Personal Care and Support Credential

Direct Care Alliance
Personal Care and Support Credential

The DCA Personal Care and Support Credential is a competency-based exam that tests for the skills and knowledge personal assistance workers need to do their job well. The test reflects what personal assistance workers do on the job. It is not based on any specific training program. The exam includes a multiple-choice section to assess knowledge and a situational judgment test to assess judgment and problem solving.

The New York Times featured an article on the DCA Credential, an exam that leads to becoming a credentialed "personal care and support professional" and serves to elevate the profession of direct care." See article

For caregivers, the DCA Credential:

• Demonstrates possession of a broad knowledge base required to serve as a competent personal assistance professional,
• Provides a formal, portable professional recognition at the national level
  
  

For More Information

If you have questions or concerns, please call 505-867-6046 or send an email to info@nmdirectcaresupport.org

Visit the DCA Credential Website

What is the Personal Care and Support Credential?

The national Direct Care Alliance Personal Care and Support Credential is a competency-based test for personal assistance workers in home and community-based settings. Direct care workers who provide personal assistance services are a crucial link in our health care system – they help elders and people living with disabilities stay at home and maintain their independence and quality of life.

But with no national credentialing or training requirements for personal assistance, elders, people with disabilities and their families have no reliable way to assess the knowledge of those they hire; agency employers must devise their own assessment procedures; state policy makers have no national standard to depend upon; and workers in this field have no way to demonstrate their professionalism and skill.

The Direct Care Alliance Personal Care and Support Credential is a solution to that problem. The credential is a crucial step in professionalizing the direct care workforce. It will create a career ladder for workers; help improve the quality of care for elders and people living with disabilities; and become a valuable tool for employers and agencies struggling to meet the demand for personal care and support services in their communities.

Click here to see the recent New York Times article featuring the Personal Care and Support Credential.

Why you should take the Exam:

Direct care workers are rarely rewarded and recognized for their expertise and the critical services that they provide. Professional development and career opportunities are scarce for new direct care workers and those who have been in the field for years. A lack of opportunities that’s linked to certification and higher wages makes it difficult for direct care workers to advance without leaving their profession. It also diminishes the quality of care for millions of elderly and people with disabilities. For direct care workers, the credential:

• Demonstrates a broad knowledge base that is required to be a competent personal assistance professional;
• Provides formal, portable professional recognition at the national level;
• Promotes a sense of pride in the role;
• Increases skills and market value; and
• Potentially increases career opportunities.

What is in the exam?

The DCA Personal Care and Support Credential is a competency-based exam that tests for the skills and knowledge personal assistance workers need to do their job well. The test reflects what personal assistance workers do on the job and is not based on any specific training program. It includes a multiple-choice section to assess knowledge and a situational judgment test to assess judgment and problem solving.

Direct care workers who have experience assisting elders and people living with disabilities typically do well.

Credential Qualifications

In order to take the DCA Personal Care and Support Credential exam, candidates must be at least 18 years of age.

Candidates must also fit into one of the below categories:

• Show documented evidence of successful completion of at least an 120-hour course that covers the essential elements of the work of a personal assistance professional; or
• Show documented evidence of successful completion of at least a 40-hour course that covers the essential elements of the work of a personal assistance professional AND six months work in good standing providing personal support services; or
• Have worked for at least two years in good standing providing personal assistance services.

In addition, candidates must:

• Comply with state regulatory training requirements for the level of service provided in the state where the individual works; and
• Must NOT have a criminal record or have been convicted of neglect or abuse; and
• Demonstrate a commitment to the code of conduct/statement of ethical standards.