title: Licensing and training requirements for direct care workers in Japan: what can the United States and Japan learn from each other?
abstract: Shortages of direct care workers have been of concern both in the United States and in Japan. This article compares issues surrounding long-term care provisions in the two countries and introduces Japan's unique licensure and certificate system for direct care workers. Japan has established three levels of direct care worker certificates and a direct care licensure, which can be potentially used as a career ladder. Studies show that this system has resulted in different work conditions and benefits between different certificate and licensure levels but had a limited impact on hourly wage and task differentiation. Implications for the United States are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Japan Foundation for Aging and Health. yoshi_yamada777@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Yoshiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Minobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekiya
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000193:education / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D002322:Career Mobility; D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008004:Licensure / Q000592:standards*; D008134:Long-Term Care; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce