What Factors Affect a Home Health Aide's Salary?

Home health aides provide in-home medical care to elderly or disabled people, or other individuals who have serious medical conditions. A number of different factors cam impact a home health aide's salary including academic credentials, experience level and specific responsibilities. Many people employed in this field work for government agencies or medical firms and these individuals tend to receive flat hourly rates or annual salaries. Other aides are self-employed in which case their annual earnings depend largely on the volume of work that they perform and the hourly rates that they negotiate with each client.

People with varying levels of skills and abilities are able to work as aides; some people employed in these roles have few, if any, academic credentials and have undergone little or no training. Often, they are able to help people with basic household tasks such as washing the laundry, vacuuming or cooking meals. In some instances, these unskilled aides simply sit with clients and call medical professionals if the client's condition deteriorates. Other home health aides have undergone some basic vocational training in which case they may be able to check a client's blood pressure or assist an individual with bathing or exercising. Therefore, a home health aide's salary is based in part on the type of work that he or she is expected to perform.

Laws in some areas require health aides to be certified or licensed. This process usually involves some classroom based training sessions during which attendees are taught basic first aid techniques such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Additionally, these individuals may be taught how to treat wounds or administer drugs. Typically, certified aides earn more than non-licensed workers which means that a home health aide's salary may be impacted by local regulations regarding certification of medical professionals.

While many people employed in these roles are only expected to perform basic duties, some chronically ill people need more specialized care. In some instances, such people choose to employ trained nurses as health aides rather than less skilled individuals who normally take on these roles. When this occurs, a home health aide's salary may be based upon the kind of wages that this professional would have earned had he or she taken on a conventional nursing role.

Other factors that can affect a home health aide's salary include the individual's hours of work since laws in some countries mean that people who work overnight are paid more than those who work in the day. As with other professions, wage levels are usually higher in areas where the cost of living exceeds the national average while the reverse is usually the case in low-cost areas. Additionally, some employers base wages on years of experience with the most seasoned workers being the best paid.