Home Health Aide Certification In Texas

There are several stages you need to pass through in order to become a home health aide in Texas. After gaining your high school diploma, you can enroll in and pass an accredited home health aide course. In order to land a job working for a home aide agency, you’ll also have to meet several experiential requirements to gain employment.

Licensing Requirements In Texas

Unlike other states, you don’t have to register yourself as a home health aide in Texas. There is no registry, nor is there a state exam in place. So, there is no license that you need to attain before you start practicing as an HHA.

Upon applying for a job with a HHA agency, you’ll have to provide the following:

Proof that you completed a home health aide program
Proof that you passed the home health aide competency test

You’ll also have to pass a tuberculosis test and a background check.

Driver’s license

In addition to this, you’ll also need a driver’s license. The nature of the job demands that you go out and visit patients at their homes. A lot of the time, this duty will be performed yourself. In most cases, you’ll be sent to various locations throughout the day. Therefore, a driver’s license is essential to the job.

Certification

As aforementioned, becoming an HHA in Texas requires you to go through several stages. At each stage, a certification of some sort is required. To become a home health aide, you at least are required to have the following:

High school diploma/G.E.D.

As with most states, the first kind of certification you need to become an HHA is a high school diploma. Without this, you cannot enroll in a home health aide training program. If you don’t have a high school diploma, a G.E.D. could potentially be used as an equivalent, but this depends on the training program.

HHA training program certification

You then need to complete an HHA training program. This consists of 75 hours of training, which must include 16 hours of clinical training. Relative to other states, this requirement falls somewhere in the middle. Some states require prospective home health aides to do well over 100 hours of classroom training.

The course you enroll in must be state accredited (more on this later). The clinical hours and the classroom teaching will be conducted by a registered nurse. This RN will have HHA experience. Typically, the hands-on training takes place in a nursing home, care home, lab, or hospital.

In terms of what these 75 hours will involve specifically, you’ll most likely cover the following modules:

Processes of development and aging
Positioning and range of motion
Ambulance and transfer techniques
Personal care services
Basic nursing skills
Basic patient care
Nutrition and fluid needs
Maintaining the least restrictive environment
Infection control
Body mechanics
Assistive technology
Recognition of emergency situations
Handling of emergency situations
Physical needs of the patient
Emotional needs of the patient

However, some courses can have unique curriculums and may not follow the above topics exactly.

Once you have completed the required classroom and clinical hours, you will have to sit a competency evaluation program. This will test your knowledge and determine whether you are able to take on the responsibilities of a home health aide. A certificate will be awarded after the successful completion of this competency evaluation.

Alternative certification

If you have already qualified as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), you may not have to enroll in a separate home health aide training program. You will still have to take the competency evaluation, though.

Some home health agencies will require you to be a CNA in addition to a certified home health aide. However, being a CNA is not a state-wide requirement, as it is in some other states.

In addition to being a CNA, you will also need experience. Typically, you will be required to have at least a year’s worth of full-time patient caregiving in a hospital setting.

Medicaid-reimbursed facilities

If you end up working for a Medicaid-reimbursed facility, you’ll also have to undergo additional annual training. If you don’t, the facility will lose the Medicaid funding.

Best Education Programs

As aforementioned, to become a Texas home health aide you need to enroll in a course that has been approved by the state. Approved educational institutions that offer home health aide programs include:

Academy of Exceptional Healthcare Training

8449 West Bellfort Street Suite 140 Houston, TX 77071

C.E. Global Health Education

1311 Marketplace Dr Ste 180, Garland, TX 75041

Alliance Career Institute

9304 Forest Lane Dallas, TX 75243

University Of Texas Arlington

140 West Mitchell Street, Arlington, TX 76016

Alvin Community College

3110 Mustang Road Alvin, TX 77511

American Health Care Academy

5215 N O’Connor Blvd #1100, Irving, TX 75039

Faith Health Training Institute

10814 S Kirkwood Road Houston, TX 77099

Ideal Nursing Institute

10935 Estate Lane Suite 111 Dallas, TX 75283

Meridian Care of Alice

219 North King St Alice, TX 78332

South Texas Training Center

213 East Ferguson Pharr, TX 78577

Texas Health School

11511 Katy Fwy # 200, Houston, TX 77079

The Vocational Nursing Institute, Inc.

