Home health aides as the name states take care of the patients who live in their homes rather than getting treatment in a nursing home, or a hospital. They are health-care professionals who are trained and certified to provide personal assistance to such patients while keeping a regular check on patient’s health condition, diet, hygiene, exercise, meal preparation and serving it to the patient, dressing, grooming, doing light household duties that they are majorly responsible for, etc. In short, they provide all those services that ensure the safety of a person by promoting their health while taking care of their overall well-being.
So, if your certifications, skills, and interests match those of an HHA (Home Health Aide), then it can be a very rewarding career option for you.
Common 21 Interview Questions for Home Health Aide
Question 1. What certifications and training you have in this field of Home Health Aide?
The interviewer asks this question in an interview to see how well-trained, educated, and certified you are to qualify all the benchmarks set for this position.
Answer: “I have a high school diploma in the medical field, I am also a certified CPR/FA and CPI. I have 2 years of experience working in this field and I have taken care of patients who suffered from mental illnesses, and physical disabilities. I also have the state certification for the same and also am licensed.”
Question 2. Mention some of the skills that you possess for the same.
The employer asks this question to see if you have relevant skills and abilities to qualify for this position.
Answer: “I have trained myself over the years and have developed so many skills during my coursework like
- Communication Skills
- Training Skills
- First-Aid Skills
- Nursing Skills
- Listening Skills
- Training in talking to deaf and dumb
- Administrative skills
Apart from these skills, I am aware of how to create a safe environment for my client.
Question 3. List some responsibilities of HHA.
This is a basic question to check if you are aware of the duties and the responsibilities that you will have to do.
Answer: “Some of my responsibilities would be:
- Monitoring patient
- Taking care of their diet and exercise
- Taking care of the hygiene and collecting routine specimens
- Adhering to professional safety standards
- Providing personal services to them while assisting them…
And so on.”
Question 4. Tell me about a time where you had to deal with a grumpy patient.
This is a behavioral based interview question.
Answer: “Well, I am extremely patient to be able to handle such patients. A patient of mine thought that they do not need an aide, so I tried to build an understanding relationship with them.”
Question 5. Do you have any experience in taking care of those with cognitive impairments?
Employers ask this question to get an idea about your experiences and capabilities to do a work.
Answer: “Yes, I have past experience in dealing with patients like that, I have knowledge of how these impairments affect people.”
Question 6. Give us an idea of how you make sure that the family or the relatives of the patient are kept up to date on the health conditions of the patient.
This question helps in determining your social and communication skills.
Answer: “I try to maintain a daily journal of the patient’s condition and keep a note of their moods, health, and other activities, that helps me keep the family of the patient aware about the health conditions of the patient.”
Question 7. Are you willing to work overtime, if required?
The employer asks this question to see if you are decisive and flexible enough to make a wise choice.
Answer: “Yes, sure, I will be okay with that.”
Question 8. What will do first in an emergency?
This question helps the employer test your action-taking skills and seeing if you are an attentive and responsible candidate.
Answer: “I would immediately call the doctor and the ambulance, while I try to avoid the situation to get worst in the first place by assisting the patient.”
Question 9. Did you ever have to perform CPR on a patient?
This is again an experience-based question.
Answer: “No, I haven’t until now, as this will be my first job, but I have the knowledge to perform that.”
Question 10. If you suspect that a client is being neglected by family members, how would you handle such situations?
The answer you give shows your integrity.
Answer: “I will try to talk to the family members to pay more attention to the patient and try to make them understand by talking them out of it.”
Question 11. Why have you chosen to work in-home care?
The employer wants to know what brought you in this field.
Answer: “I came to know about this field when I was in my college, and I always wanted to do something that helped others, the job responsibilities of this field matched with it, I consider it to be a very rewarding field both financially and emotionally.”
Question 12. What specialties do you have with respect to home care?
The employer wants to know what areas do you have specialization in.
Answer: “I love cooking and preparing special and nutritious meals for my patients and I also specialize in helping them exercise.”
Question 13. In what ways have you advocated for the well-being of your patients?
The employers want know how you keep track and take actions for patient’s overall well-being.
Answer: “I think meditation and mindfulness is the only key to well-being, that’s why I make my patients practice meditation.”
Question 14. How do you maintain the privacy and dignity of your patients?
This question is asked to check how you manage and maintain the confidentiality standards.
Answer: “By showing concern and courteousness and adhering to professional safety and confidentiality standards.”
Question 15. What is your most rewarding experience being an HHA so far?
To answer this question, show that how well you connect with your patients and find each and every step in your career rewarding. Share one or two of your experiences.
Answer: “Each day a patient overcomes a problem and learns something new to life is a rewarding experience for me to watch them do so.”
Question 16. Have you ever had to perform first aid on a patient? Are you First Aid Certified?
This gives the employer an idea of the valid certifications that you own and also about your experiences.
Answer: “Yes, I am certified and trained in First Aid, I have performed first aid on multiple patients, in the case of minor wounds and injuries.”
Question 17. Do you have any questions regarding this field or the job?
The employer gives you a chance to ask questions so that they can address your queries related to the job.
Answer: “No, I researched the job description of your company and I am aware of my responsibilities and everything I needed to know about your organization. I would be happy to know more about your organization though.”
Question 18. What is your philosophy towards work?
The employers give you an opportunity to display your dedication towards the field and your work.
Answer: “My only philosophy is to do what you are passionate about and I am passionate about this field, I am happy that I am responsible enough that my patients can rely on me and trust me with whatever I prescribe to them.”
Question 19. How many years of work experience do you have?
The employer wants to know for how long you have been a home health aide.
Answer: “I have been in the healthcare field as a home health aide for 4 years now. For the initial year, I was an assistant and then got promoted to an independent aide.”
Question 20. Why should we hire you for this job?
The employer wants to know why you are an ideal candidate for this position and what makes you the best candidate for them.
Answer: “Looking at the years of my experience, I think I am the best candidate for this job as I have good references, relevant skills, and great past reviews to be able to be the perfect fit for this position. I know my patients well.”
Question 21. What are your greatest strengths as a health care aide?
This the time where you highlight your skills and how these skills can benefit the employer and your future patients.
Answer: “I have a sense of compassion and understanding for my patients and I try to give my best to make their health better. I think these are my greatest strengths, I also know how to handle challenging and emergency situations with confidence and I am a great supervisor.”
Download the list of questions in .PDF format, to practice with them later, or to use them on your interview template (if you want to crack Interview):
Conclusion
Now, it is your time to shine in the interview by showing the employer how reliable, honest, and hard-working candidate are you who is the ideal candidate for that job. Good preparation will help you to give better answers in the interview that will impress the employer. Remember, this isn’t the most highest paying job, or the easiest and less-stress one, this job is demanding and requires you to put effort both physically and mentally, but it is indeed one of the most rewarding jobs. I hope this article addresses all your queries regarding this field. Let us know in the comment section what you like the most about our articles and share it with your friends.
Thank you for reading!
References
- https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.62.8.1094
- https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/JAHA.118.010134
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