Home Health Aide Program Details | Penn Foster Career School

Program Goal and Outcomes

Program Goal

To prepare students to assist clients with Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, monitor and report changes in a client’s health, and be an instrumental part of a Home Care Team in the role of a Home Health Aide working in home or community settings.

Program Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to...

Describe a direct care worker’s/home health aide’s role in a private home or community setting
Apply ethical and legal rules and regulations for direct care workers
Demonstrate oral and written communication skills for speaking with patients, family, medical personnel, and other caregivers using appropriate language and terminology
Apply standard procedures to maintain clean and safe environments for both themselves and their patients, including residential, transportation, and outside locations
Demonstrate knowledge and skills in areas of science relevant to the home health aide’s role, including anatomy and physiology
Apply standard practices to assist patients with the activities of daily living, including bathing, dressing, grooming, meal preparation, physical movement, and mental exercises
Assess patients’ physical and mental condition, including vital signs, behavior, activity level, and mental acuity
Administer medications, prescribed treatments, and basic first aid as directed by patients’ healthcare manager (when appropriate and allowed)
React appropriately to emergency situations
Maintain accurate records of patient care, condition, progress, and change
Create meal plans according to prescribed dietary recommendations and restrictions
Develop an instructional plan to teach families how to care for patients and react to emotional, medical, and physical situations
Discuss unique practices and procedures involved with caring for special populations

Introduction to the Home Health Aide Role

This course orients students to Penn Foster’s program. Students will receive an introduction to the role of the Home Health Aide working in the home or community setting, explore current trends and career options, and discuss professionalism, regulations, responsibilities and standards.

Objectives:

Understand how to use your Student Portal
Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers
Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites
Identify Home Health Aide roles and skills needed for providing home and community based care
Explain specific medical and non-medical jobs and responsibilities of the Home Health Aide
Summarize state and federal regulations and standards of care applicable to Home Health Aides
Describe how the health care delivery and reimbursement systems are organized
Identify different career options and current trends for Home Health Aides

Therapeutic Communication Skills

Through this course students will examine the importance of human interaction, including verbal and nonverbal communication, the communication feedback loop, barriers, cultural competence, and effective communication techniques. Students will learn communication skills to assist in caring for patients and families to meet health care needs, therapeutic communication skills, and unique practices involved with caring for special populations. This course also introduces students to basic medical definitions and abbreviations, including word analysis, word usage, roots, prefix and suffix, with an emphasis placed on spelling and constructing medical terms. Students will be given an introduction to the positional and directional terms used to describe the human body.

Objectives:

Identify the components of interpersonal communication
Explain the skills required for effective oral communication
List the best practices and prejudices involved in forming effective workplace communication
Describe the essential elements of therapeutic communication
Explain the ways that technology can enhance or become a barrier to communication
Identify skills and strategies used to communicate with clients and families
Discuss different ways of communicating with clients with behavioral and other disabilities
Summarize the history of medical terminology and how terms are formed
Describe the relationship between the structures of the body
Differentiate the positional and directional terms used to describe anatomical locations
Identify the nutrients that fuel basic body functions

Body Systems and Medication 1

This course will familiarize students with various body systems including structure, function, diseases, disorders, and treatments. Students will also learn drug delivery systems, drug administration routes, drug classifications, and commonly used medications for various organ system disorders.

Objectives:

Describe the anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system
Explain cardiovascular system disorders and treatments
Identify the composition of blood and hematologic system in general
Recognize various blood disorders and treatment options
Describe the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system
Explain various diseases and treatments of the respiratory system
Identify the components and functions of the endocrine system
Recognize common endocrine system disorders and treatment options
Describe the gastrointestinal system and its disorders and treatment options
Describe the urinary system and its disorders and treatment options
Describe the reproductive system and its disorders and treatment options

Body Systems and Medication 2

This course is a continuation of Body Systems and Medication 1. Students will continue to learn about various body systems, drug delivery systems, drug administration routes, drug classifications, and commonly used medications for various organ system disorders. They’ll also learn basic medication calculations, storage, how to assist patients with administration, and proper documentation.

