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Certified Direct Care Professional (CDCP)

Fast-track your health care career while making life better for older adults or for people who have a disability.

  • Free training
  • $500 bonus
  • Access to many job opportunities

Watch and learn how to start your health care career and become a CDCP!

 

Interested in free CDCP training? Training is available in English, Spanish, and Hmong.

Sign up to start your CDCP trainingCDCP training in Spanish CDCP training in Hmong

It's never been easier to enter the health care field. The Certified Direct Care Professional (CDCP) program is a free program, offered in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and only takes about 30 hours to complete. 

When you sign up to become a CDCP, you'll begin a journey of purpose and changing people's lives through health care. You'll end every day feeling a sense of accomplishment, knowing that you have helped members of the community live their lives to the fullest. You'll also:

  • Receive free online training in essential skills to succeed in your caregiving career
  • Get a $500 bonus when you complete the course and work for an eligible employer (plus earn extra bonuses for referrals to the program)
  • Connect with employers across Wisconsin and be added to the Wisconsin Certified Direct Care Professional Registry
  • Grow into future positions such as certified nurse aide (CNA), medication aide, licensed practical nurse (LPN), registered nurse (RN), administration, or management

Visit the WisCaregiver Careers CDCP website and get started today!

Download the CDCP Fact Sheet, P-03346: available in English (PDF) | Hmong (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)

WisCaregiver Connections

A one-stop career resource for employers and job seekers

Certified Direct Care Professionals (CDCPs) can locate potential employers through our workforce platform, WisCaregiver Connections. WisCaregiver Connections is our statewide registry to connect CDCPs and eligible employers, to fill open positions.

We are now recruiting eligible employers and agencies to join our free provider directory. This will make it easy for CDCPs to connect with employers after training. Eligible providers/agencies serve HCBS participants enrolled in programs such as Family Care, Partnership, IRIS, PACE, Children's Long-Term Support, and fee-for-service (FFS) providers.

The WisCaregiver Connections workforce platform allows employers to:

  • Post job openings
  • Automatically match with job seekers
  • Screen candidate profiles and credentialing details

Plus, when employers join the registry, their current staff will be eligible to become CDCPs and receive bonuses.

Providers: join WisCaregiver Connections

Microcredential training opportunities

A microcredential is a credit, certificate, certification, or other kind of recognized training in a specific area that goes beyond the CDCP training. For CDCPs, microcredentials serve as an opportunity for continuing education. Independent organizations offer these trainings and can help CDCPs explore new topics and further their careers. To learn more, see the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay-Microcredential.

CDCPs can also continue their health care career journey through the WisCaregiver Careers CNA workforce development program. This program addresses the shortage of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in the state by supporting recruitment, training, and retention of individuals to care for nursing home residents across Wisconsin. The program is administered by Wisconsin's Department of Health Services, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Wisconsin Health Care Association, and LeadingAge Wisconsin. It offers:

  • Free nurse aide training
  • Free nurse aide certification testing
  • $500 retention bonus after six months of employment as a nurse aide

To learn more or to register for the program, visit WisCaregiver Careers CNA or contact a participating employer nursing home directly. FoodShare recipients can join the program through their local FoodShare Employment and Training (FSET) agency.

In 2016, Wisconsin’s chief economist warned of a looming shortage in the health care workforce. At the time, nursing homes reported one in seven caregiver positions were unfilled. Wisconsin’s Division of Quality Assurance and Division of Medicaid Services created the WisCaregiver Careers Program to help fill this gap.

WisCaregiver Careers launched in 2018 to attract and keep nurse aides in the state’s workforce. To do that, the program costs were lowered and training was made more accessible. Today, this successful program has been expanded to increase its impact and reach.

Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Reinvestment Program Grant, 2018-2021

DHS used this grant to help launch the WisCaregiver Careers program in 2018. It also received federal approval to invest $2.3 million in the program. Read about the success of the WisCaregiver Careers Program, P-02531 (PDF).

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Fast Forward/CMP Grant, 2020-2022

Under this grant, DHS partnered with the Wisconsin Health Care Association and LeadingAge Wisconsin to address the CNA shortage in state nursing homes. Through the partnership, new workers were offered free training, certification testing, and sign-on or retention bonuses.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Grant, 2022-2024

A $6 million investment, funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Nursing Home & Long-term Care Facility Strike Team program, will expand the current program, including recruiting qualified employers to host new CNA training slots. Funds will support employee recruitment and success through retention bonuses, employer reimbursement, success bonuses, and mentorships.

Glossary

 
Last revised January 9, 2025