The workers who provide the most care at home for older Americans and persons with disabilities, personal care aides (PCAs), are governed by few federal or state requirements for their training. In a pair of reports analyzing the national landscape of training requirements across state Medicaid-funded programs for PCAs, we have found wide variation in minimum training requirements across states and between programs within states. Most states’ PCA training programs are relatively undeveloped compared with standards for certified home health aides and nursing assistants.
Authors Abby Marquand, MPH, Director of Policy Research, PHI and Susan A. Chapman, PhD, RN, FAAN, Co-Director, UCSF Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care present our findings in “The National Landscape of Personal Care Aide Training Standards.” In a companion research brief, “Leader States in Personal Care Aide Training Standards,” the authors describe seven “leader” states that have achieved both consistency and rigor in the training of these workers that enable older adults and individuals with disabilities to reside safely in their homes and participate in their communities.
Find out more on the Personal Care Aide project page.