You’re required to complete:
1. 76 hours of training. This includes 60 hours inside of a classroom environment and 16 hours in a clinical environment. After you complete the training process and fill out the certification packet, your school’s program will send it to the state for verification, along with a $70 application fee.
2. The agency or school will retain a list which deems you fit to be a certified Homemaker-Home Health Aide. You can then be put to work conditionally while your background check clears and, eventually, you’ll receive your certificate.
3. A registered professional nurse will review your standard of care you’ve giving to your patients and will ensure that you’re complying with the provisions written in the New Jersey Administrative Code.
The certification process has recently been revised for the state of New Jersey and detailed guidelines and required documentation can be found here-
How to Choose Your NJ Home Health Aide
The CHHHA (Certified Homemaker – Home health Aide) helps the registered nurse in any way they can with their patients’ needs. This means they must:
- Keep the patient’s room tidy
- Prepare meals and feed the patient in necessary
- Wash and dress them
- Aide them in the washroom
- Occasionally laundering the patient’s clothes
- Exercising the patient as required
- Running errands
They will not be required to regularly do laundry, cook or shop for their patients. Certified Housemaker-Home Health Aides may not work privately without an agency in New Jersey.
Online Directory of HHAs in New Jersey:List of certified homemaker-home health aides is maintained online in the form of a directory available here
How to find certified homemaker home health aides
Certified homemaker-home health aides must be employed by a New Jersey-licensed home health care services agency. A certified homemaker-home health aide may not work privately.
You can access the list of agencies by clicking the link below:
CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF HHA AGENCIES
Important Links:
Approximately 35,250 people were employed as Home health aides in New Jersey in 2015.
Hourly Rate - Home health aides earned between $8.91/hour and $14.05/hour in 2015 (average rate was $11.07/hour)
Annual Salary - The annual salary ranged between $18,530 and $29,220 (average annual wage was $23,020)
Source - Bureau of Labor Statistics
As required by the New Jersey Nursing Practice Act, the New Jersey Board of Nursing is charged the responsibility of enforcing the strict regulations for home health aides. Their mandated duties are:1. Issuing certification after the completion of the required training and a job is guaranteed by a licensed home care agency. The aide is responsible for renewing his or her certification every 2 years.
2. To perform background checks on prospective home health aides seeking certification or recertification.
3. Provide proper training materials and curriculum for HHA programs to ensure a proper educational experience.• Registered Professional Nurses are required by law to review a Certified Homemaker-Home Health Aide’s implemented plan of care.
• Important - Certified HHAs must be placed in an up-to-date registry maintained by the NJ Board of Nursing.