by our College Data Analytics TeamDo you want to work closely with patients or clients in a home or hospital setting helping them perform basic tasks? This is where a major as a health aide comes in. Health aides, home health aides, and orderlies work with their clients to perform basic life tasks. While orderlies and health aides typically work in a clinic or hospital setting, home health aides primarily work one on one with clients in their homes.
Health aides work under the direction of nurses and perform basic tasks like helping take care of patients who are unable to perform these tasks themselves. This may involve assisting patients to get out of bed, taking care of personal hygiene, cleaning the patient area and changing bedding. Aides may also assist in taking vital signs and reporting these back to the assigned nurse.
Home health aides typically perform many of the same services as a health aide but may extend out of the home by running errands for their client in addition to the in-house tasks. They will also help their clients perform basic housekeeping duties like cleaning, vacuuming and doing laundry.
Some states require aides to become certified, while others only require a high school diploma. Many community and vocational schools offer training to become a health aide. Courses may include housekeeping, record keeping, and safety in addition to basic health and medicine management.
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies was the 360th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 2,374 degrees in this year alone. This 130 less than the prior year, a decrease of 5.5%.
Our 2023 Best Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies Schools ranking analyzes 3 of these schools to determine the best overall colleges for health aids/attendants/orderlies students. Explore this or one of our many other custom health aids rankings further below.
In order to be a successful aide, you must have excellent interpersonal skills - you will be working directly with clients or patients and you must be able to effectively communicate with them and make them feel comfortable. You should also have a good set of knowledge about basic housekeeping tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Because aides may be required to lift or assist their clients into sitting or standing positions, they should have good physical stamina. Lastly, aides need to have good attention to detail. You may be responsible for administering or reminding your clients about medications, so you must be able to accurately dose and record when medications were given.
health aids/attendants/orderlies degree applicants generally need have finished high school or their GED. Many schools may also have GPA and SAT/ACT score minimums that must be met. Once you obtain your degree, additional health aids certifications required to pursue a career in this field.
There are many different health aids degree levels. You can get anything from a in health aids/attendants/orderlies to the highest health aids degree, a . How long it takes to complete some common health aids degree levels is shown below.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
An associate degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to health aids, with approximately 10.9% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for health aids workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma | 53.7% |
| Some College Courses | 12.9% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 12.5% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 8.8% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 5.8% |
View the chart below to get an idea of what degree level most of those in health aids/attendants/orderlies careers have.
This of course varies depending on which health aids career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your health aids degree? Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies careers are expected to grow 30.3% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to health aids/attendants/orderlies.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Care Aides | 2,793,800 | 38.6% |
| Nursing Assistants | 1,683,700 | 11.5% |
| Home Health Aides | 1,342,700 | 47.3% |
| Healthcare Support Workers | 108,700 | 11.7% |
| Psychiatric Aides | 77,700 | 5.6% |
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies graduates between 2017-2019 reported earning an average of $20,632 in the 2019-2020 timeframe. Earnings can range from as low as $6,910 to as high as $34,937. As you might expect, salaries for health aids graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for health aids/attendants/orderlies graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers health aids grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Healthcare Support Workers | $39,110 |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | $32,580 |
| Psychiatric Aides | $31,090 |
| Nursing Assistants | $29,580 |
| Physical Therapist Aides | $28,500 |
With over 159 different health aids degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased health aids school rankings to help you with this.
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies is one of 30 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Home Health Aide/Home Attendant | 1,041 |
| Medication Aide | 664 |
| Health Aide | 430 |
| Rehabilitation Aide | 121 |
| Other Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies | 114 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing | 322,592 |
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
