Home Health Aide, Certified

Missouri Medicare and Medicaid require 75 hours of training to become a certified home health aide. The required instruction includes 59 hours of knowledge training and 16 hours of hands-on guidance, followed by a state assessment. MoWest’s training meets all those requirements and provides options for the additional 12 hours of professional development annually to maintain your home health aide certification.

Next Classes Starting:
November 7, 2025 and January 16, 2026

Place:
MWSU’s Houlne Center for Convergent Technology
4141 Mitchell Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64507
Cost:
$1,900 plus $100 for supplies

*Must be 18 or older and have completed high school diploma or GED

Home Health Aides (HHA) primarily work in clients’ homes, but they may also provide care in group homes or assisted living facilities. They often collaborate with family members and other healthcare professionals to ensure comprehensive care. HHA’s provide essential support and personal care to individuals in their homes, helping them maintain independence and quality of life.

HHA’s help their clients with many daily living activities such as bathing, toileting, medication management, checking vital signs, answering questions about best care practices, and ensuring the client has a safe, caring and comfortable living environment.

Individuals who are compassionate, patient, practice good time management and are physically well to assist clients with standing, getting out of bed, and similar needs requiring stamina and strength.

You must be 18+ years of age and have a high school diploma or equivalent.

This training prepares you to sit for the Missouri Home Health Aide certification exam. You must successfully pass that exam to receive the designation as “certified.”

• How to take a client’s vitals
• Universal precautions
• How to safely provide bathing, nail care and oral hygiene
• How to safely transfer a client from a bed or seated position
• Assistance with ambulation
• Assisting with medication self-administration
• How to properly instruct and otherwise communicate with the client

This training takes six weeks to complete.

The HHA program offers a blended approach to learning to allow for the adult learner to continue to work a full-time job if needed. Participants can expect to spend about 10 hours each week with online learning and an additional 4 hours each week with in-person, hands-on learning with a nurse. This program will be taught with 5 to 10 participants per cohort at specified start dates throughout the year.

The training fee is $1,900 with an additional $100 for supplies such as the binder of content you’ll receive along with the supplies you’ll utilize during the hands-on practice. You may qualify for a grant through one of our partner agencies. To see if you qualify, please visit our Funding Sources & FAQ Page.