Becoming a Certified Nursing Aide

Senior caregivers may consider becoming a Certified Nursing Aide, or C.N.A. (also sometimes called a Certified Nursing Assistant). Federal legislation mandates a minimum of 75 hours of training for an individual to be tested and officially receive “certification” as a nursing aide. States can pass additional legislation to require more than 75 hours.

C.N.A. training hours by state can be found on Caregiverlist and it seems many states require 120 hours of classroom training. Students also shadow a working C.N.A. at a licensed care facility for what is called “clinical training” as part of their nursing aide course education.

Nursing homes, hospitals and other care facilities must maintain a minimum number of C.N.A.’s on staff at all times in order to stay in compliance with their licensing. This is because nursing assistants really do provide the “hands-on care” and make the caregiving happen in the hospital, nursing home and rehab facility.

How do you become a certified nursing aide?

Find C.N.A. Schools in your area and request a complimentary admissions application (do not pay for these ever as you are the schools customer and the applications are free). Part of the admissions process includes financial aide assistance and sometimes employers will reimburse you for the tuition .

Do not over pay for your C.N.A. school tuition – request free C.N.A. school applications to shop around.

Research C.N.A. school costs in the Caregiverlist C.N.A. School Cost Directory and begin the next step in your professional caregiving career. Apply for a Caregiving job to place into action the skills you are learning while in C.N.A. school as companion caregiving requires a caring, dependable and trustworthy personality and the care company will provide you with basic training for each client.

Take a Sample C.N.A. Exam and explore online caregiver training as you prepare your caregiving career plan.


Senior Caregiver Certification Training Explained

Caregiving has become a profession, and like all professions, regulations have followed by state governments. The regulations provide guidelines for companies and individual caregivers to follow in an effort to maintain quality standards and safety for both the caregivers and the senior. And, of course, the state governments also collect fees to manage and enforce their regulations.

More and more states are passing legislation to require caregiver training as more than 10,000 Americans turn age 65 daily. The national home caregiving association created a baseline for caregiver training requirements and worked with their association members in each state to present legislation requiring training and licensing. Some state governments passed legislation outlining specific requirements for caregiver training while other states just said training is required. Meanwhile some states still have legislation pending.

What caregiver training is now required (as of August 2016) in each state?

Basic caregiver training skills are a standard requirement by licensed senior care companies, including national corporations and franchise companies with locations nationwide. If the state the senior care company operates in also requires training, then the company must follow the state’s training laws.

California: just passed Assembly Bill 1217 requiring 10 hours of caregiver training for new caregivers and 5 hours of annual training: first 5 hours include 2 hours of Orientation Training and 3 hours of Safety Training and the 5 hours of annual training can be in Core Competency skills.

Review the professional senior caregiver training laws in your state and purchase online caregiver training to become a certified senior caregiver.

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Caregiver Stress Relief Photo of the Week from Rio Olympics

Senior caregivers assist seniors and families with emotional care, too, and taking a moment to care for the caregiver each day will help make the caregiving journey smoother.

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Find caregiving news, jobs, training at www.caregiverlist.com