Print this pageDirect Care Workforce Initiative
Strengthening Iowa's largest profession and ensuring quality care for Iowans
Who are Direct Care Professionals?
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Direct care professionals (DCPs) provide supportive services and care to people with health conditions, illnesses, or disabilities. They play a critical role in supporting the independence, daily living, and health of Iowans.
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Direct care professionals constitute the single largest profession in Iowa, estimated at 78,000 workers in 2014, and demand for direct care services is increasing at rates exceeding capacity of the workforce.
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Workforce projections indicate the need for more than 20,000 additional direct care professionals by 2020.
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DCPs are commonly called direct support professionals, direct care workers, supported community living workers, home health aides, certified nurse aides, and many other job titles.
Download the PDF for composition of the direct care workforce
Download the PDF for Where direct care professionals work (continuum of service delivery)
About the Prepare to Care Curriculum
The curriculum developed through the Direct Care Workforce Initiative is now available statewide! These resources give more information about the trainings and how DCPs can combine courses into Career Pathways to earn Advanced Training Certificates.
Download the PDF for composition of the direct care workforce.
Download the PDF for Career Pathways and Course Description
Click here to watch a video aout the Prepare to Care curriculum (7 minutes)
Regulation Comparisons
These comparisons of state/federal regulations and Prepare to Care curriculum content show how Prepare to Care meets the training requirements for several different settings.
Download PDF for Home Health (includes Local Public Health and Medicare-certified)
Download PDF for HCBS, Remedial/Medical, MI/MR/DD
Download PDF for Intermediate Care Facilities
Download PDF for Elder Group Homes, Assisted Living, Adult Day Programs
Specialty Competencies
Teams working on behalf of the Direct Care Workforce Initiative developed sets of competencies that are recommended to be covered by trainings in each of the following specialty areas of direct care.
Download PDF for Alzheimer's/Dementia
Download PDF for Mental Health
Download PDF for Positive Behavioral Support
Recommendations of the Direct Care Worker Advisory Council
Download PDF for Summary of the recommended training and credentialing model
Download PDF About the pilot project that tested the training and credentialing
