On an almost daily basis, I get asked 1 question:
"Is a HCA a lesser version of a NAC"?
I may also hear:
"Are the HCA and NAC the same?"
"Is the HCA the 1st step to becoming a NAC?"
"What is the difference between a HCA & NAC?"
It's all different wording, but the implied message is the same:
'aren't they the same'?
The answer is a resounding "No."
The HCA (Home Care Aide) is different than a NAC (Nursing Assistant Certified). 1 is not a lesser version of another. 1 is not a "first step" to another. 1 is not better than the other. They are different. The focus of both is different and from one another. Both are very much needed in Nursing and a loss of one or the other would be devastating to Long Term Care.
Both have a shared set of skills:
Handwashing ~ Bed Baths ~ Transfers ~ Catheter Care ~ Fall Prevention, etc.
HCA's are much more focused on care in the home. Their role is not a highly medical one, but a highly supportive one. They support the person's strengths in the home environment (which may include Assisted Living or Adult Family Homes). They learn housekeeping, green cleaning and medication assistance.
NAC's are more focused on the nursing environment (which include Skilled Nursing Facilities and Hospitals). They support a person's recovery from a major medical problem. They learn Rehab Skills, learn how to work around medical devices (IV's, Tube Feedings, etc) and Vital Signs.
That's not to say that NAC's don't work in the Home Care Environment and HCAs never work around medical devices, but that is not the focus of their trainings.
In my experience, NACs struggle to adapt to the Home Care Environment and be less medical and HCAs need to learn more skills to go into the Medical Environment.
I think that the job of a NAC tends to be more physically demanding while the job of a HCA tends to be more emotionally demanding.
What other differences are there between NACs and HCAs?
I completely agree with your perspective on this, Mackenzie. Having worked (and owned and operated) a variety of care settings, from nursing home to assisted living to home care, and having trained CNAs (NACs in Washington) as well as HHAs and HCAs, there is a significant difference in the fundamental philosophy of work. Nursing Assistants are trained from day one to work under the supervision of a nurse in a strictly hierarchical environment. Home Care or Personal Care Aides are taught to provide person centered care focused on the person, and to view themselves as the center point in a full team of caregiving providers, including health care professionals, family members and colleagues. It's so different that it makes a major different in the outcome of the workers, in my experience.
ReplyDeleteAs in any profession, getting the right training for the job is crucial to ensuring that the job is done right. Caregiving is not the place to say this rule doesn't apply!
Amen!! Caregivers need to have the right training for the right environment and the "one-size-fits-all" thinking is not good for either profession.
DeleteYou are absolutely right! Your program is supporting those students who wish to move into a career filled with respect and honor for the "home" - wherever that may be (ALF, AFH, or the person's home). I love your website as well as your support for the home- and community-based care professions. THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteIt's my pleasure and it is so much fun for me to be on the teaching side supporting the caregivers that are doing such great work.
DeleteI have a question regarding this post. What is the difference between a Home care aid and a health care aid? Are a home care aid and health care aid the same thing?
ReplyDelete