MCC Joins Initiative to Improve Training of Direct-Care Workers

As the state’s population ages, there is a growing need for Home Health Aids and Certified Nurse Assistants to care for the elderly, the disabled, and those with chronic illness confined to their homes. Middlesex Community College has joined a statewide consortium to improve training and education of these direct-care workers.

In conjunction with MassBay Community College, MCC will help create a Personal Home Care Aide State Training (PHCAST) program, and build a Direct Care Worker Educational Pathway Model.

Supported by the Affordable Care Act: PHCAST federal grant, this initiative will expand career opportunities for direct-care workers across the state. It will create clear pathways and educational ladders, with transferrable courses, that can lead to higher-level jobs. The initiative will also establish standardized competency training throughout Massachusetts.

“With many people now enjoying retirements that can last longer than their working careers, we have to be prepared for an aging population,” said Denise Pruitt, MCC’s Assistant Dean of Allied Health. “Middlesex and other community colleges offer certificate programs that address the needs of caring for this age group. Reviewing the various programs of study and moving toward a common career lattice for Nursing Assistants will give career options for workers in this field,” she said.

MCC offers a Nursing Assistant Certificate Program as part of its Academy of Health Professions (AHP), which features short-term training and college-credit programs.

MCC also offers a 100-hour noncredit “Nurse Assistant/Home Health Aide” course through Community Education & Career Training.

Students who complete these programs may find career opportunities in long-term care facilities, hospitals and clinics, or in individual residential/patient homes. They are also eligible to take the Massachusetts state certification examination and work as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

Enrollment in MCC’s AHP and CET programs is offered on a rolling basis, and courses run throughout the year. For more information, call 1-800-818-3434.

Middlesex Community College meets the evolving educational, civic and workforce needs of our local and global communities. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in the state, we educate more than 13,000 students annually on our campuses in Bedford and Lowell, and online. MCC offers more than 70 degree and certificate programs, plus hundreds of noncredit courses. At Middlesex, everyone teaches, everyone learns.