by our College Data Analytics TeamDo you want to work closely with patients or clients in a home or hospital setting helping them perform basic tasks? This is where a major as a health aide comes in. Health aides, home health aides, and orderlies work with their clients to perform basic life tasks. While orderlies and health aides typically work in a clinic or hospital setting, home health aides primarily work one on one with clients in their homes.
Health aides work under the direction of nurses and perform basic tasks like helping take care of patients who are unable to perform these tasks themselves. This may involve assisting patients to get out of bed, taking care of personal hygiene, cleaning the patient area and changing bedding. Aides may also assist in taking vital signs and reporting these back to the assigned nurse.
Home health aides typically perform many of the same services as a health aide but may extend out of the home by running errands for their client in addition to the in-house tasks. They will also help their clients perform basic housekeeping duties like cleaning, vacuuming and doing laundry.
Some states require aides to become certified, while others only require a high school diploma. Many community and vocational schools offer training to become a health aide. Courses may include housekeeping, record keeping, and safety in addition to basic health and medicine management.
Studying Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies involves the study of Health Aides/attendants/orderlies. Read on to learn the key facts every health aids/attendants/orderlies student should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering health aids/attendants/orderlies programs.
In the U.S., health aids/attendants/orderlies is a popular field of study, with 3,143 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies Schools ranking analyzes these 92 schools to determine the best overall colleges for health aids/attendants/orderlies students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of health aids/attendants/orderlies programs later in this article.
Coursework for Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies build a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations health aids/attendants/orderlies graduates commonly enter.
In order to be a successful aide, you must have excellent interpersonal skills - you will be working directly with clients or patients and you must be able to effectively communicate with them and make them feel comfortable. You should also have a good set of knowledge about basic housekeeping tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Because aides may be required to lift or assist their clients into sitting or standing positions, they should have good physical stamina. Lastly, aides need to have good attention to detail. You may be responsible for administering or reminding your clients about medications, so you must be able to accurately dose and record when medications were given.
Skills emphasized by a health aids/attendants/orderlies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
According to O*NET, a health aids/attendants/orderlies major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several health aids/attendants/orderlies degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 141 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 19 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 658 |
People currently working in careers related to health aids/attendants/orderlies tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage 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% |
View the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in health aids/attendants/orderlies careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
Majoring in health aids/attendants/orderlies can lead to numerous career paths. These are some of the most common occupations related to health aids/attendants/orderlies.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to health aids/attendants/orderlies.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Care Aides | 1,500,120 | 1.0% |
| Occupational Therapy Aides | 1,321,923 | 8.6% |
| Speech-Language Pathology Assistants | 866,044 | 14.8% |
| Psychiatric Aides | 845,589 | 3.6% |
| Endoscopy Technicians | 708,506 | 7.8% |
| Home Health Aides | 250,104 | 3.9% |
| Physical Therapist Aides | 209,671 | 7.2% |
| Healthcare Support Workers, All Other | 191,989 | 3.8% |
Federal data tracks median earnings of health aids/attendants/orderlies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $21,334 |
| 4 years | $27,226 |
| 5 years | $29,985 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for health aids/attendants/orderlies graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers health aids/attendants/orderlies grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Healthcare Support Workers, All Other | $53,362 |
| Psychiatric Aides | $51,090 |
| Home Health Aides | $48,603 |
| Speech-Language Pathology Assistants | $48,496 |
| Endoscopy Technicians | $40,643 |
| Physical Therapist Aides | $32,519 |
| Personal Care Aides | $28,777 |
| Nursing Assistants | $27,058 |
With 92 different health aids/attendants/orderlies programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased health aids/attendants/orderlies school rankings to help you.
Those considering health aids/attendants/orderlies, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Home Health Aide/Home Attendant | 1,704 |
| Medication Aide | 724 |
| Health Aide | 488 |
| Rehabilitation Aide | 158 |
| Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies, Other | 49 |
| Physical Therapy Technician/Aide | 20 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
