About the BTBQ™ Training Program

In 2010, The Personal and Home Care Aide State Training (PHCAST) demonstration project, mandated by the Affordable Care Act and administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, funded six states to develop, implement, and test new PCA training programs.  Michigan developed "Building Training…Building Quality™ (BTBQ™) designed for PCAs who provide long term supports and services to participants in “MI Choice”, Michigan’s Medicaid home and community based waiver program.  

Developing and testing BTBQ™ was made possible through partnerships with the Aging and Adult Services Agency, an RN Project Director, Michigan State University, PHI - a national organization dedicated to improving the direct care workforce, MI Choice waiver agents, agency providers, and community collaborators.

​BTBQ™ is a 77-hour curriculum that includes basic PCA competencies, emphasizes person-centered principles and is taught using adult learner teaching strategies.

BTBQ™ was tested in five regions across Michigan, both urban and rural. Nearly 400 learners completed the training significant improvements in knowledge, skills, job satisfaction and job status, all of which can contribute to better care of clients and improved worker retention. Key characteristics of a “gold-standard” PCA training program were identified that can lead to a competent workforce, improve the lives of PCAs and the participants they serve, and be a model for the nation. ​