Certified Nursing Aide Training Programs for Caregivers

Certified Nursing Aide training was created as a federal law to require a consistent level of training for nursing assistants working in nursing homes, hospitals and care facilities. The federal law mandates a minimum of 75 hours of training in a classroom setting approved by the state’s health department and includes clinical hours of training.

Clinical training means the student will shadow someone who already has their Certified Nursing Aide license. Certified Nursing Aides are also called Certified Nursing Assistants and C.N.A.’s and Ohio refers to their C.N.A.’s as S.T.N.A. which means State Tested Nursing Aide.

Explore the costs and admission requirements for C.N.A. training in your state. While the minimum is 75 hours, many states require 85 to 120 hours of training which can be completed in a part-time or full-time course. Most programs can be completed in 1 to 3 months. Financial aide and grants and tuition reimbursement are also available as more C.N.A.’s are needed.

Senior caregivers can take online caregiver training to be certified for the basic training skills outlined by the industry and then when ready, take a C.N.A. course.

Review C.N.A. courses in your state and request C.N.A. school admission information to begin your research to become a C.N.A. You may also take a sample C.N.A. Practice test to review the information you will be taught. You may also apply for a caregiving job to be considered for part-time and full-time professional caregiver positions as senior care companies are constantly hiring to meet the demand for senior care.

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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.


What are a caregiver’s job duties?

Senior caregivers provide many, many services to seniors. Anyone entering the senior care industry quickly learns there are a wide variety of caregiver jobs and caregiver job duties. Sometimes it can be a surprise to learn that professional caregivers must meet certain certification standards by taking training courses meeting state requirements. Then the caregiver must pass a competency test to verify their knowledge.

Caregiver job duties include the following:

  • Assisting with Activities of Daily Living (often called “ADL’s – see, senior care has hip abbreviations too. Definition of ADL = basic activities you do each day, such as getting up and showering, getting dressed, eating your meals, taking your medications, scheduling appointments, doing laundry, grabbing your mail….you get the idea – anything that can be difficult to do when you have health and mobility issues that limit your capabilities.
  • Personal Care: bathing and toileting assistance
  • Transfer and Mobility Assistance
  • Meal Preparation and Assistance
  • ADL assistant with bathing, dressing and grooming
  • Medication Reminders
  • Appointment Scheduling
  • Errands
  • Companionship
  • Maintaining Daily Care Notes
  • Specific tasks for Medical Conditions
  • Engaging in Physical and Mental Activities

Caregivers may begin caregiver training in the basic skills with an online course and continue learning by reading books and watching movies to understand how caregiving can be a unique journey for everyone.