What You Might Not Know About Home Care Companion Training and Certification
Written by:
Jeffrey Grossman
Published:
September 13th, 2021
Are you a caring, compassionate individual looking for home health aide training in Richmond, VA?
Or, do you want to know how to become a PCA in Virginia? Home care agencies are experiencing a shortage of caregivers and are looking to hire for many different home health aide jobs in Richmond, VA. In fact, all kinds of home care professionals are in high demand right now.
But did you know that home health aides (HHA), personal care aides (PCA), home care companions, and in-home caregivers all have similar roles and salaries? The only difference is the training time and fees required to attend training.
Signing up for a VA home health aid program to gain an HHA certification can be great preparation for work in the home care industry. However, before signing up for an HHA training program or personal care aide training in Richmond, VA, there are some factors you may want to consider. In this article, we’ll be sharing information about home health aid certification in VA and home care companion training in general. You’ll gain a greater understanding of what it takes to become an HHA and some of the alternatives to an HHA certification. Keep reading to learn how to start a career in caregiving today.
We’re hiring caregivers in Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, VA and Charleston, SC.
Home Health Aide Certification in VA
Taking a home health aide (HHA) training course in Richmond, VA and receiving an HHA certification is one way to begin a career in caregiving.But there are certain requirements you need to meet in order to obtain your HHA certification.Here’s a quick rundown of the HHA certification requirements and what you can expect from an HHA training program.
HHA Certification Requirements
In general, there aren’t many requirements to start working in clients’ homes as a home health aid. Agencies that are licensed to accept Medicare/Medicaid, however, may require an official HHA certification. The federal requirements for an HHA certification include:
75 hours of instruction
16 hours of supervised clinical experience
12 hours of continuing education over the following 12 months
Instruction to be provided by a licensed nurse
Additional requirements for HHA certification vary by state. For example, home health aide jobs in Richmond, VA require that HHAs work under the supervision of a registered nurse.It can be beneficial to check into your state’s requirements and even contact some local agencies to see what they require.
HHA Training Programs
There are many home health care training programs in Richmond and around VA for those looking to work in in-home health care. In addition to helping you meet HHA requirements, many of these training programs lead to certification as a Personal Care Aid (PCA) or Certified Nurse Assistant (PCA) as well. These programs vary in length of hours, price, and topic details. For example, the personal care aid training program offered at Care Perfections Health Services, LLC is 40 hours long and costs $1,049, with a $50 application fee. Though home care companion training provides instruction in a broad range of valuable skills, some VA home health aide programs may not meet the federal requirements for home health aid certification in VA. So, you’ll want to make sure the HHA training program you choose meets the national specifications.
Home Care Companion Training: The Alternative to Becoming HHA
HHA certification and training programs are one way to begin a career in caregiving.But before you spend the time and money to attend a home health aid training program, you should consider that:
You don’t need an HHA certification to work as an in-home caregiver to elderly adults
In-home caregivers without a CPA, CNA, or HHA certification receive similar pay to those with a certification
Though home health aid training programs cover a lot of practical skills, they often underemphasize interpersonal skills
Becoming an in-home caregiver at a private in-home care company is an excellent alternative to an HHA certification. Rather than requiring expensive certifications, the top in-home care companies:
Have their own in-house home care companion training program
Give you the knowledge and skills needed to provide quality care to aging seniors
Start paying you a salary while you’re in training
Resource you with ongoing training and support
Here at Commonwise Home Care in Richmond, VA, we want our caregivers to be prepared to provide the highest quality care to our clients. Because we value caregiver training so highly, we developed a proprietary in-house training program called Caregiver University (CU). CU ensures you have all the necessary skills by providing you with:
An 8-hour online training that’s designed to be fun and engaging
A 1-day in-person training so you can practice and master what you learned online
Ongoing training and support as you encounter new challenges on the job
We couldn’t offer such exceptional in-home care without our caregivers, so we offer industry-leading wages. Our caregiver salaries start at $15/hour and increase from there.Receiving home health aid training through Commonwise is a time-efficient and cost-effective way to prepare for work in the home health care industry. Apply to our open positions to start a rewarding and fulfilling career as a caregiver today.
We’re hiring caregivers in Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, VA and Charleston, SC.