CNA Training and Getting the CNA License are the final steps to becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant. The license is usually granted after completing the required certification exam successfully.
Do you want to enter into some aspect of the nursing field without becoming a nurse? You should consider training for a career as a certified nursing assistant (commonly referred to as a CNA.) Nursing assistants provide a variety of services for patients to help make their time in a hospital or continuing care community more comfortable. There are some tasks that you can complete as a nursing aide without being certified. However, you will be able to provide more services and receive a higher salary if you complete training to obtain your CNA license.
CNA Training
Before you will become eligible to take the Certified Nursing Assistant licensing exam, you will need to complete a CNA training program. The program will provide you with the education and training you need to work successfully as a nursing assistant. Each CNA training program will also prepare you for your certification examination.
There will be lecture portions of your training, lab studies, skills and hands on training and clinical experience. You will learn basic patient procedures and how to provide a variety of services for your patients. The course will teach you how to provide your patients with assistance for activities of daily living. You will learn how to monitor vital signs, complete patient documentation and even how to reposition patients who are not very mobile or not mobile at all.
Many community colleges and technical training schools offer CNA training courses. Many chapters of the Red Cross provide nursing assistant training programs. You will also find that many nursing care facilities and other healthcare providers offer CNA training. The duration of a course will vary among providers. However, most courses are at least 3 to 6 weeks in length.
About the CNA Licensing Exam
You must pass the certification examination before you can be employed as a certified nursing assistant(in most states). This exam will carry two parts. There is a theoretical portion of the test in which you are asked questions about patient procedures, protecting patient privacy and other information you covered in your lectures, textbooks and workbooks. This is the written portion of the licensing exam. When you look online you can find may websites offering samples question for the CNA exam. Look over some of these websites in order to have a feel for some of the information that will be covered.
The second part of your test, will be the clinical portion. This is where you will need to show the examiner that you are ready to perform the tasks of a certified nursing assistant. Of course, you will not be able to demonstrate all tasks but will be asked to demonstrate a few. You might be asked to bring someone with you for your testing to serve as your model patient for the exam. When you are completing the test, do not forget to demonstrate all safety and privacy procedures that you learned as part of the skills you must demonstrate.
Do not forget that you will need to complete credits and take other steps each year in order to keep your lcense active after you have passed the certification exam.
Hello, I received my CNA license in Utah at the end of my high school year (around June of 2012). I have not had a CNA job since I received my license, and I remember my instructor saying that we had to keep a certain number of hours per year to keep it active. Do I have to have a certain number of hours PER YEAR? Or just in the two years before it expires?
Its usually 8 to 16 hours per 2 Years.
I originally took a class in August of 2011. Because the class was three hours from my home, I wanted to take the exam closer to home, so attempted to do that. I am still in college, so timing was not great. I attempted to go to where the exam was, but went to the wrong locaation and missed it. Since I am still in college , I have not been able to schedule an exam, until now. I will be graduating and really want to take the exam if I am still allowed.
I have been desperately trying to get ahold of the Director in Indiana who handles all of testing for the state to no avail. What do I do????
Hi Kris,
You will need to retake the training and do the certification test again.