Most certified nursing assistants in Texas earn at least $11-$15 per hour. You can earn a good income with a short amount of training by opting to become a CNA. If you want to become a certified nursing assistant in Texas, you will need to complete training as well as pass the certification exam. You can find training programs in a variety of places including at nursing care facilities and community colleges.
Required Training and Hours
If you intend to sit for the nursing assistant certification exam, you will need to attend a training program that has been approved by the state. The specific department approving these courses is the Texas Department of Aging and Disabilities. These programs will last for 75 hours or more. It is not difficult to find a good quality training program within the state of Texas. Of your training, 51 hours or more must be spent in classroom instruction. This means that at least 24 hours will be spent in a clinical setting. Your training will provide you with the background and practice you need to safely perform the most common duties associated with a CNA career.
Certification Through Reciprocity in Texas
Get in touch with the Department of Aging and Disabilities if you are interested in applying for certification through reciprocity. You have the option of applying for this if you hold an active and current nursing assistant certification in another state and wish to transfer it to Texas. The application will provide you with instructions you need to apply for this process. If you are listed in good standing on the Nursing Aide Registry in your forum state and received training similar to that in the state of Texas, there is a good chance that your application for reciprocity will be approved. Of course the state of Texas will also verify that you passed the exam for certification in your former state.
Nursing Assistant Renewal
You must keep your nursing assistant certification active by renewing it every two years. You will receive your renewal forms at least 3 months before your certification will expire. Follow all instructions on the form and submit the form to the address provided. Do not forget to include any requested documents or verification. You must work at some point as a nursing assistant or in a job with similar duties in order to be eligible to renew your certification.
FAQ’s
Q. My husband is retiring from the armed services. We have young children and have decided we would like to settle in one area (Texas specifically) after his current enlistment is completed. He is thinking of starting a civilian career as a nursing assistant based on his training and experience from the military. Would he need to attend a civilian CNA training program?
A. He might be able to sit for the exam without going through a training program in Texas. This would depend on whether or not his training and work experience is similar to that of a certified nursing assistant. The state of Texas allows people who have trained in areas like nursing assistants while in the military to sit for the exam. He would need to have had at least 100 hours of training as a nurse aide (or whatever title the armed services used for nurse aide duties).
Q. I am a certified nursing assistant and someone is accusing me of misappropriate of funds for their love one-one of the patients I work with regularly on my job. I am innocent of these charges but I still worry what will happen. If these findings are upheld after the investigation, what can I do?
A. Nursing assistants who have findings of neglect, abuse and misappropriation of funds can ask for information reconsideration by responding to the findings letter received. The letter will provide you with an address to where you should submit your request. You only have ten days to do so. If the information reconsideration brings about the same results, you will then have 30 days to request a formal hearing after you have received your notification that adverse action has been taken.
CNA Certification Guidelines by State:
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