Report: PCA Training is Inconsistent, Inadequate

A new report from the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute warns that training standards for personal care aides (PCAs) is lax and inconsistent. PCA is the fastest-growing occupation in the U.S., with the number of PCAs projected to grow 71 percent by 2020.

Unlike CNAs and home health aides, PCA training programs are not well-defined or federally regulated. Instead, the training programs are left to the states or even the PCA's employer. Twenty-three states have no specific training standards of any kind and 27 states task agency-employers with setting their own standards.

This lack of standardized training makes it difficult for seniors to judge the qualifications of a PCA and can also make it difficult for PCAs to change jobs.

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