Oregon · home health aide (HHA)

Home Health Aide Training in Oregon

How to become a home health aide in Oregon: the routes that qualify you, who regulates home health agencies in Oregon, pay, free training options, and all 45 state-approved CNA programs, since a CNA certification also qualifies you as a home health aide.

A home health aide caring for a client at home in Oregon
$21.35median hourly pay for Oregon home health and personal care aides
75 hrsminimum home health aide training under federal rules
45state-approved CNA programs listed below
42,330home health and personal care aides working in Oregon

Your route

Two ways to qualify as a home health aide in Oregon

Home health agencies in Oregon are licensed by the Oregon Health Authority. Medicare and Medicaid agencies must use aides who completed one of the federally approved routes. These are the two most common.

Fastest route

Become a CNA first

CNA

  • Finish a state-approved CNA program (listed below) and pass the state exam.
  • Under federal rules, a CNA in good standing on the state registry qualifies as a home health aide for Medicare and Medicaid agencies.
  • It also lets you work in nursing homes, where Oregon CNAs earn a median $23.96 an hour.

Agency route

Home health aide training

75 hrs

  • At least 75 hours, including 16 hours of supervised hands-on practice.
  • Often run by home health agencies, which may train you if they hire you.
  • Then pass a competency evaluation given by a registered nurse.

Why we list CNA programs: under federal rules, a state-approved CNA program plus good standing on the Oregon nurse aide registry qualifies you as a home health aide. It’s the route that opens the most doors. See our Oregon CNA guide.

The steps

How to become a home health aide in Oregon

The general path for most new aides.

  1. Pick your routeCNA training if you want the most options, or a home health aide course through an agency.
  2. Complete the trainingAt least 75 hours with 16 hands-on, or your state’s CNA hours.
  3. Pass the evaluationA competency evaluation for aides, or the state CNA exam.
  4. Apply to agenciesAgencies check your training and, for CNAs, the state registry before you start.

Keep your hours up. Federal rules require at least 12 hours of in-service training a year, and if you go 24 months in a row without paid aide work, you must retrain.

Home health aide vs. CNA

Home health aide or CNA in Oregon?

The two jobs overlap, but the settings and pay differ.

Home health aideCNA
Where you workClients’ homes, through home health and hospice agenciesNursing homes and hospitals
Training75 hours federal minimum, or a CNA certificationState-approved CNA program
Official recordYour agency’s training and competency recordsThe Oregon nurse aide registry
Median pay (OR)$21.35 an hour*$23.96 an hour

*Federal pay data groups home health aides with personal care aides. About 42,330 of them work in Oregon.

Help paying

Free and funded training in Oregon

Ways to cover the cost of training.

Get hired first

Many home health agencies train aides they hire, and nursing homes that hire you can’t charge you for CNA training under federal rules.

Grants and Job Corps

  • WorkSource Oregon (WIOA): Your local WorkSource Oregon center can pay for approved training if you're unemployed, laid off, or low-income. worksourceoregon.org

Directory

State-approved CNA programs in Oregon

All 45 programs from our Oregon CNA guide. Finishing one, passing the exam, and staying in good standing on the state registry also qualifies you as a home health aide for Medicare and Medicaid agencies.

