CNA Classes

Are you looking to train for a new career in a way that will not take a lot of your time or money?  Do you want to work in the healthcare industry but are just looking for an entry level position for now?  If you enjoy helping others and are not afraid to work hard, you might want to consider training to be a certified nursing assistant. To become a nursing assistant, you will need to find CNA training schools.

Certified nursing assistants work with patients in a variety of healthcare settings to provide basic care services.  Some nursing assistants also provide companionship and assistance with household chores (in the case of home health CNAs).

Before you can gain employment as a certified nursing assistant, you will need to attend one of the CNA training schools in your area.  It is usually not difficult to find training programs for individuals who want to become certified nursing assistants.

One of the first places you should look is at healthcare facilities in your area.  There are many healthcare facilities that offer their own CNA Training schools.  Sometimes the training is open to the public.  Other times, you will need to be offered employment as a CNA and then will be provided with training.

There are many nursing schools that now offer CNA training as well.  It is not uncommon to find CNA training schools that are associated with nursing programs.  You might be surprised to learn that more and more nursing schools are actually requiring individuals to hold a certified nursing assistant certification before applying to nursing school.

You can find CNA training at community colleges in many instances.  This is a common course that is offered for individuals who are looking for a non-degree program.  You will find students of all ages attending nursing assistant training programs at community colleges.  The programs will often last for a few weeks, while some will span an entire semester.

Allied health school and technical schools are another good source if you are seeking nursing assistant training.  This is especially true if you live in an area where nursing assistants are in high demand.

When you are looking into cna training schools, you need to make certain the school is offering a program that is fully accredited by the state.  If the program has not been approved for the state, you will not be able to sit for the nursing assistant certification exam.  (Which means you will not be able to become certified).

Take your time when looking for cna training schools.  It can take time to find a training program that meets your schedule.  Many programs offer flexible class options for individuals who have a lot to juggle.  You can find low-cost and in some cases even free training options.  This is why it is important to take your time and look around.  Otherwise you might miss out on the best cna training schools for your particular needs. Find a great school that will prepare you well for your certification test and your career.

To Become a CNA

You might be wondering if there are actual online CNA courses.  The short answer is that yes, there are but there is more to it than that.  You can find some training programs that offer a portion of the nursing assistant training online.

It is not possible for all portions of nursing assistant training to be conducted online.  For example, you cannot fulfill clinical training requirements online.  This must be done offline at a healthcare facility or other hands on training facility in your local area.

Some online nursing assistant courses are actually for individuals who do not tend to receive certification. These individuals will often work as non-certified nursing aides.  If you do not complete a course that is approved by the state, you will not be able to obtain certification.

There are some online cna courses that do allow you to become certified as long as you complete your clinical training offline. Sometimes you will also need to do some lab work and other hands on instruction offline to fulfill all requirements for nursing assistant training in your state.

An online cna course can provide you with some advantages over ones that are offline.  These courses are often less expensive than traditional training.  They provide you with the flexibility you need to complete your studies in between work and other family responsibilities.

Search for online cna courses that are fully certified in your state and that will make you eligible to sit for the nursing assistant training course in your state.  Do your research on an online program very carefully.  Contact the school to ask questions and to make certain that the school is professional and that the staff members know what they are doing.

Look for feedback, rating and reviews on any online cna training programs that you are considering.  Talk to anyone you know who completed training online to find the most reputable online cna training classes.

Continuing Education Courses

Online cna courses are sometimes available for continuing education credits that you need each year to retain an active nursing assistant certification.  Many of the classes that you are required to take to keep you up to date on the information you need to be a good nursing assistant will be available online.

Online continuing education credits are beneficial because they allow you to finish your credits on your own timeline.  You can work on your course between work shifts and in between other responsibilities for your home and family.  In some cases these online continuing education credits might be free.  Your employer will often pay all or part of any fees you need to pay for additional nursing assistant training each year.

Keep in mind that you will need to finish some continuing education credits each year in order to keep your certification active.  If you do not keep up with these credits, you might need to go through all or part of the certification process again.  Use online courses whenever possible to help make certain you retain an active certification.

You will need to attend and pass a nursing assistant certification program before being granted certification. A nursing assistant is commonly called a CNA.  A CNA is someone who provides some basic care services for patients in a range of healthcare settings (including home health). It will also be necessary to pass the nursing assistant competency exam administered by your state.  There are ways to receive paid CNA training.

If you are receiving training to become a nursing assistant through a nursing care facility, you might be eligible to have your employer pay for your training.  These facilities often hire individuals to work as nursing assistants even if they need to complete the training process.

Nursing care facilities often offer training directly on-site.  Therefore, they will hire motivated individuals who are interested in an entry-level healthcare position to work as nursing assistants.  If you are hired to work as a nursing assistant before you have training, you will then need to complete the training program and pass the exam.

In order to receive paid cna training from your employer, you will have to agree to work as a certified nursing assistant for that facility for a certain amount of time.  (The employer will provide you with details on all these requirements.  It is sometimes possible to work for this employer as a nursing assistant while you are finishing all requirements for certification.

Many states offer a grace period in which people can work in a healthcare facility while completing their training.  If you qualify for this grace period, you will have time to finish your training classes and to take (and pass) the certification exam.

