Home Health Aide
This Home Health Aide interview profile brings together a snapshot of what to look for in candidates with a balanced sample of suitable interview questions.
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Home Health Aide Interview Questions
Most Home Health Aides are considered an employee of the person who hires them, whether it is the person who needs care or an agency. The questions and hiring process should be tailored to the specific situation. Either way, it is a good practice to include the person who needs care in the conversation about hiring a home health aide. Then, you should ensure that candidates are properly certified (CPR training, First Aid training, etc).
The role of the home health aide combines medical or skilled care (catheter care, for instance) with personal care (light meal preparation, giving baths). Working conditions will differ depending on the kind of care a patient needs. You may want someone with experience in that specific type of care. For example, you may need a home health aide with experience with dementia, or quadriplegic care.
During these interviews, you will be evaluating the ability to deliver skilled care and the attitude towards personal care. The best home health aides are empathetic, observant, good listeners, and committed to advocating on behalf of their patients. For this type of hire, a personality match may be helpful. Start a conversation with your candidates to see whether they are a good fit for patients based on their experience as a home health aide and any mutual interests.
Operational and Situational questions
- Why have you chosen to work in home care?
- What specialties or interests do you have in regards to home care?
- At your previous job, how much of your time was spent on medical care? How much of your time was spent on personal care?
- Talk about a typical day at your previous workplace.
- Describe your experience with elderly patients.
- In as much detail as possible, describe the process for moving a patient from their wheelchair into a bed.
- How do you keep your patient’s family informed about their progress?
- How do you handle medical emergencies?
- How do you maintain the privacy and dignity of your patients?
- In what ways have you advocated for the wellbeing of your patients?
- Describe a time when one of your patients refused care. How did you handle it?
- Describe a time you resolved a conflict with your patient’s family. What was problem? What was the outcome?
- Imagine that your shift has ended but that your replacement was fifteen minutes late. What would you do?