Health Assisting

Trained Health Assistants offer support to individuals with disabilities, elderly people, and patients requiring care in home and healthcare environments.

Health Assisting programs teach students to provide direct care in settings such as schools, physical therapy offices, assisted living facilities, hospitals and ambulances. Through classroom learning and direct experiences students learn about human development and life stages, body systems and functions, infection control, and patient safety. Students gain practical experience with skills such as taking vital signs, performing heart monitoring and drawing blood. The goal is to prepare students for higher education or entry-level positions in the healthcare field.

Some schools offer State-Approved (Chapter-74) programs in Health Assisting. These programs provide all of the training required to begin entry-level work in the field. Other schools may offer a more condensed version of this training, which has been designed at the local level. This is known as Non-Chapter 74 or "Perkins-Only." Learn more about the difference between State-Approved and Local CTE programs.