During that time, you will be able to be paid to work for the healthcare facility.  This is good news if you need to be able to receive an income while completing the steps for certification (especially if you are currently not employed).

You need to work as a paid CNA for a certain amount of time each year in order to be able to complete the necessary nursing assistant recertification every two years.  Typically, you will need to have worked as a nursing assistant for pay for at least 150 hours over a 24-month period.  If you do not work this many hours as a paid cna, you might need to repeat a training course or to sit for the for the certification exam again.

If you are not working as a paid cna, your nursing assistant certification can lapse.  This is to make sure that you have the experience and knowledge that you need at all times to provide good care for patients.  Many states require you to work for at least 8 hours in a given amount of time if you want to be able to easily reactivate your nursing assistant certification.  The criteria can vary from state to state.  Even if you decide not to work as a nursing assistant full-time, you should try to work a couple hours each week or a few hours each month to retain your certification.

You have decided that you want to train to work as a certified nursing assistant (cna).  You will need to find a state approved cna training course.  These courses are not very expensive; however, you might still be hoping to find free cna classes.  There are a potential ways to receive cna training for free.

Some healthcare facilities (particularly nursing care facilities) will offer free cna classes.  In order to receive classes for free, you will need to be hired to work as a nursing assistant for that facility.  You must agree to work for that nursing care facility for a specified amount of time.  If you enter into an agreement to do so, you will not be charged for your nursing assistant training.

It is important to talk with your employer or any healthcare facility where you would like to work to determine if they offer free cna classes.  Not all nursing care facilities are able to offer training for free.  If you are already working in a healthcare facility and want to change your career to work as a nursing assistant, ask your employer about the possibility of paying the cost of your nursing assistant training for you.

Many states allow Medicare Approved nursing care facilities (including long-term care communities) to reimburse individuals for their nursing assistant training.  You might be required to pay for your training out of your own pocket but then have those fees reimbursed when you obtain employment.  Make certain to keep all your receipts from your tuition, books and any testing for your nursing assistant training.

It might be possible to receive free cna classes if you are currently unemployed.  There are programs available in most states and local communities for people who are unemployed and looking to start a new career.  One of the options might be for training as a certified nursing assistant especially if you live in an area where CNAs are in high demand.

Free CNA classes might be available to you through unemployment programs.  This is something to consider if you are currently out of work and know that you would like to try a new career as a nursing assistant.  You will most like need to attend training courses that are approved by the program you are using to pay for your course.

Some community colleges and technical schools offer training for individuals who want to work as certified nursing assistants.  These programs do have tuition and fees associated with them.  This might still be an option; however, if you are looking to find free cna classes, Courses that are offered at colleges sometimes qualify for grants and other forms of financial aid.  It might be possible to receive enough financial assistance to cover all of the cost of your nursing assistant training.  Additional assistance is often available to individuals who have served in the armed services.

Even if you cannot find free cna classes that will work for you, do not give up on your hope to become a nursing assistant.  Training courses for CNAs are very affordable.  You can often find programs that cost you less than $500.  These programs can still prepare you well for the nursing assistant exam and a career as a CNA.  Just make certain that you enroll in CNA training programs that are fully approved by the state.

If you have decided to start to train to work as a certified nursing assistant, then you know you will need to attend a training class and take the certification exam in your state.  CNA testing is used to ensure that an individual has the skills and knowledge they need to provide safe and effective care for patients.

The standards for cna testing are set by the state in which the test is being administered.  All testing sites will have state test administrators to ensure all standards are withheld during the test.  All states have a similar layout for cna testing for certified nursing assistants.  Tests always include two sections with one that is written and one in which students demonstrate skills.

The written portion of a cna test includes theoretical questions and questions pertaining to basic patient procedures.  This section of the exam includes questions about information covered during the classroom portion of the nursing assistant training programs.  Most states have a test with about 100 multiple choice questions.  After this part of the test is completed, individuals will then move on to the skills section.

During the skills portion of the nursing assistant certification test, students will demonstrate cna skills.  The number of skills that must be shown will depend on the criteria for the nursing assistant exam.  Most exams require students to perform at least 5 different skills to be evaluated by the test administrator.
When students are taking the skills part of the test, they must demonstrate each skill from start to finish.  This includes showing the test administrator that the student remembers to knock on a patient’s door, announce who they are, pull a patient’s privacy curtain and put up bedrails.  Students must always remember to wash their hands before and after demonstrating a skill when having direct contact with a patient.

Some nursing assistant testing centers are held directly at a continuing care community or nursing facility.  In cases like these, students often work directly with patients to demonstrate their ability to complete tasks.  If students are not testing at a healthcare facility, they might be asked to bring someone with them for their test who can act as if they are the student’s patient.

You will be told if you fail the certification exam.  Even if you pass one portion of the test and fail the other, you will fail the examination and it will need to be taken again.  You will be usually have to wait several weeks or more before you can take another test.  Every state has their own standards as to how many times you can take the test.  If you fail too many times, you will need to take a new nursing assistant training course.

It is a good idea to prepare well for cna testing.  You can do this by practicing some of your nursing assistant skills with other classmates or family members.  In addition, you can find practice exams to help you prepare for the written portion of the tests.  Study any quizzes you took during your nursing assistant course as well as any handouts and textbook material.