You must attend a nursing assistant training program if you want to become a CNA in the state of Louisiana if you do not hold a valid certification from another state. After completing a training course, you will need to pass the certification exam to be able to start your career. Nursing assistants can earn a good wage within the state of Louisiana.
Training Requirements and Hours
In Louisiana, it is the Department of Health and Hospitals that sets the curriculum requirements for training courses. You must attend a course that is approved by this department if you want to become certified. The CNA training courses are two-fold with both classroom and clinical instruction. You will spend 75 hours or more for your training.
Nursing assistant training courses will provide you with instruction on topics such as: how to prevent the spread of disease, emergency procedures, and patient privacy laws and CNA skills (just to name a few). You will be well prepared for your career by the time you complete a good quality training course. The CNA training course must be completed in its entirety before you can challenge the certification exam.
Nursing Assistant Renewal in Louisiana
Nursing assistant certifications are only good for two years at a time in Louisiana. You will receive renewal paperwork several weeks before your certification is set to expire. It is necessary for you to have worked at some point during that time providing nursing related duties. If you have not worked in your field in the last two years, you cannot automatically renew your certification.
The certification renewal forms must be completed in their entirety. They can then be mailed to the address provided on the instructions. You will be ready to continue working as a CNA as long as you submit your forms for renewal on time.
Certification by Reciprocity
If you have recently moved to Louisiana or are planning to move there, you should apply for reciprocity if you already hold a nursing assistant certification. This is a process that will allow you to ask Louisiana to transfer your certification from the other states, thus making it possible for you to waive training in Louisiana. An application for reciprocity can be requested from the Department of Health and Hospitals. The department will review the details of your training and certification in the other state to determine if you can be approved for certification by reciprocity. You can be listed on the nursing aide registry once your application is approved.
Questions and Answers:
Q. I am almost finished with my Louisiana Nursing Assistant Certification Training Program. I know that my test will be coming up soon. I have two questions pertaining to this test. I am first wondering how many times I can sit for this exam should I not pass? And do I have to take the CNA competency test immediately after finishing my training?
A. The CNA competency exam will need to be taken in no more than 30 days after finishing your training class. The exam can certainly be in a short number of days after you have completed this training. You can have more than one opportunity to take the exam if you would not pass both portions on the first try. It is possible to sit for the exam up to three times over the duration of one year. Otherwise, you can be required to complete a training program again.
Q. How many hours of training will I need to complete when attending a CNA training course? I am just trying to plan out my schedule because I am hoping to enroll in certified nursing assistant training soon. I need to figure out hours since I will still be working my current job until I become certified.
A. Training programs will last for at least 80 hours and will include the classroom instruction as well as clinical hands on experience. You will find there are some programs that include even more hours. They involve more intensive and extensive training. If you look around, you will find that training hours can be quite different from one program to another. Some offer part-time studies and other offer full-time options. You can even receive weekend and night training through some facilities.
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