Becoming A Qualified Eldercare Home Health Aide

By Author: Sue Oja
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To ensure the quality of care for all of its residents - old and young alike - the Illinois Department of Health requires that all nursing aides, including home health workers, receive training and pass a competency certification exam. Once the training and certification exam have been successfully completed, the aide is then placed on the state registry and is eligible for employment at hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health care agencies throughout the state. (Employment may also be possible in other states, with little or no additional training or testing.) Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in the state of Illinois is fairly easy and relatively inexpensive.

Training Programs

Whether you are a young person just looking to start your career in home health care, or are looking for a second career or looking to reenter the work force, there are many opportunities for home health aide training. Since the demand for the training comes from both "traditional" and older student alike, many training programs offer more than one session of classes to accommodate most anyone's schedule. Some training ...
... facilities also offer overlapping terms, allowing for more students to take the classes at the same time. One thing to note: Illinois does not recognize any online or distant learning programs as fulfillment of the nurse aide/home health aide/eldercare aide training.

The Basic Nurse Aide Training (BNAT) requires at least 7 credits in both class work, lab practice and clinical rotation. Most of the programs last about a traditional college semester - between 4 and 5 months - although some accelerated programs only require 6 to 10 weeks. The training is open to students as young as 16, provided they can meet all other certification requirements. The class work involves 72 hours of lecture and instruction in basic nursing skills, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, and infection control. There are 21 skills that a nurse aide/home health aide must show proficiency of in order to receive certification. The 32 hours of lab practice required in nurse aide/home health aide training are spent teaching and practicing these skills, as well as in completing a basic CPR course. The clinical rotation of 40 hours is completed in a hands-on setting, allowing the student to experience working as an aide in "the real world" while still under the watchful eye of instructors and/or supervisory staff. Most BNAT programs cost between $900 and $2000, and students may be eligible to receive financial aid to cover some or all of the costs.

Certification Requirements

The two main requirements for CNA statue are successful completion of a recognized BNAT program and a satisfactory score on the certification exam. The exam tests a student's knowledge and ability in 6 broad areas: Communication Skills, Performing Basic Nursing Skills, Performing Personal Care Skills, Performing Basic Restorative Skills, Providing Mental Health and Social Service Needs, and Safeguardng Residents' Rights. The test is administered by the Illinois Nurse Aide Testing Program, and is offered at many sites throughout the state. (The required criminal background check is also provided by the Nurse Aide Testing Program as a service to approved training programs.) The Testing Program provides applications for the certification exam, offers a study guide for purchase, as well as an online practice test, complete with scoring and notations of which task objective each question is derived. The CNA who has successfully completed an approved BNAT program may work up to 120 days after completing their training without having taken the certification exam. After 120 days, however, the employer may not allow the aide to have contact with patients/residents. Therefore, timely scheduling and passing of the certification exam after completing your BNAT program is essential.

Other requirements the prospective home health aide/nurse aide/eldercare aide must meet include the aforementioned criminal background check. The Illinois Department of Health's Legal Services Office considers cases of criminal conviction on a case by case basis, so a criminal conviction in and aide's background may not necessarily disqualify him/her from obtaining certification. A US Social Security number is also required, as is a GED or high school diploma (or, in the case of high school students, a pending diploma.) Most home health agencies require a drivers' license, since their aides go into the patients' homes and travel is therefore necessary. Illinois, however, merely requires a state granted photo ID.

Illinois does recognize the training and certifications given by other states, provided the individual has passed all the requirements for certification in their former state of residence. Former military personnel who can prove training by the US Military as a nurse aide (or the equivalent) are also recognized as Certified Nurse Assistants by the state of Illinois.

Becoming a CNA in Illinois is easy, inexpensive and leads to a rewarding, satisfying career.
About Author:
Home and Hearth Caregivers is a division of Parker Cromwell HealthCare which provides Chicago elder care and non-medical live in caregivers for Hinsdale home care. Visit online for further information.