WisCaregiver Careers: Choose Your Path and Find Career Opportunities
Find the path that fits you
There's more than one way to get started in caregiving and health care. WisCaregiver Careers offers pathways to help you build skills, gain experience, and move forward in your career. Explore each option to find the path that fits your goals and the kind of care you want to provide.
Certified Direct Care Professional (CDCP)
The CDCP Program is a flexible way to build practical skills for home and community-based care. Complete 30 hours of free, fully online training, with no prior health care experience needed.
As a CDCP, you can build skills to support people in their homes and communities, including skills that can help you care for a loved one. Your training can also help prepare you for employment in direct care.
Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)
The CNA pathway offers a structured path toward CNA certification and employment in a skilled nursing facility.
Start by connecting with a participating nursing facility. Once hired, your employer will arrange your in-person CNA training and explain how your training and testing costs will be handled. WisCaregiver Careers can help cover training and testing costs for eligible participants.
As a CNA, you'll care for residents in a skilled nursing facility while building experience that can support growth in health care.
CDCP-to-CNA Career Ladder
Start with the CDCP Program and continue toward a CNA certification. The CDCP-to-CNA Career Ladder can help you take this step.
With the special Career Ladder version of CDCP training, your CDCP training can count as 20 hours toward the state-required 75-hour CNA training course. This option allows you to build on your CDCP training as you work toward your CNA certification.