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Profession: Nursing

Personal/Home Health Aide: Personal/Home Health Aides care for elderly, newborns and children with special needs, or those with injuries or disabilities, in their own homes. Personal/Home health aides perform such duties as housekeeping, activities of daily living for the patient, such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, assistance with medications, and laundry. They may accompany a patient to doctor appointments and assist with physical exercise. Personal/Home health aides may work independently or under the supervision of a nurse, physical therapist or social worker.

Salary Range: $16,000 - $21,200

Salary Notes: Earnings depend upon experience, geographic location, and client load. The average hourly rate is $8.54 or about $17,763 per year.

Where you can study:
National Association for Home Care and Hospice, Washington, DC

Where you might work:
Private Homes -

Job Outlook: Personal/Home health aide positions are expected to be one of the fastest growing of all occupations because of the increasing needs of an aging population and efforts to control health care costs by moving patients out of hospitals and nursing facilities as quickly as possible, as well as consumer preference for care in the home.

Education, Licensing and Certification: Nursing aide training is offered in high schools, vocational-technical schools, some nursing homes and community colleges. Hospitals also offer training, as well as home health aide agencies, but most in Vermont require a commitment of employment as a prerequisite to getting the training.

Professional Organizations:
National Association for Home Care and Hospice 202-547-7424 www.nahc.org