You can have a rewarding career providing basic care for patients and clients in a range of healthcare settings if you train to become a CNA. When working as a nursing assistant your responsibilities can include: bathing patients, assisting patients with grooming, feeding patients, changing patients who are incontinent, helping patients walk and monitoring vital signs (just to name a few duties).
It is not possible to work as a certified nursing assistant until you select and enroll in a training program that has been approved by the state in which you are planning to work. You will need to complete all segments of the training program including the theoretical and clinical instruction. There will be a certification exam that you will need to pass before receiving certification. You can search for free cna training if you are concerned about affording the tuition.
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Scholarships and Grants (Click Here)
Nursing assistant training programs are often available through community colleges, technical schools and other educational facilities. You should locate a few cna training programs at colleges in your area. Contact the school to determine if the nursing assistant training courses make you eligible to apply for scholarships. You can receive free cna training if your scholarship covers the entire price of tuition and expenses.
When attending a certified nursing assistant program at a college or university, you might qualify to apply for financial aid in the form of grants. This is particularly true for schools that offer you credit hours for training as a CNA. The financial aid office of a school can help you determine if you can apply for financial assistance.
The CNA/HHA Scholarship Program provides scholarships for eligible students who might otherwise not be able to afford tuition and fees associated with training to become certified nursing assistants or home health aides. These scholarships are often available through healthcare facilities and other certified nursing assistant training providers.
Nursing Care Facilities (Click Here)
It is often possible to access CNA training through nursing care facilities. You might very well be able to receive your training for free through one of these facilities. Medicare and Medicaid certified facilities must employ high quality nursing assistants. In order to attract potential nursing assistants, these facilities will hire individuals to train as certified nursing assistants. The individuals will sign a contract agreeing to work for the nursing home for a specific amount of time (often 6 months to one year) as long as their training fees are paid for them.
Many nursing care facilities will hire men and women who have just recently received their nursing assistant certification. In most states, these healthcare providers will reimburse people for the fees they paid to receive their nursing assistant training and certification.
Employment and Training Programs (Click Here)
You can receive free cna training as a result of financial assistance from employment and training programs in your state or local area. For example, individuals who are unemployed can often receive assistance paying for training programs (such as CNA courses). Many states offer training opportunities for displaced homemakers as well. These programs help to ensure that individuals who are not currently working can access training for a new career. Contact unemployment agencies, income assistance office and other programs in your area to search for help receiving free cna training.
If your state offers Offices of Adult and Continuing Education or The Workforce and Continuing Education Departments, you should contact local offices if you are looking for cna programs. There are often programs through these departments that offer help with training expenses. You are more likely to be able to receive help if you have little or no income, are a single parent or are facing some other type of hardship. For More info on the Workforce Investment Act Click Here
State Board of Nursing (Click Here)
Call the State Board of Nursing if you want to start a career as a certified nursing assistant but are unsure of how to finance your training. Many states offer special programs to help individuals afford entry-level training for healthcare and other occupations. The State Board of Nursing should be able to help direct you to any programs in your state. They should also be able to direct you to cna training providers in your area that offer free cna training.
The State Board of Nursing can direct you to the Nursing Aide Registry or other agencies in your state if they do not handle information pertaining to nursing assistants (though in most states the board of nursing does deal with nursing assistant information). Contact these agencies as well if you are looking for free cna training options.
Your Employer
If you are working in a healthcare setting and wish to start a career as a cna, you should talk to your employer. If your employer utilizes certified nursing assistants, the employer might be willing to pay for your training. This is especially true if you are a motivated and hard-working individual. It is likely that you will be required to continue working for your employer as a CNA for an agreed upon amount of time if they pay for your training.
*By taking your time to look into various cna training options, you should be able to find opportunities for free cna training.
Updates
Free CNA Training available in Pennsylvania
This is provided by St Annes home who have an earn while you learn program. You must commit to working for them for a fixed period after getting certified. The only catch is that there’s only 12 positions available. Get more info here: http://www.stannehome.org/career_opportunities.asp
(thank you to Arnold Maendel for letting us know about this opportunity)
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