STUDY: Training Project Boosted Job Satisfaction for Michigan PCAs

A federally funded training program for Michigan personal care aides (PCAs) resulted in significantly improved job satisfaction, found a study published on the website of Home Health Care Management & Practice.

Three months after completing the training demonstration project, Building Training…Building Quality (BTBQ), 77 percent of learners said their job satisfaction had improved, the study showed.

Additionally, 94 percent said they would recommend PCA work to a friend, and 95 percent said they were proud to tell others what they did for a living.

“The overall findings provide strong evidence that learners realized the value of PCA work and mastering PCA skills contributed to the potential for successful employment if given the chance,” write Clare Luz and Katherine Hanson, the study’s authors and faculty members at Michigan State University‘s (MSU) Department of Family Medicine.

Higher Confidence

Large majorities of BTBQ learners also reported feeling more confident in their ability to provide care. More than 90 percent, for example, agreed with the statement “I can care for a client better after BTBQ.”

“What sets BTBQ apart from other direct-care worker trainings is its emphasis on person-centeredness, its use of highly interactive, adult learner instructional strategies, and content related specifically to home versus institutional care,” Luz and Hanson write.

Studies have shown that quality training standards that improve direct-care workers’ core skills correlate with higher job satisfaction and lower turnover rates, Luz and Hanson note.

Overall, nearly 400 learners completed the BTBQ training.

Part of PHCAST

Michigan was one of six states to receive a three-year Personal and Home Care Aide State Training Program (PHCAST) federal demonstration grant in 2010, to develop, implement, and evaluate an evidence-based, model training program for personal care aides.

The BTBQ curriculum “is now being reviewed for ways in which to make it accessible to home care providers,” Luz and Hanson write.

The 77-hour, 22-module BTBQ curriculum was developed by a partnership between the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging (OSA), MSU, and PHI, among others.

Late last year, Luz, along with PHI Michigan Manager Hollis Turnham and others, submitted to the OSA a final report on BTBQ.

— by Matthew Ozga