Certified Nursing Assistant Training Programs

What is Certified Nursing Assistant Training (CNA)? What careers does CNA training lead to, and what does it take to become a certified nursing assistant?

Understanding the certified nurse aide training and the requirements for practice are important to professional success. As a CNA or certified nursing assistant, you will play a vital role in patient care. You can make a big difference in the lives of many people. You will work under the supervision of nurses and may have the title of "nurse's aide". Here are some important aspects of the job, for those that wish to take certified nursing assistant training. Certified nursing assistants (CNAs), are known as orderlies, nurses' aides, patient care technicians, and home health aides. They work under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) to provide assistance to patients with daily living tasks. CNAs are responsible for the basic care services for example bathing, grooming and feeding patients, assisting nurses with medical equipment, checking patient vital signs providing social and emotional support, and providing vital information on patient conditions to the RN.

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Selected Online Nursing Degree Programs

University of Phoenix

• RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Kaplan University

• RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Colorado Technical University and Colorado Technical University Online

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Chamberlain College of Nursing

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN)

Keiser University - Online

• Registered Nurse, RN to BSN

Jacksonville University RN to BSN Online

• RN to BSN (licensed RNs only)

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing
• RN to BSN Online Program

• RN to BS in Nursing

Western Governors University

• B.S. in Nursing

Nursing Schools in Canada (Diploma Programs)

CDI College

• Nursing Assistant

Vancouver Career College

• Practical Nursing (PN) - Generic

Nursing Assistant Education and Training

You will need to have a high school diploma or equivalency, like a GED degree. You then need to take a CNA certification program. The Certified Nursing Assistant Training program is usually a six to twelve week program and can be taken at your local community college and other facilities. Depending on where you live, you also may have to pass a state certification exam, after training. There is classroom training and you can expect to also have clinical training, that will give you on the job experience. Some certified nursing assistant course requirements you may expect are as follows.

1. Basic nursing skills
2. Nutrition
3. Anatomy and Physiology
4. Infection control

Certified Nurse Aide Careers

A CNA does a lot of work with hospital patients, and they work with nurses in administering patient care. This job can be a very good starting place for those that wish to pursue a career as a registered nurse. Other duties of the job may include the following.

• Giving medications to patients
• Feeding and bathing patients
• Checking patient vital signs
• Assisting nurses with moving and using medical equipment
• Performing CPR and helping staff with code blue procedures.

Expected Salary and Projected Career Growth

There may be a great deal of variances in wages for CNA workers. You may expect anywhere from $18,000 to $35,000 a year or more when you start work. Many jobs in larger cities are paying close to $30,000 annually. As with many jobs, your initial pay may seem low, but with experience, it can become much better. And of course, there is the possibility of more training and much higher paying nursing careers.

Here are some examples of wages in some areas. If you work in Chicago, you may make as much as $40,000 per year. CNA workers in Delaware may make as much as $34,000 annually, and in Houston, you might make as much as $36,000 a year in salary. CNA workers in San Francisco may make as much as $37,000 a year. Many areas may pay by the hour and the average wage in 2009 is $12.00 per hour, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. The low end of the pay scale is $8.42 per hour and the high end is $16.33 per hour.

The demand for all health care workers, including those with certified nursing assistant training, is expected to increase in the future. Job growth for those with certified nursing assistant training is expected to be close to twenty percent by 2018. This represents a greater increase than average among all careers. The main reason for expected growth is the fact that people are living longer and there will be a larger elderly population in the near future. This is a result of the baby boomers approaching retirement age. Taking the CNA certification training can be a valuable investment in your future.