How to Become a Home Health Aide in Iowa

Besides the 75 hours of training and 17 hours of clinical work required to receive certification in Iowa, you will also want to keep in mind the following, additional requirements and qualifications to become a home health aide:

• High school diploma or GED
• CPR and First Aid certifications
• Physical capacity: the ability to lean, kneel, squat, and lift heavy objects.
• Schedule flexibility: an ability to work mornings, nights, weekends, or holidays.
• An unrestricted driver’s license, clean driving record, automobile insurance, and a reliable means of transportation.

The job can be both physically and mentally demanding upon a home health aide.

Because your client might have declined physical capacity, it will be your responsibility to lift them, assist them in moving about as needed, as well as picking up anything they might need to be lifted.

You should be comfortable lifting objects of fifty pounds.

Because your client might also have declined cognitive ability, there may be a number of mentally strenuous tasks required by the job.

This may include moments of confusion, disgruntlement, and frustration.

A health aide should be able to keep calm and patient in all circumstances.

Finally, many of your clients may be late in life, and thus experiencing a number of emotional challenges, such as depression, anxiety, and dread.

In many cases, you will be the only person they have to speak to about these things.

It is also possible that you will be faced with other emotionally challenging facets of your job, such as caring for children with severe health issues.

A health aide should be aware of the possibilities and must be emotionally fit enough to provide care and comfort when these challenges arise.

A home health aide will have to complete a wide variety of duties in order to assist their clients, and it can be difficult to list responsibilities, given that everyone’s needs are different.

You should at least expect to complete the following daily tasks while on the job:

• Checking vital signs.
• Administering medication.
• Helping clients with daily tasks as needed, such as cleaning and laundry.
• Physically moving the client from one area to another as needed, such as helping them in and out of the bathtub.
• Shopping for groceries.
• Providing general companionship and quality company.

In Iowa, home health aides and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) are both considered to be Direct care workers (DCWs), both of which provide similar services.

The difference between the two is that CNAs require additional training qualifications and only CNAs are eligible to be placed in the Direct Care Worker Registry.

The registry puts CNAs in consideration for longer-term care facilities such as nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, or a skilled/swing bed unit of a hospital.

If you are considering caregiving as a long-term career choice, achieving CNA certification might be a reasonable option.

One of the many benefits of becoming a home health aide is schedule flexibility.

Unlike other jobs, there are no set hours and you have the freedom to specify your availability and when it is best for you to work.

Many people with other life obligations such as school, families, or creative passions, gravitate toward this job specifically for this reason.

Of course, the final determination on your schedule will be a matter of finding a situation that works best for both you and the client, you will at least have some say on when you are available to work.