How to write a home health care aide job description

Recruitment agencies and companies hiring home health care staff are facing increasing challenges. While demand for caregivers has surged, there’s a shortage of qualified people in this area, making it hard to find the right staff.

To stand out and attract professionals with the stamina, honesty, and empathy to care for patients in their own homes, you need to create a great home health care aide job description that emphasizes the benefits of working for your organization.

In this article, we show you how to craft a home health care aide job description that attracts top-tier talent and provide a free template you can adapt for your open position.

What is a home health care aide?

Home health care aides are often recruited by agencies and go into client’s homes to offer personal support services such as companionship and help with personal hygiene, mobility, meal prep, and housekeeping.

They usually have a personal care plan to follow for each client. Depending on this plan, they may help clients with medication management and exercises, too. In some states, home health care aides may take and record basic vital signs.

Key skills to look for in home health care aides

Seek candidates with the following blend of hard and soft skills to ensure they can withstand the rigors of the job.

Soft skills

• Empathy and compassion

• Verbal communication skills

• Excellent organizational skills

• Trustworthiness and reliability

• Flexibility to handle a changing schedule and shifting client needs

• Mental and physical stamina to deal with a challenging job and the physical exertion of client care

• Cultural sensitivity and, ideally, fluency in other languages, to work with clients from a variety of backgrounds

• Problem-solving abilities to help clients resolve challenges

Hard Skills

• Crisis management skills to handle any emergencies that can happen in a client’s home

• Good written communication skills to update client files and make notes

• Basic medical skills to help in monitoring vital signs and administering medication

• Respect for privacy and an understanding of confidentiality rules

How to write an effective home health care aide job description

Your job description needs to attract trustworthy candidates in a competitive job market. Here’s how you can do that:

Mention your vetting process

Request references in your home health care aide description and mention if you use background and/or criminal checks. This will show your commitment to the safety of clients. It can also encourage unsuitable candidates not to apply if they see you will be checking  their background, saving you time.

Make sure you check your state’s ban-the-box legislation, though. Some states have passed laws that limit pre-employment background checks and criminal history checks.

Highlight your search for diversity

Encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply by outlining how you create an inclusive environment in your organization. For example, you might mention whether your office is multi-lingual or whether a specific percentage of your staff come from different parts of the world. 

Having diverse staff can also help you match clients with home health care aides who speak their native language and understand their traditions and values.

Make your home health care aide job description compliant

In some states, home health care aides need to pass an exam, such as the National Medication Aide Certification exam (MACE). List this and any other requirements to attract people compliant with your state rules.

Also, while the average age of a home health care aide is 49 years old and over 86% are women, it’s illegal to discriminate. 

Use gender-neutral language, for example, by replacing any pronouns such as “he” or “she” in your job ad with a more neutral “they.” In addition, you can include a blurb at the end of your job description saying that you welcome a diversity of candidates and any qualified reader to apply. 

Home health care aide job description template

You can use and adapt this template when you’re hiring a home health care aide.

[Your Company] Introduction

Mention who your company serves and any mission statement or values you have. Explain what geographic area your services cover. Including these details can attract applicants who will fit with your company culture and deter those who have different values or who don’t live near your service area.

Benefits of Working at [Your Company]

Make your organization stand out by mentioning the benefits home health care aides typically look for. These might include the following:

• The compensation you offer, including any bonuses or incentives 

• Any perks and benefits, such as paid time off and wellness programs, that can help home health care aides manage stress

• Whether you offer access to a fleet of cars or compensate for travel time and mileage

• Any access to training and professional development programs that can help home health care aides advance in their careers

• Any processes you have to protect the safety of your clients and your team

Home Health Care Aide Job Description

Job Title: Home Health Care Aide

Reports to: [For example: Home Care Coordinator]

Position Type: Full-time, Part-time

Salary and Compensation Details: [Mention a salary range as well as any benefits and performance incentives]

Responsibilities and Duties

• Provide home care services for clients, including grooming, medication management, light housekeeping, and meal preparation

• Communicate with clients, their families, and healthcare professionals

• Keep accurate, up-to-date records about client care

• Follow each client’s care plan

• Help clients with mobility and exercises

• Offer emotional support

• Report any concerning health changes to the care team

Qualifications

• [Number]+ years of experience in home health care, caregiving, or a related field

• High school degree, or equivalent job and training experience

• CPR and First Aid certifications

• Successful pass of a background check

2 things to avoid when writing a job description for home health care aides

Candidates may skip your job posting if your job description has these red flags:

1. Not mentioning transportation

Communicate whether home health care aides will be commuting to clients' residences in their own vehicles or using company-provided resources. This will help applicants understand whether they need a vehicle for the job.

2. Not discussing safety

Home health care aides are vulnerable because they’re going to client homes alone. Discussing safety protocols shows candidates they’ll be safe. For example, mention what safety training you offer and if you have safety managers that aides can contact quickly for help when they’re in client homes.

Mentioning safety can also help you attract more safety-conscious home health care aides. Qualified caregivers are always looking for ways to stay safe on the job and ways to protect their clients. 

Next steps: Attracting and assessing home health care aide candidates

Adopting a skills-based hiring strategy will help you find trustworthy, qualified candidates, as this enables you to objectively measure their skills and traits.

TestGorilla’s pre-employment tests can help you with this. Just choose four to five (or more) suitable tests from our library of more than 300.

We suggest selecting from the list below for home health care aides:

• Motivation and personality tests to find trustworthy people who are willing to stay with the job

• Culture add tests to make sure your home health care aides reflect any values you have (such as honesty)

• Our health care aide test, which measures a candidate’s familiarity with patient care techniques, ability to help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), first aid skills, and more

• Language proficiency tests

• Communication tests

• Situational judgment tests

TestGorilla also has free resources to help you hire smarter. For example, our guide on how to hire a caregiver offers additional tips on finding a compassionate candidate.

FAQs

Should I mention compensation in my home health care aide description?

Some states require you to disclose this, but it’s a good idea to do it anyway. You’ll get more qualified candidates if you can show a competitive compensation package. Keep in mind that the mean hourly salary for home health care aides was $14.87 in 2022. 

Should I mention physical requirements in my home health care aide description?

Yes. Home health care aides may need to negotiate stairs in clients’ homes and need to be able to get to many clients’ homes in a day.

While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires you to make reasonable accommodations, you can’t change how accessible clients’ homes are and The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) allows physical conditions of employment when they’re essential functions.

Hire the right home health care aides with TestGorilla

The way you write your home health care aide description sets up expectations and helps you attract the right candidates, even in a competitive labour market. 

Be sure to include compensation and benefits and mention whatever safety protocols you have in place. Also, ensure that you clearly describe the duties and responsibilities of the role and whether applicants will need their own vehicle or not.

Once you’ve attracted a pool of applicants, use TestGorilla to verify they have the skills, personality, and traits you need in a health care aide. Take a quick product tour to see how simple it is to create a better hiring process.