A certified nurse assistant is a nurse who has passed a formal, state accredited training program and has passed a state certification exam. If you are currently a nurse aide or are considering a career in the healthcare industry as a nurse, you should strongly consider getting your CNA certification. Becoming certified can provide a nurse with more employment opportunities and, along with that, higher earning potential.
To gain employment as a nurse aide requires no formal training or certification. But you will need formal training to be qualified for employment as a certified nurse assistant. Getting your certification puts you a step ahead of the field because a certified nurse assistant can perform more duties than a nurse aide who is not certified. This can make you more valuable to employers, such as hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, and assisted living homes.
Certification programs are offered through many community colleges, the Red Cross, and some employers will hire you as a nurse aide and assist with the certification process if you agree to work for them after gaining certification. They may even pay for you to take the state certification exam. And there are CNA classes online that can definitely help you with the theoretical portion of the certification process.
The length of time it takes to get your certification will depend on the type of program you are taking and whether or not you are able to take it on a full-time or a part-time basis. Programs offered through employers may take as little as two to six weeks to complete. Programs offered through the Red Cross or community colleges generally take a little longer, possibly up to six months, and you have to pay for these classes yourself.
Which program is right for you? There are benefits to both approaches, so one factor could be whether or not you have the time and the money to pay for formal training, which could cost between $300 and $600 (or more). Another question to ask yourself when deciding on the best path to certification is whether or not you will feel more prepared for the state certification exam by taking a formal training program through a college or the Red Cross, or if you feel that on-the-job training would make you better prepared. The exam consists of both a written portion and a clinical portion, and some nurses report having more nervousness about the clinical portion of the exam where you will be asked to demonstrate several nursing assistant skills.
Once you pass an accredited certification program the next step is to pass your state's CNA certification exam. Each state has its own CNA requirements, so be sure to check with your state board of nursing to determine exactly what your state requires before you sign up for any classes. After you pass the exam you will be listed in your state's nurse aide registry and qualified to work in that state as a CNA.
No comments:
Post a Comment