Healthcare support
Home health and personal care aides
Monitor the health status of an individual with disabilities or illness, and address their health-related needs, such as changing bandages, dressing wounds, or administering medication. Work is performed under the direction of offsite or intermittent onsite licensed nursing staff. Provide assistance with routine healthcare tasks or activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, toileting, or ambulation. May also help with tasks such as preparing meals, doing light housekeeping, and doing laundry depending on the patient's abilities.
Median pay
$35,800
Growth to 2035
+18%
much faster than average
Openings a year
760,500
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Home health and personal care aides
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
Calculate your switch to home health and personal care aides
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Exposure to disease
Home health and personal care aides: 17% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Plan, purchase, prepare, or serve meals to patients or other family members, according to prescribed diets.
- Care for patients by changing bed linens, washing and ironing laundry, cleaning, or assisting with their personal care.
- Bathe patients.
- Maintain records of patient care, condition, progress, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager.
- Provide patients with help moving in and out of beds, baths, wheelchairs, or automobiles and with dressing and grooming.
- Check patients' pulse, temperature, and respiration.
- Entertain, converse with, or read aloud to patients to keep them mentally healthy and alert.
- Provide patients and families with emotional support and instruction in areas such as caring for infants, preparing healthy meals, living independently, or adapting to disability or illness.
Also called: Caregiver · CHHA (Certified Home Health Aide) · CMA (Certified Medical Aide) · CNA (Certified Nurses Aide) · Direct Care Professional · Home Care Aide · Home Health Provider · Hospice Aide
Outlook and AI
Home health and personal care aides held 4,677,100 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 5,524,400 by 2035 (+18%, much faster than average; all jobs: +3.5%).
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