Objectives:

Explain the basic functions of the integumentary and musculoskeletal systems
Identify the integumentary and musculoskeletal system structures and their functions
List common integumentary and musculoskeletal system disorders and their effects
Distinguish which treatments are used to treat common integumentary and musculoskeletal system disorders
Illustrate various sensory organs, common diseases, and treatment options
Explain the basic anatomy and physiology of the nervous system
Describe common nervous system diseases and psychiatric disorders along with treatment options
Illustrate immune system components and functions
Describe the common immune system diseases and treatments
Explain cancer and chemotherapy medications used to treat cancer
Describe the Six Rights of Drug Administration and their importance to your client's health
Describe the most common routes of drug delivery
Perform basic medication dosage calculations
Explain proper medication record documentation for drug administration
Identify methods that insure medication safety and proper storage

Home Care Procedures

This course is designed to provide training for students in providing personal care to patients to meet their physical, psychological and mental needs. Homemaking and organizational skills as well as a working knowledge of IADLs will be developed. Students will learn to perform a basic health assessment with a concentration on observing patients for condition changes. Students will also examine basic infection control and prevention strategies. Safety precautions and procedures for maintaining a clean and safe environment for the Home Health Aide and patients in the home, at outside locations, and while transporting, along with proper body mechanics are demonstrated.

Objectives:

Explain how to maintain a safe environment for clients
Describe how to maintain a healthy and clean environment for clients
Identify methods of preventing infection and medical asepsis when caring for clients
Describe the use of good body mechanics when working with clients
Explain how to correctly and safely make an empty bed and an occupied bed
Describe the tasks involved in providing personal care to your client
Discuss the care needed for clients with urinary and bowel problems
Describe how to properly and safely collect specimens for analysis

Textbook: Mosby’s Textbook for the Home Care Aide, Third Edition, Elsevier

Nutrition

This course encourages students to develop healthy eating habits for themselves and their clients. It provides an overview of nutritional and hydration needs. Students will learn meal planning, preparation, and food safety. The relationship between nutrition and health is explored. Maintaining a balanced diet is discussed, and is linked to appropriate physical activity and fluid balance.

Objectives:

Describe how proper nutrition is important
Examine the body's way of processing food
Analyze refined carbohydrates' relationship to obesity and diabetes
Examine functions of lipids and essential fatty acids
Explain amino acids' relationship with proteins
Compare water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamin characteristics
Differentiate between major and trace minerals
Assess factors affecting the absorption and metabolism of alcohol
Analyze what’s meant by a healthful weight
Discover how nutrition and physical activity support good health
Outline nutrition's affects throughout your life cycle
Examine risks and procedures of food transportation, storage, and preparation

Textbook: Nutrition for Life; Pearson

Meeting Clients’ Needs

This course provides students with an overview of the aging process and how to provide competent care to the aging patient. Students will discuss normal biological aging, attitudes toward aging, myths of aging, and end of life issues. Monitoring and assessment for changes in psychosocial and functional status will be explored. Students will examine the development of an instructional plan for families to effectively manage physiologic and/or psychosocial changes, as well has how to react to emergency situations.

Objectives:

Identify your client’s needs
Explain how to observe, report, and record information about your clients and their families
Describe the important aspects of working with ill and disabled clients and their families
Explain the special care needs of older clients
Identify the care needs of mothers, infants, and children
Describe the needs of the client involved in palliative care
Explain the care needs of clients with mental illness
Describe the role of the Home Health Aide when caring for clients requiring home care
Describe the elements of emergency situations, who to call for help, and first aid techniques

Textbook: Mosby’s Textbook for the Home Care Aide, Third Edition, Elsevier

Law, Ethics, and Confidentiality

In this course, students will learn how law affects healthcare practitioners, the origin of law that affects medical professionals, the basics of the process of litigation and its alternatives, the common-law basis for the confidentiality of healthcare information, and the laws regulating healthcare information collected and maintained by government agencies.

