CNA Schools

As a certified nurse assistant (CNA), you provide hands-on, round-the-clock care for every patient or resident in the facility. If a patient is in danger, you will be the first to know and report it. Your job is very important and not knowing proper procedures could cost a life, which is why certification is essential. You will need to be trained before you are certified. Training can feel long and arduous at times, but once you are certified, you will have a rare job security not many others experience.

Types of Schools

• There are many CNA schools or training programs going on all the time. Most medical facilities will offer a training program for their applicants every three months, depending on the length of their programs. Community colleges or other forms of adult education always offer certification classes once a semester. But if you're in a rush, training classes are offered online year-round.

How to Find a School in Your Area

• Every nursing home in the United States is required to provide for training and testing of their nursing assistants. Simply go to your local nursing home and ask the Director of Nursing about classes or training programs in your area. You may even be in luck as most nursing homes provide their own training programs for free as long as you agree to work for them once you are certified. You may also be eligible to become part of a Federal Workforce program in which training would be free and the program might also help you find a job once you are certified.

  You could also call your State Agency for Nursing Assistant Training Programs (see Resources) and ask for training in your area. This is also an opportunity to find out the exact certification requirements for your state.

The Best Type of School

• Your best school is going to be a school that gives you hands-on experience, preferably with real patients, and offers free training. The cost of CNA classes, application and registration can end up costing you $300 to $600, depending on your state. But if you get hired by a nursing home or any other medical facility, many will train you and pay for your certification before you start work as long as you are employed by the facility for an agreed amount of time.

  This is the best route, because you will be learning from real nurses and staff, you will already have a secure job before you are certified, and you will be working with real patients. Online classes may be convenient, but they don't give you that kind of experience.

Lessons and the Final Exam

• To qualify for certification, applicants must undergo between 75 and 150 hours of training, depending on state requirements. Training consists of learning health facility procedures and procedures for proper daily care of patients. You will learn how to bathe, dress, groom, feed, transfer and administer first aid to dependent patients.

  Once you have completed your hours, you will have to undergo two tests, a theoretical exam and a practical exam. The theoretical exam is the written portion of the final exam. You will be asked questions pertaining to patient rights and procedures. The practical exam is where you will physically perform tasks on a volunteer in front of a trainer. They will watch you very carefully for any slips in procedure and to find your strengths and weaknesses.

Finding Work

• CNAs are needed everywhere there is a patient. Nursing homes, assisted-living communities, hospitals, hospices, mental health facilities and private homes are all places up for grabs for a working CNA. Job security is at its highest for CNAs now as our baby boomer population reaches retirement and old age.