary Avg. Hourly Pay Top 10% Annual Salary Bottom 10% Annual Salary
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA940$28,100$13.51$30,640$24,960
Charlottesville, VA1,750$28,690$13.79$34,780$26,300
Harrisonburg, VA670$28,110$13.52$34,720$24,960
Lynchburg, VA1,980$28,010$13.46$32,380$24,960
Richmond, VA10,040$29,200$14.04$35,180$25,380
Roanoke, VA1,960$27,440$13.19$30,390$24,960
Staunton-Waynesboro, VA950$27,810$13.37$33,890$24,960
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC11,080$28,100$13.51$34,000$24,960
Winchester, VA-WV1,210$28,750$13.82$35,360$24,960
* Salary information based on the May 2023 Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey for Home Health and Personal Care Aides, OCC Code 31-1120, BLS.
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.

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.

USA HHA Schools by State


Leave a Comment

×

Earn your accredited, affordable Home Health Aide career diploma online with Penn Foster in as little as 13 months!

See more details >>Sponsored