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Health Aids & Attendants

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.2601 - 51.2699.

Types of Degrees Health Aids & Attendants Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Health Aids & Attendants can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	141
Associate’s Degree	19
Master’s Degree	658

What Health Aids & Attendants Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Health Aids & Attendants develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Aids & Attendants graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Health Aids & Attendants emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Health Aids & Attendants program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Health Aids & Attendants careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health Aids & Attendants graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health Aids & Attendants professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
FaceTime	Video conferencing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Aids & Attendants graduates include:

• Health Service Worker
• Direct Care Worker
• Therapy Aide
• Speech Correction Assistant
• Speech Therapy Assistant
• Aide
• Nutrition Aide
• Home Care Attendant
• Home Health Care Provider
• Resident Assistant
• Home Care Provider
• Home Help Aide
• Companion
• In Home Caregiver
• Home Care Aide

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health Aids & Attendants graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	33.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	27.0%
Some college courses	12.4%
Postsecondary certificate	11.6%
Bachelor’s degree	6.0%
Less than a high school diploma	4.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.0%
Master’s degree	1.1%
Doctoral degree	0.6%
First professional degree	0.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Aids & Attendants?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 89.5% of Health Aids & Attendants degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,812	89.5%
Men	331	10.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Health Aids & Attendants graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,007	32.0%
Asian	84	2.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1,333	42.4%
Black or African American	526	16.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	27	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.2%
Two or More Races	91	2.9%
Race Unknown	68	2.2%
International Students	2	0.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Aids & Attendants Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Health Aids & Attendants graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$21,334
4 years	$27,226
5 years	$29,985

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $29,985 — roughly 41% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Health Aids & Attendants Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Health Aids & Attendants graduates earn a median of $27,226 four years after completion — about 28% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health Care Professions	994,689
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.