How can I get paid for caregiving?

If you love people and thought about becoming a home care aide, you may wonder about how you can get paid for caregiving. It’s a perfect fit for a kind, dedicated individual who really wants to help others. The good news is that you don’t have to have any experience in order to work with us at AmeriBest Home Care in Harrisburg, PA. We are hiring non-skilled home care employees, people like yourself to join our team.

How Does it Work?

Step one is filling out our online application. This opens the door for you potentially become part of a high-ranking home health agency in a relatively short period of time. In fact, you can get hired in one day by having five things ready to go:

  1. New Hire Paperwork. You can complete it in person or electronically. 
  2. Two current forms of ID (driver’s license, social security card, passport, birth certificate).
  3. Two years of proof of PA residency. If this is not possible, we will pay to obtain FBI fingerprinting.
  4. Completing the online clinical training class/test.
  5. Taking a 2 Step PPD or recent QuantiFERON test (provided at no cost) – offered on Tuesdays at our Corporate location or at any Vybe Location (voucher provided).

We have onboarding specialists that can help you along the way, too. 

What AmeriBest Offers

It all begins with knowledge. AmeriBest offers paid training, some of which can lead to expanding, specialized career options. We have classes including (but not limited to)

  • CPR Certification
  • Fall risks
  • Heart disease management
  • Hoyer Lift Training
  • Hygiene
  • Nutrition
  • Recognizing abuse
  • Transfer training

We appreciate our employees and want you to feel wholly ready to care for people in the community in need of assistance. 

Amazing Benefits Package

You will be hard-pressed to find a better benefits package than that which AmeriBest offers.

As one of the top five home care agencies in all of Pennsylvania, we know the value of continuity in our staff. You deserve the best, including:

  • 401K
  • Bereavement leave
  • Electronic timekeeping including a Daily Pay Option: You can transfer your earnings any time through an app that also tracks your hours.
  • Life Insurance policy for full-time workers $15,000
  • Medical, dental, and vision plans (basic covered at 100%)
  • Optional supplemental insurance (term life, short-term disability, etc.)
  • Paid holidays (7)
  • Personal time
  • Sick Days
  • Sign-on bonus
  • Time and a half for holidays
  • Vacation time

The Life and Times of Home Health Aids

Our caregivers report they love their jobs. There is so much satisfaction! Clients appreciate the companionship they receive. Their families appreciate getting much-needed breaks without having to worry about their loved one’s well-being. There are few other jobs where you will hear “thank you” so much as this one. 

There is a personal element to being an aid. You get to know an individual and their family far better than someone who stops in as they pass in the hospital. You become a bridge to the community, too. It doesn’t matter in which of our programs you work, the people you serve always maintain their dignity.

But there’s more! You have flexibility as a professional caregiver. Our agency works with your time constraints in making a schedule. 

Are you ready? Give our Harrisburg, PA office a call 717-545-2920, or email us at info@ameribest.org.

How to Become a Home Health Aide in Philadelphia

There aren’t many professions out there that give you the sense of satisfaction you get from being a home health aide. Caring for people that are most in need is both a job and a passion, and for many people, it’s the starting point into a long and fulfilling career! For those that are already caring for their elderly relatives or loved ones, training as a home health aide could mean that you get paid for caring for your relatives. If you’re thinking of a career as a home health aide or if you would like to get paid for caring for your loved one, continue reading below to find out all the key details!

What do home health aides do?

Home health aides provide one to one assistance services for those who need extra help with everyday tasks. The tasks include bath and shower assistance; hair, oral, nail and foot care; medication assistance; cooking, feeding, and preparation assistance; washing and housecleaning assistance; repositioning assistance and emptying urinary and ostomy bags. The range of jobs that HHAs need to complete means that there’s never a dull moment! For many, the qualification to become an HHA is the first step on a long and fruitful career in care and health services.

What are the requirements?

To undergo HHA training in Pennsylvania, you are required to undertake a minimum of 75 hours of training which must include at least 16 hours of clinical instruction. On top of this, you’re required to complete 12 hours of continuing education training for every 12 months that you’re an HHA. The training will include all the necessary care techniques you need to be a fully qualified HHA including assistance training, medication assistance training, washing procedure training, and housekeeping requirements to good cleanliness. Once the training is complete, you will have to undergo a test that covers all of the main elements necessary to gain your qualification. Before you decide on a training program, you need to ensure that the course you’re thinking of is approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Health!

A senior woman in wheelchair with a health visitor at home at Christmas time.

Other routes to becoming an HHA

Other than taking the route of an HHA program, there are two other ways to become a fully fledged HHA. The first is through the completion of the nurse aide certification and training. This certification is often sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and is the first step on the road to becoming a qualified nurse so is a great option for those who want to make a career in healthcare. The other option is to complete a competency test developed by the health care agency where you will be working. While this is the quickest and most convenient option, it is the most restrictive, meaning you are unable to move to another agency without completing their competency test first. However, it may be a good option if you’re looking at becoming an HHA to get paid for looking after a loved one or relative.

If you are looking for a career where you feel the rewards of your hard work and dedication every day, or you want to get paid for the care you provide for your relative or loved one, then you should seriously consider becoming a home health aide! The average wage is $22,000 per year, making it a rewarding opportunity both financially and through the satisfaction of helping those most in need!

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