Home Health Aide Certification in Alaska
If you have a passion for helping others, but perhaps aren’t able to become a nurse or a doctor, you should consider pursuing a career as a home health aide. Home health aides provide personal care at a patient’s residence, by assisting them with daily activities, and monitoring their overall health and well-being. While it is slightly more difficult to become a home health aide in Alaska, it is still much easier and quicker than many other careers in the medical field.
In this piece, we will tell you exactly what you need to do to receive HHA certification in Alaska, so you can begin your career as a home health aide. We will cover topics like the licensing requirements in Alaska, as well as the best home health aide education programs you can find in the state.
Licensing Requirements in Alaska
In some states, there are no licensing requirements to work as a home health aide. However, if you want to provide home health aide services in Alaska, you will actually need to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). This is especially applicable if you want to work for a home health agency in Alaska.
How To Get Home Health Aide Certification In Alaska
Certified nursing assistants are sometimes also known as nurse aides. To get nurse aide certification you will first need to enroll in one of a few state-approved training programs for nurse aides. This program will need to consist of at least 140 training hours.
This training must consist of a minimum of 80 hours of clinical training and 12 hours of in-service training.
Once you have graduated from one of these programs, you will then need to take the Alaska State Certification Exam for Nursing Assistants called the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP) exam.
It consists of two sections, a skills evaluation, and either a written or oral examination. The written examination consists of 70 questions, while the oral examination is made up of 160 questions. The skills evaluation requires applicants to complete five randomly selected nurse aide skills.
Once you have successfully passed the exam, you will be granted certification by the Alaska Board of Nursing. You will then also be registered on the Nurse Aide Registry.
Best Education Programs For Home Health Aides In Alaska
The fact that you need to become a certified nursing assistant to work as a home health aide in Alaska means that there aren’t any home health aide programs in the state. However, there are quite a few nurse aide programs available.
Below we will provide a list of some of the state-approved training programs in Alaska:
University of Alaska Anchorage
As its name suggests, the University of Alaska Anchorage is located in Anchorage. The institution offers a Certified Nurse Aide program, which is a six-credit course. Some of the material covered in the course includes medical terminology, basic anatomy, first aid, and skills labs. Students also receive the required on-site clinical training.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
This institution is located in Fairbanks, Alaska, and also offers a nurse aide training program. The program lasts for one semester and classes can either be taken during the day or in the evening if students have other responsibilities.
Like the courses above, it is approved by the Alaska Board of Nursing. It prepares students for both the NNAAP exam, and to work effectively as a nurse aide.
Job Outlook
Once you have become certified as a nurse aide, it won’t be all that difficult to find employment in both Alaska and the rest of the US. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that both home health aide and nurse aide jobs will increase by 25% from 2021 to 2031.
This means that on average there will be around 711,700 job openings in the sector each year until 2031.
Salary Expectations
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average salary for home health and personal care aides is $29,260. This translates to around $14.07 per hour.
Thankfully, the average annual salary for home health and personal aides is slightly higher in Alaska. It sits at $34,900, which translates to $16.78 per hour.
Where To Find Work
There are more career opportunities in Alaska for home health aides owing to the fact that you need to become certified as a nursing assistant to enter the field. As a result, you can find work as a nurse aide in more places, such as:
- Home health agencies
- Group homes
- Nursing homes
- Assisted living facilities
- Outpatient clinics
- Hospitals
- Hospices
FAQs
How long does it take to complete the NNAAP exam?
Students are given two hours to complete the oral or written exam, and then they have 25 minutes to complete the skills evaluation section.
What topics are covered in the NNAAP exam?
The NNAAP exam covers a number of topics including:
- Basic nursing skills
- Activities of daily living
- Restorative skills
- Psychosocial care skills
- Spiritual and cultural needs
- Communication
- Client rights
- Legal and ethical behavior
Sources
https://www.healthcarepathway.com/home-health/alaska-home-health-aide/#cna
http://www.homehealthaideonline.com/home/hha-training-in-alaska/
https://homehealthaideguide.com/hha-training/states/alaska-hha/