Personal and Home Care Aide State Training (PHCAST)

PHCAST offers courses for both Homemakers and Personal Care Homemakers. For each of these jobs, there are three course options. Please choose the course that best describes your employment goals.

Each course is available in English, Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese Mandarin, Chinese Cantonese, Russian, and Vietnamese. Please enroll in only one course. Each of the following courses covers the same content:

1. New Professionals: If you are new to the work of Homemaker or Personal Care Homemaker, you can take the course for New Professionals. You must complete all modules and activities in the order they are presented.
2. Experienced Professionals: If you have experience but would like to gain new skills or refresh your knowledge, you can take the course for Experienced Professionals. You can skip around in this course. You do not have to take the modules in order.
3. Informal Caregivers: If you currently care for family members, friends, or private individuals, you can take the course for Informal Caregivers. You can skip around in this course. You do not have to take the modules in order.

To register for any of the courses, go to the Massachusetts Home Care Training website and choose the course that best represents your skills and career goals. Courses in all languages cover the same skills and content.

To start the course:

1. Go to PHCAST Instructure course of the Executive Office of Aging & Independence.
2. Enter the username and password you created. Your username should be your email address. Be sure to remember your username and password. You will need them each time you log in to the
3. Click on “Log In”.
4. Once you log in, you will see the name of your Click on the name of your course and get started.

This is a self-paced course. You can start the course at any time and work at your own pace.

If you would like to enroll in a different PHCAST course, such as the same course in another language or different learning path, go to the Massachusetts Home Care Training website. Select the language and then the course and click on “Enroll”.

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No! All online PHCAST courses are free for learners and employers who use the training.

Please note: This training is just for individuals who will work in the state of Massachusetts.

Yes, you can do the PHCAST training on any smartphone that has video capabilities. You will need to register and enroll in a course using a computer before you can use the Canvas Student app. The Canvas Student app is available in the App Store for both Apple and Android devices. Once you enroll in the course, you can access the course from your phone.

Apple: Download iPhone App for Apple iphones.

Android: Download Android App for Android phones.

1. Go to either the App Store for iPhones or Google Play for Androids.
2. Search for “Canvas Student”.
3. Click on “Install”.
4. When prompted for the name of your school, type in “PHCAST”.
5. You will receive a verification code on your phone. Enter the code you see.
6. Once you enter the code, you will see the dashboard with the course you have enrolled

This video shows how to use the Canvas Student app to link to your PHCAST course online. Disregard the first section and look for the QR code portion of each video that shows how you can link the app to your course.

As you complete each course page or activity, a green check mark will appear next to that item on the main course page. Use these check marks to track what you have completed.

The knowledge-check quizzes and activities are not graded. Therefore, you will see a score of 0/0. Only the end-of-module assessments are graded. You must receive a minimum score of 80% on each of the end-of-module assessments to earn a Certificate of Completion.

Yes, there are knowledge check activities throughout the course and assessments at the end of each module. You are allowed three attempts for each of these activities and assessments. The only activity you cannot retake is the demographic survey. If you submit this without completing it, pleases contact phcast@umb.edu.

Once you complete the course requirements, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate will be sent to the email address you used to register for the course, and you can also print it from the course dashboard. You can access your certificate from the course dashboard.

Yes. Go to the PHCAST Online Course Dashboard to log in to the dashboard. You will see the certificate for each course you have completed. For more information about the certificate and dashboard, visit the webpage, How to View the Certificate of Completion.

To change the name on your certificate, follow these steps:

1. 1. Open your course at https://phcast.instructure.com.
2. 2. In the left hand navigation menu, click on "Account"
3. 3. Click "Settings"
4. 4. Click "Edit Settings"
5. 5. Retype your name in the space provided for Full Name and Display Name
6. 6. Click "Update Settings"

No, there is not an end-of-course test. Instead, there is an end-of-module assessment at the end of each module. You must complete the end-of-module assessment with a score of at least 80% to pass each module and receive a certificate.

You can send a message directly through the course platform. Someone will respond within 36 hours. Click on "Help" on the upper left menu and then click on “Ask Your Instructor a Question” to get help.

PHCAST offers a job board to support the Homemaker and Personal Care Homemaker training. You can use the job board to search for Homemaker and Personal Care Homemaker jobs in your area. Access the job board at the PHCAST job board website.

Homemakers: The PHCAST Certificate for Homemakers qualifies you to work as a Homemaker for a home care agency. However, you will need to check with individual employers about their requirements.

Personal Care Homemakers: The PHCAST Certificate for Personal Care Homemakers qualifies you to work as a Personal Care Homemaker. In addition to the PHCAST online training, you will need to complete 10 hours of hands-on training with a Homemaker agency provider nurse. Check with local home care agencies for more information.

Other jobs, such as Home Health Aides (HHA) and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) require additional training. PHCAST offers online training for Homemakers and Personal Care Homemakers only.