45 programs
ProgramCityCountyPhone
Access Healthcare AcademyMedfordJackson(801) 574-9773
Advanced Care Education CenterMedfordJackson(514) 707-2257
Aidan Health ServicesTualatinWashingtonCall the program
Ark FoundationSherwoodWashington(971) 281-8198
Avamere Health ServicesWilsonvilleClackamas(503) 570-3405
Baker Technical InstituteBaker CityBaker(541) 524-2651
Careers In Care AcademyHillsboroWashington(503) 278-6625
Caregiver Training InstitutePortlandMultnomah(503) 257-0117
Central Oregon Community CollegeBendDeschutes(541) 373-7280
Chemeketa Community CollegeSalemMarion(503) 399-5058
Clackamas Community CollegeMilwaukieClackamas(503) 594-0652
Clackamas Nursing Assistant TrainingHappy ValleyClackamas(503) 709-6560
Clatsop Community CollegeAstoriaClatsop(503) 325-0313
Dallas Retirement VillageDallasPolk(503) 623-5581
Dare 2 CareEugeneLane(541) 688-4262
EMT AssociatesSpringfieldLane(541) 844-1328
Gracestar Learning InstituteBeavertonWashington(503) 895-9603
Healthskills Nursing Assistant ProgramJohn DayGrant(208) 283-4171
Klamath Community CollegeKlamath FallsKlamath(541) 882-3521
Linn-Benton Community CollegeAlbanyLinn(541) 917-4738
Long-Term CareworksPortlandMultnomahCall the program
Marquis CompaniesMilwaukieClackamas(971) 206-5200
Moore Nurse ConsultingHillsboroWashington(503) 341-7550
Mt. Hood Community CollegeGreshamMultnomahCall the program
Northwest Care AcademyKeizerMarion(971) 375-3131
Northwest Care Academy (Hybrid Option)SalemMarion(503) 807-7597
Optimal Healthcare TrainingLostineWallowa(541) 624-6162
Oregon Coast Community CollegeNewportLincolnCall the program
Oregon Evergreen HealthcareVancouver(503) 838-0001
Oregon Veterans Home, LebanonLebanonLinnCall the program
Oregon Veterans Home, The DallesThe DallesWasco(541) 296-7190
Pacific Healthcare TrainingCentral PointJackson(541) 941-6642
Platinum Career SolutionsPortlandMultnomah(971) 336-9685
Portland Community CollegePortlandMultnomah(503) 731-6640
Providence Benedictine Nursing CenterBendDeschutes(541) 373-7280
Regency Pacific Training ProgramBellevue(541) 388-4300
Rogue Community CollegeGrants PassJosephine(541) 955-7568
Rogue Valley ManorMedfordJackson(541) 857-7600
Sapphire Health ServicesGreshamMultnomahCall the program
Tillamook Bay Community CollegeTillamookTillamookCall the program
Treasure Valley Community CollegeOntarioMalheur(510) 754-8725
Treasure Valley TechValeMalheur(208) 283-4171
Umpqua Community CollegeRoseburgDouglas(818) 572-7815
Volare HealthEugeneLane(541) 404-4513
Zelina Health SolutionsPortlandMultnomahCall the program

Tip: ask each program whether it also offers a home health aide add-on. For details, costs, and exam steps, see our Oregon CNA guide.

FAQ

Oregon home health aide questions

Short answers to what people ask most.

Does Oregon certify home health aides?

Home health aides in Oregon work for home health agencies licensed by the Oregon Health Authority. Medicare and Medicaid agencies must hire aides who meet the federal training and competency rules. Ask the agency you're applying to which credential it requires.

How do I become a home health aide in Oregon?

The two most common routes are completing a 75-hour home health aide training and competency evaluation, or becoming a CNA. Federal rules count a CNA in good standing on the Oregon nurse aide registry as a qualified home health aide.

How much do home health aides make in Oregon?

The median pay for home health and personal care aides in Oregon is $21.35 an hour, about $44,410 a year, based on the May 2025 federal wage survey. Oregon CNAs earn a median $23.96 an hour.

Can a CNA work as a home health aide?

Yes, for Medicare and Medicaid home health agencies, if the CNA completed a state-approved program and is listed in good standing on the state nurse aide registry.

Do home health aides need yearly training?

Yes. Federal rules require at least 12 hours of in-service training every 12 months for aides at Medicare and Medicaid agencies.

Sources: Oregon Health Authority; our Oregon CNA guide (state-approved program list); 42 CFR 484.80, Home health aide services; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Last checked October 2026. See something out of date? Report a correction.