Certified Home Health Aide

What is a Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA)?

A Certified Home Health Aide (CHHA) is a professional caregiver responsible for helping individuals maintain their personal health and hygiene in their home setting. CHHAs help individuals in a variety of ways, which may include assisting with daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, and grocery shopping. Aides can help with planning for doctor’s appointments and scheduling transportation. A Certified Home Health Aide works under the supervision of a Registered Nurse. The nurse develops a written care plan which the aide follows.

Where do CHHAS work?

CHHAS are employed by agencies hired to provide assistance to clients in their home settings. The agencies employing CHHAs are home health agencies, assisted living residences, comprehensive personal care homes, assisted living programs, nonprofit homemaker-home aide agencies, and health care service firms. CHHAs are an important part of our state’s “Care Economy” and help ensure that individuals can continue to live in the community, age-in-place in their homes, and avoid institutional care settings..

CHHA Minimum Requirement

The first step to begin a Home Health Aide career is to get quality training and earn your home health aide certification.

Basic requirements:

CHHA Training Requirements

Requirements to become certified as a home health aide by the NJ Board of Nursing are:

  • complete 76 hours of training (60 classroom hours & 16 clinical “hands-on” hours)
  • demonstrate required skills
  • pass a written examination
  • pass a background check

Once certified you will be listed in the online directory of Certified Home Health Aides that helps providers verify your status as a certified home health aide. New Jersey HHA certifications expire every two years and must be renewed through a renewal application.

Special Considerations

Any student who is enrolled in nursing school and has completed the “Fundamentals of Nursing” course can apply to become a home health aide without completing the 76-hour training course. 

Where To Get CHHA Training

Home Health Aide training programs are offered through:

  • Community colleges
  • Vocational schools
  • Online training programs
  • Home health care agencies

Get trained on the job

Some employers offer free classroom training to new hires and provides on-the-job training.

Find a job

Use the websites listed below to search and apply for “certified home health aide” jobs in your area.

  • Job Source - NJ Department of Labor search tool
  • Indeed - Certified Home Health Aides Jobs, Employment in New Jersey
  • Career Builder - Certified Home Health Aides Jobs in New Jersey - Apply Now
photo: aid helping elderly women with meal

Healthcare careers are in HIGH DEMAND.

CHHAs are one of the fastest growing jobs in the US.

 

Apply to be a Certified Home Health Aide
photo: aid helping elderly women with meal

Healthcare careers are in HIGH DEMAND.

CHHAs are one of the fastest growing jobs in the US.

 

Apply to be a Certified Home Health Aide

 

This website is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $5,000,000 with a portion funded by CMS/HHS to the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Money Follows the Person Demonstration. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.