How to Become a Home Health Aide in Utah
There are no state licenses required to work as a home health aide in Utah. All home health aides must be at least 18 years old and trained in first aid.
Aides working for an agency are supervised by a licensed nurse or a certified nursing assistant (CNA) with at least 2 years of in-home experience. Training and ongoing education is often provided when working for an agency.
There are home health agencies which accept Medicare/Medicaid (known as CMSs) and agencies who don’t. If you choose to work at a home health agency that accepts Medicare/Medicaid, it’s required to complete 75 hours of training, with at least 16 clinical hours.
No matter what type of home health agency you work for, it will offer a training program that meets the Federal or State of Utah standards. Therefore, no experience is necessarily required to work at either type of facility.
While CNA certification is not required, taking this step toward more comprehensive education is an attractive option for many home health aides. For one thing, it can provide more career advancement opportunities down the road.
Becoming a CNA in Utah requires completing a state-approved training program, passing the state examination, and passing a criminal background check. Once certified, CNAs can become registered on the Utah Nurse Assistant Registry. The registry maintains a list of state-approved CNA training programs. You can access the Utah Nurse Assistant Registry by clicking the link below:
-
A home health care agency is defined as meeting the following criteria:
1. Provide services to patients in their home or in special circumstances (such as a place of employment)
2. A licensed practitioner must supervise and direct all services
3. Personnel are responsible to the agency for any of the following services which they may perform
4. Skilled services authorized by a physician
5. Nursing services assessed, provided, or supervised by registered nurses
6. Any other health services approved by a licensed practitioner
Home health care agencies operating in the state must be licensed by the Utah Department of Health
Useful links1. Utah Department of Health, Health Facility Licensing
2. Utah Division of Aging and Adult Services
3. Utah State Board of Nursing
Approximately 2,880 people were employed as Home health aides in Utah in 2015.
Hourly Rate - Home health aides earned between $8.21/hour and $15.02/hour in 2015 (average rate was $11.76/hour)
Annual Salary - The annual salary ranged between $17,070 and $31,240 (average annual wage was $24,450)
Source - Bureau of Labor Statistics
There are several online directories to help find a local home health agency for jobs. A few of the best include:1. Utah Association of Home Care Agency Search
2. Care Pathways Home Health Agency Directory that lists facilities by city and whether or not they offer Medicare/Medicaid coverage.
3. Medicare’s Home Health Compare search tool , which lets you find a home health facility in your area code based on zip code, city, or agency name