11201 Steeplepark Dr, Houston, TX 77065

Springpack Healthcare Institute

1144a West Pioneer Parkway Arlington, TX 76013

Dallas Career Institute

9441 Lyndon B Johnson Fwy Ste 300, Dallas, TX 75243

Sharing Life Community Outreach El Centro College

3544 Emporium Cr. Mesquite, TX 75150

Pioneer School of Health

11224 Southwest Freeway, #240 Houston, TX 77031

Job Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 306,410 people were employed in home health and personal care aide positions in Texas in 2022. This put Texas just behind New York and California as the state with the third-largest population of home health aides. So, it’s safe to assume that there’s plenty of home health aide work available now in Texas.

But what about the job outlook over the next 10 years? Luckily, the home health aide sector is expected to grow exponentially between now and 2031. With more people opting to live at home instead of a retirement home, the skills of professional home health aides are needed now more than ever.

According to other Bureau of Labor Statistics estimations, the job outlook of the home health aide profession is expected to increase by 25% by 2031.

Based on more specific data provided by O*Net OnLine, there will be 418,500 employees in home health aide roles in Texas by 2030. In 2020, there were 320,780 Texas home health aide professionals. So, there’s expected to be a further 97,720 by 2030. This is quite a significant leap and in line with the above-average estimates of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Clearly, now is a great time to enroll in a home aide program and join one of Texas’s many home health agencies.

Salaries

The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the median pay of a home health aide was $29,430 for the year 2021. This equals $14.15 per hour. According to the USBLS, the median salary for a home health aide in Texas is $22,830.

When you compare the current average of Texas to the national average of a few years ago, it would suggest that Texas home health aide workers receive a below-average annual salary.

However, given the healthy job outlook projections for home health aides in Texas, wages will likely improve over the coming years.

Where To Find Work

Some of the best home health care organizations that offer work for home health aides in Texas include the following:

Hearts That Care Home Care Agency

2840 Keller Springs Rd Suite 1001, Carrollton, TX 75006

Lone Star Home Health Services

3129 Esters Rd, Irving, TX 75062

Newport Home Health Agency

2080 N Hwy 360 STE 350, Grand Prairie, TX 75050

Preferred Care at Home of North Austin and Williamson County

715 Discovery Blvd APT 120, Cedar Park, TX 78613

Caprock Home Health Services, Inc.

8705 Shoal Creek Blvd, Austin, TX 78757

All Care Professional Home Health, Inc.

4275 Little Rd #106, Arlington, TX 76016

North Texas Home Health Care Inc

5501 Independence Pkwy #211, Plano, TX 75023

FAQs

Who regulates home health aide programs and agencies in Texas?

The Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) regulates home health aide programs and agencies in Texas. Not only does this regulatory body license agencies, but they also monitor each agency setting to ensure they’re complying with state and federal legislation.

How much does home health care cost in Texas?

Home health care in Texas costs around $4,500 per month. This is less than a nursing home would cost in Texas.

How many home health agencies are there in Texas?

There are around 30 home health agencies in Texas, found primarily in and around Dallas. However, you can find home health agencies in most major towns in Texas.

Sources

https://www.exploremedicalcareers.com/home-health-aide/hha-texas/

https://www.vocationaltraininghq.com/hha-schools-texas/

https://medicalfieldcareers.com/hha-classes-texas/

https://www.howtobecomeahomehealthaide.com/find-home-health-aide-training-in-texas/

https://www.healthcarepathway.com/home-health/texas-home-health-aide/