Home Health Aide Schools and Programs in Georgia

Home health aides assist people with cognitive impairment, chronic illnesses or disabilities, helping them with their day-to-day routines. They can be involved in applying topical medications, dressing wounds, changing bandages, and may even help with the grooming, dressing and bathing of a patient. As with most health care careers, home health aides should consider some kind of formal education or training to prepare for the job.

Georgia Home Health Aide Schools

Whilst home health aides require no formal education, most will have a high school diploma at least. There are a number of educational facilities that provide programs that enable students to pursue their career as a home health aide. A number of these home health aide schools are located in Georgia, including:

• Wiregrass Georgia Technical College: WGTC is located in South Georgia and was established in 1963. There are over 100 programs on offer including a Nurse Aide Technical Certificate of Credit.
  
  
• Southern Regional Technical College: The main campus of SRTC is located in Thomasville, Georgia, with over 150 certificate, diploma and degree programs on offer. This includes the Nurse Aide Technical Certificate of Credit which takes place over 2 semesters.
  
  
• West Georgia Technical College: Serving Troup, Meriwether, Heard, Haralson, Douglas, Coweta and Carroll Counties, WGTC are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. They offer a Nurse Aide Certificate Program which combines classroom training with all of the necessary clinical experiences.
  
  
• Central Georgia Technical College: Established in 2012, Central Georgia Technical College is part of the Technical College System of Georgia. At CGTC, students can enroll on a Nurse Aide Technical Certificate of Credit which takes places every semester and involves 13 credit hours.
  
  
• Southern Crescent Technical College: Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Southern Crescent offers a wide range of programs including a Nurse Aide Technical Certificate. This course takes place over a period of 2 semesters with a minimum of 13 credit hours being required for graduation.

What to Expect from Georgia Home Health Aide Programs

At a home health aide school in Georgia, you'll be able to broaden your knowledge of the health care field in order to go on and look after patients yourself, whether this is in their own home or a specialist care facility. Most of the courses involve classroom based learning as well as laboratory practice. Each program can cover a number of subjects, including:

• An introduction to health care
• Medical terminology
• Diet and nutrition
• Preventing the spreading of disease
• Recording and assessing blood pressure, respiration and pulse
• Catheter care techniques

Once completed, many of these programs allow you to go on and sit the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP).

Georgia Home Health Aide License

To become a home health aide in Georgia you don't require a specific license but the National Nurse Aid Assessment Program is used by the state of Georgia to determine nurse aide competency. This involves passing a skills test and written or oral test. Once both parts have been completed successfully, you'll be placed on the state register to show that you have met the necessary state and federal requirements.

Many employers may also need you to undergo on-the-job training. When working for an agency that receives reimbursement from Medicaid or Medicare, you will need to become certified by passing a competency evaluation and undergoing a minimum level of training. Formal training is sometimes available through home healthcare agencies, elder care programs, vocational schools and community colleges. And some employers may require you to have a CPR certification.

Resources for Home Health Aides in Pennsylvania

• National Nurse Aid Assessment Program (NNAAP)
• Georgia Association for Home Health Agencies, Inc.