Before seeking a job in home health care, you obviously need to acquire the requisite educational background as well as the key skills necessary to launch your career. Also, such a job often puts a lot of emotional demands on you. So you need to have a lot of patience and be mentally strong to take up the challenge. Being snappy and irritable will just not do. Warmth and loving care is what the patient needs foremost. So do you have it in you.

Let's talk about the various areas in which you can seek a job in home health care.

Nursing Aide / Attendant

As a nursing aide or attendant, you will not only be assisting a patient to bathe and dress, but will also be assisting in other ways. This could include buying necessary items, including food, deciding on a planned diet, cooking, doing household chores such as cleaning and laundry, etc. You may even take care of kids in the home while their parent is recuperating. You have to maintain a record of the patient's state of health and report to your supervisor of any changes. For this, you will be recording the patient's blood pressure, etc.

Of course, if you can do such work independently, you can state your own fees and time schedules. Some nursing aides look after a patient for many months or years, thereby developing a great bond. Others attend to a patient for a limited period and then move on to other patients.

Although some States do not officially require you to have a formal training background, it is advisable to obtain a national certification for such a job.

Psychiatric Assistant

A psychiatric assistant attends to a mentally challenged individual or someone who is emotionally upset. As a psychiatric assistant you will be encouraging the person to take part in activities like simple games, enjoying a soccer match on television, accompanying him to the Local Park, etc. By working in cohesion with a group of therapists and psychiatric nurses, you will be assisting the client to lead a normal life. Most individuals requiring psychiatric home health care have a tendency to be in a bewildered state and constantly make demands. So you yourself have to be emotionally very strong!

Since it is generally necessary to have some experience in the field, you can complete the requisite evaluation and training program at a hospital or nursing home. Then you can get yourself registered on your State's registry as a certified psychiatric assistant. You may also have to undergo a physical examination to ensure that your health is good.

Occupational Therapist Assistant

Your aim as an occupational therapist's assistant is to help an individual who is having a limited ability to perform certain functions. This means assisting him or her to recover from a physically, mentally, or emotionally weakened state to one of being able to do day-to-day routines reasonably independently. For example, a person who is using a walker after an operation can be taught the correct way to use it. The requisite exercises are generally planned by the occupational therapist and you report to the therapist about the client's progress whether the exercises have been beneficial or whether the client is not showing any progress.

You need to have the requisite degree from an accredited college or school in order to become an occupational therapist assistant, whereas as an aide in this field you will obtain training during the course of your work. You need to be physically strong in order to be able to assist the client, for example, to get out of the bed.

Physical Therapist Assistant

Your work as a physical therapist assistant is to help a person who has had an injury or fracture or a disabling condition (such as a neck sprain) to recover some mobility. This involves the use of stimulation via massages, invigorating baths, etc. You will also be assisting the client to perform the necessary exercises as outlined by a supervising physical therapist. These exercises will basically be ones to help strengthen the muscles. You need to note down the ways in which the client is responding to the various forms of treatment.

You need to have the requisite associate's degree to enter this field. Every State has its own examination criteria, so check this out. You may also need to have a fist-aid certification and some experience at a nursing clinic.

The above-mentioned job options are only a handful of many opportunities available to those seeking a career in home health care. Other areas of specialization include: physician assistants, speech therapists, dieticians, nutritionists, recreational therapists, day care companions, counselors, and a whole lot more.

So what are the essential skills you need to obtain a job in home health care.

• Patience

• A cheerful attitude

• A warm and loving nature

• Mental and Emotional strength, and, sometimes, physical strength too!

• Good communication skills

• Honesty

Avenues for Home Health Care Jobs

• Search engines on The World Wide Web will reveal a list of job sites.

• Notice Boards put up at Hospitals and Nursing Centers

• School or College Counselor's Office you can seek a job as an aide to someone who is already in the field of home health care during the course of you education, thereby obtaining hands-on experience.

• The Yellow Pages will have listings of agencies specifically providing home health care staff- you can register your name with them.

All The Best!

Note to the Reader: This article does not claim to be giving professional advice. It is merely giving general information. The reader should confirm the exact nature of work involved in taking up a home health care job. Whichever field of home health care you opt for, check first with the State licensing Board the educational and training requirements, the minimum hours of experience required, licenses required, rules and regulations governing practice, etc. All these aspects differ for assistants and aides. So confirm clearly all requisites before beginning a search for health care jobs.