Home Health Aide Skills Competency Checklist
Hand Hygiene
Date Date Demonstrated RN Observer Comments
Practiced Satisfactory Completion Signature
Soap and Water
Wet your hands with clean, running water, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands,
between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds–the friction of your hands rubbing together helps
remove the germs
Rinse your hands under clean, running water and use a clean towel to turn off the water.
Touching the faucet with your freshly washed hands will re-contaminate them- faucet
handles are considered “dirty”.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or allow them to air dry
Hand Gel
Make sure you are using a hand gel with at least 70% alcohol content
Apply a dime size of the gel product to the palm of one hand
Rub your hands together
Rub the sanitizer over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry (about 20
seconds)
Do NOT rinse or wipe off the hand sanitizer before it’s dry, it kills bacteria as it dries. And
remember, hand gel does not kill MRSA, Norovirus and C.difficile.
1 Home Health Aide Skills Competency Checklist
,Vital Signs
Taking a Temperature:
Date Date Demonstrated RN Observer Comments
Practiced Satisfactory Completion Signature
Complete Hand Hygiene
Put on Gloves
Clean the thermometer with an alcohol wipe and allow it to dry fully
IF APPLICABLE: Place probe cover on thermometer
Take patient temperature
Oral: Place under the patient’s tongue and have the patient close their mouth.
Axillary: Have the patient raise their arm, place the end of the thermometer into the
underarm space (“armpit”), up tight against the patient’s side, and have the patient lower
their arm over the probe
Temporal: Place the Thermometer sensor tip directly onto the skin in the middle of the
forehead, and lightly move the sensor tip right or left across the skin on the forehead to
the hairline
Tympanic(Ear): Gently pull the top of the ear up and back, and place the probe into the
ear until there is a snug fit.
Rectal:Lay the patient on their left side and pull their right knee up towards their chest.
Place lubrication on the probe, stick gently place the probe 1/2 inch into the rectum
IF APPLICABLE: Throw away the probe cover
Clean the thermometer with an alcohol wipe and allow it to dry fully
Throw away gloves
Complete Hand Hygiene
Record Temperature
2 Home Health Aide Skills Competency Checklist
, Radial Pulse Heart Rate:
Date Date Demonstrated RN Observer Comments
Practiced Satisfactory Completion Signature
Complete Hand Hygiene
Put on Gloves
Take HR using the radial artery counting for a full 30 seconds.
Multiply count x 2 to get the heartbeats per minute
If the pulse feels irregular (uneven), count for a full minute to get an accurate reading.
Continue on to counting respirations without removing fingers from wrist
Respirations:
Date Date Demonstrated RN Observer Comments
Practiced Satisfactory Completion Signature
Count respirations directly after counting heart rate, while keeping fingers on the patient’s
wrist.
Count the rise and fall of the chest for 30 seconds
Multiply count x 2 to get respirations per minute
If breathing looks irregular (uneven), count for a full minute to get an accurate reading
Throw away gloves
Complete Hand Hygiene
Record HR and RR
3 Home Health Aide Skills Competency Checklist
Hand Hygiene
Date Date Demonstrated RN Observer Comments
Practiced Satisfactory Completion Signature
Soap and Water
Wet your hands with clean, running water, and apply soap.
Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands,
between your fingers, and under your nails.
Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds–the friction of your hands rubbing together helps
remove the germs
Rinse your hands under clean, running water and use a clean towel to turn off the water.
Touching the faucet with your freshly washed hands will re-contaminate them- faucet
handles are considered “dirty”.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or allow them to air dry
Hand Gel
Make sure you are using a hand gel with at least 70% alcohol content
Apply a dime size of the gel product to the palm of one hand
Rub your hands together
Rub the sanitizer over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry (about 20
seconds)
Do NOT rinse or wipe off the hand sanitizer before it’s dry, it kills bacteria as it dries. And
remember, hand gel does not kill MRSA, Norovirus and C.difficile.
1 Home Health Aide Skills Competency Checklist
,Vital Signs
Taking a Temperature:
Date Date Demonstrated RN Observer Comments
Practiced Satisfactory Completion Signature
Complete Hand Hygiene
Put on Gloves
Clean the thermometer with an alcohol wipe and allow it to dry fully
IF APPLICABLE: Place probe cover on thermometer
Take patient temperature
Oral: Place under the patient’s tongue and have the patient close their mouth.
Axillary: Have the patient raise their arm, place the end of the thermometer into the
underarm space (“armpit”), up tight against the patient’s side, and have the patient lower
their arm over the probe
Temporal: Place the Thermometer sensor tip directly onto the skin in the middle of the
forehead, and lightly move the sensor tip right or left across the skin on the forehead to
the hairline
Tympanic(Ear): Gently pull the top of the ear up and back, and place the probe into the
ear until there is a snug fit.
Rectal:Lay the patient on their left side and pull their right knee up towards their chest.
Place lubrication on the probe, stick gently place the probe 1/2 inch into the rectum
IF APPLICABLE: Throw away the probe cover
Clean the thermometer with an alcohol wipe and allow it to dry fully
Throw away gloves
Complete Hand Hygiene
Record Temperature
2 Home Health Aide Skills Competency Checklist
, Radial Pulse Heart Rate:
Date Date Demonstrated RN Observer Comments
Practiced Satisfactory Completion Signature
Complete Hand Hygiene
Put on Gloves
Take HR using the radial artery counting for a full 30 seconds.
Multiply count x 2 to get the heartbeats per minute
If the pulse feels irregular (uneven), count for a full minute to get an accurate reading.
Continue on to counting respirations without removing fingers from wrist
Respirations:
Date Date Demonstrated RN Observer Comments
Practiced Satisfactory Completion Signature
Count respirations directly after counting heart rate, while keeping fingers on the patient’s
wrist.
Count the rise and fall of the chest for 30 seconds
Multiply count x 2 to get respirations per minute
If breathing looks irregular (uneven), count for a full minute to get an accurate reading
Throw away gloves
Complete Hand Hygiene
Record HR and RR
3 Home Health Aide Skills Competency Checklist
