PCHA 100 Hour Course Requirements

Qualifications necessary to attend this program:

Applicants must be 21 years of age or older, a Pennsylvania resident and meet one of the requirements listed below:

  1. For a home serving eight or fewer residents:

    1. A general education development diploma or high school diploma and two years of direct care or administrative experience in the human services field

      OR

  2. For a home serving nine or more residents:

    1. An associate degree or 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university

    2. A license as a registered nurse from the Pennsylvania Department of State

    3. A license as a licensed practical nurse from the Pennsylvania Department of State, and one year experience in a related field

    4. A license as a nursing home administrator from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Participant Requirements

  1. Attendance at all sessions is mandatory. Arriving late or leaving early will NOT be permitted. Individuals who miss any part of the class will be required to make up the entire module.

  2. The DHS online exam will be administered at the end of the course. To be eligible, you must:

    1. Attend all of the required 100 hours of the course

    2. Submit all licenses and certifications prior to sitting for the final exam

  3. Making up missed modules is required in order to sit for the DHS online exam. If you miss any of the 100 hours you must:

    1. Attend the missed module(s) at another Pennsylvania Department of Human Services approved PCHA 100 Hour program provider, which can be found on the DHS website. This will result in additional costs to the participant.

    2. Provide Temple University Harrisburg with a certificate of completion from a Pennsylvania Department of Human Services approved PCHA 100 Hour program provider.

    3. Each paid attendee of Temple University Harrisburg will have a window of 365 days to make up the missed module with Temple University Harrisburg, if the module is offered again in that time period, free of charge. However, this will result in your exam date being delayed until all modules (100 hours) are complete.

    4. Temple University Harrisburg course participants are not eligible to receive any refunds for missed class time.

  4. Attend the Department of Human Services Orientation Program before, during, or after the 100 Hour Course.

  5. Obtain a passing score on the department-approved competency based training exam in order to receive certificate of course completion and be eligible to become a Personal Care Home Administrator.

Orientation Program

The Department of Human Services (DHS) requires each individual complete the DHS orientation training. It is a free, mandatory, 6-hour program offered by DHS, which must be completed before, during, or after, the 100-Hour Training and exam in order to become a Personal Care Home Administrator. Registration is required and fills up quickly.

Department of Human Services PCHA Orientation Schedule