Objectives:

Describe civil and criminal law, sources of law, and the steps of litigation
Distinguish between liability, negligence, and malpractice in relation to healthcare
Determine medical malpractice and criminal charge defenses
Identify the various ethical issues that healthcare professionals face
Examine contemporary medical ethical issues
Analyze ethical reproductive health issues
Recognize ethical end of life issues
Analyze the court's role in healthcare information and litigation
Examine patient's medical record requirements and common issues
Summarize the common-law basis for confidentiality
Apply privacy rules to patient information
Describe OSHA's safety rules
Identify special types of health information
Recognize special rules and social-policy issues of HIV patients
Evaluate risk management's affect on quality and electronic medical records

Externship

All students are required to have a minimum cumulative grade average of 65% in this program in order to participate in an externship. Externship requirements vary by agency and state but will generally include a Criminal Background Check; a 2-Stage PPD Test showing negative results for TB; Child Abuse Clearance (PA State required); a Valid Driver’s License and Proof of Auto Insurance; and access to a functioning vehicle that is available for use during scheduled work hours. Additional items may be required of the student based upon the agency where they choose to do their externship. Any costs associated with these requirements will be the responsibility of the student.

The goal of the externship is to produce competent home health aides by developing the essential skill sets through practical experience. The externship process and requirements are discussed in the course materials. Further information is given on home health aide regulations and requirements as applied to each state.

There are also some states that require Home Health Aides to be a Certified Nursing Aide in order to complete the required externship in this program and or for employment in that state. Please click here to refer to state-by-state training requirements for the state where you plan to work to learn more before enrolling in this program.

Objective:

Demonstrate home health aide skills learned throughout the program

Equipment: Blood Pressure Kit for the Home Health Aide

Licensing and/or certification requirements for jobs in this field are not the same in every state and may include educational, testing, and/or experiential requirements beyond those offered in the Penn Foster Program. Prospective students should contact the state professional licensing board or similar regulatory body in the state(s) where they plan to work to determine their requirements before enrolling in this Program. Click here for contact information for state licensing/regulatory boards and certain industry licensing information.

The Penn Foster Home Health Aide diploma program aligns to and exceeds the minimum federal standard for home health aide training: 75 hours of classroom instruction, including 16 hours of supervised practicum. The Penn Foster program consists of 200 hours of online and self-study training, 40 hours of a required supervised practicum, and then assessments. In states where additional practicum hours are required, students may be able to arrange for extended externships beyond what Penn Foster requires.

State training requirements vary for Home Health Aides, with some states requiring more than the Federal standard and may include requirements beyond those offered in this program. There are also some states that require Home Health Aides to be a Certified Nursing Aide in order to complete the required externship in this program and or for employment in that state. Please see instructions below to refer to State-by-State Training Requirements for the state where you plan to work to learn more before enrolling in this program. Where additional training may be required, the Penn Foster program will help to prepare for employment in Direct Care Worker positions other than Home Health Aide, such as Home Care Aide, Personal Care Aide, Direct Care Worker, or Caregiver. Please note that at this time the Penn Foster Home Health Aide program is not available to residents of California, Indiana, New Jersey, New York or Washington, DC.

Click here for instructions to download file.

Students are required to perform a 40-hour externship prior to completing this program. While Penn Foster provides students with the tools and resources to obtain an externship through our partnerships with Home Health Care agencies, it is the student’s responsibility to ultimately find and secure the externship at a site in their area.

All students are required to have a minimum cumulative grade average of 65% in this program in order to participate in an externship. Externship requirements vary by agency and state but will generally include a Criminal Background Check; a 2-Stage PPD Test showing negative results for TB; Child Abuse Clearance (PA State required); a Valid Driver’s License and Proof of Auto Insurance; and access to a functioning vehicle that is available for use during scheduled work hours. Additional items may be required of the student based upon the agency where they choose to do their externship. Any costs associated with these requirements will be the responsibility of the student.

There are also some states that require home health aides to be a certified nursing aide in order to complete the required externship in this program and or for employment in that state. Please see instructions below to refer to state-by-state training requirements for the state where you plan to work to learn more before enrolling this program.

Click here for instructions to download file.

Home Health Aide Curriculum Details

Program Goal and Outcomes

Additional Details

Penn Foster Career School Accreditation & Licensing Details

Sample Home Health Aide Lesson