A career as a certified nursing assistant in Idaho will allow you to assist patients with activities of daily living, take vital signs and perform other basic nursing care services. If you want to be a nursing assistant who is certified you must receive training and pass an examination for certification.
Training Hours and Requirements
It is necessary to complete a minimum of 120 hours of training to become a CNA in Idaho. The course you attend must be approved by the state of Idaho. At least eighty of these hours will be spent in a classroom environment. The remaining forty hours will be spent gaining experience in a clinical setting. The course will prepare you to be able to safely complete the duties of a nursing assistant. You will learn how to provide compassionate and effective care to your patients in any type of healthcare setting. The course will also prepare you well to be able to take the written and skills portions of the nursing assistant certification exam. You must pass both parts of the exam before you can begin work as a certified nursing assistant.
Transfer of Nursing Assistant Certification
If you were a certified nursing assistant in another state, you can apply to have your certification transferred to Idaho. It will be necessary to have your application for transfer approved before you can begin working as a CNA in Idaho. Contact the Board of Nursing in order to obtain an application for transfer. The Board of Nursing will verify that you attended a state certified training program in your previous state. They will also make certain you passed the certification exam in your state. If your application is not approved, you will need to attain training and pass the certification exam in Idaho.
Certification Renewal
You must keep your certification renewed every two years. Your certification forms will indicate the expiration date for your certification. Before that time, you should receive the necessary paperwork to renew your certification. You will receive instructions on how to complete your application and what information must be included. Submit any necessary fees for renewal if they are required. During the two year time period, you need to have worked for pay as a certified nursing assistant or in a job where you provided nursing related duties. Make certain to submit your renewal forms before your certification is set to expire.
FAQ’s
Q. I am currently going to school to become a nurse. I was hoping it would be possible to find some employment related to the nursing field while I am in school. It occurred to me that working as a CNA could be a good start. With nursing school, I would not have time to attend a CNA training course though. I am wondering, would it would be possible to challenge the CNA certification exam since I have a good deal of nursing knowledge?
A. If you are in a state approved nursing program, you can challenge the CNA certification exam. This is true as long as you have successfully passed at least the first semester of a nursing program. You have the right to challenge the exam so that you can become a CNA as long as that first semester included nursing fundamental courses. You need to have already had clinical work in your studies. It will be necessary to submit a transcript to the nursing aide registry. The nursing aide registry has a mailing address of: PO Box 83720, Boise Idaho, 83720.
Q. I found a nursing assistant training course online. It says that you do not need to complete any work offline to become a nursing aide. I am wondering if this course would make me eligible to sit for the nursing assistant certification test. I assume all work is virtual since it does not list any clinical experience.
A. A CNA training program must be on the approved list for the state of Idaho. Otherwise, you would not be able to sit for the nursing assistant competency exam. Also, a course that is entirely online would not make you eligible. It is necessary to have clinical training in addition to your classroom work. You would not be meeting the hands on experience requirements if everything was done online.
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