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What You'll Do: The job entails: cooking and feeding the patient, dressing and bathing the patient, transporting the patient within the home and to other locations such as the grocery store or bank, doing laundry or vacuuming the house, performing other housekeeping tasks, helping with scheduling and appointments, and being a friend to the patient.

You, like most other home health aides, will probably work for a healthcare provider such as a hospital, nursing home, psychiatric ward, or similar institution. However, much of your time will be spent in the homes of clients. Your work may become uncomfortable at times because some patients can be belligerent, irritable, or hard to handle. Others may have serious illnesses that are highly contagious. However, caring for those in need is typically a very pleasant and rewarding experience. Your work schedule can vary greatly depending on the patient and how many hours are available.

Education and Training: Most home health aides have a high school diploma, but some employers won't require that they have one because the bulk of the training is done right on the job. Other healthcare workers such as registered nurses are normally in charge of training aides, but formal training is usually required before you can land a position.

Community colleges and vocational schools may offer certificate programs for caregiving in the home that last several months to a year or so. These programs teach prospective aides lifesaving first aid skills, how to care for people, what signs to watch out for, basic life skills, and more. You will be tested for competency at the end of your program with a written test and possibly a demonstration exam as well. Many aides get certified after the schooling to prove that they are competent and to appear more desirable to employers.

The Future: The Home Health Aide profession is expected to grow at about 69% through 2020. That is significantly faster than the average for all occupations, and is largely attributable to an aging Baby-Boomer population.

The Pay: Annual salaries for Home Health Aides in the U.S. range from $16,300 to $29,300, with the average median annual wage hitting $20,600 in 2011 as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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