Certified Nursing Assistant

 Certified Nursing Assistant 

A Certified Nursing Assistant's (CNA) main role is to provide basic care to patients, as well as assisting patients with activities of daily living (ADLs) they might have trouble doing on their own. Examples of ADLs are bathing, eating, dressing, toileting, and transferring (walking). Due to the nature of the job, certified nursing assistants should be compassionate as well as enjoying helping others. In nursing homes or long-term care facilities, a CNA is often a patient's main caregiver. CNA’s are important in the healthcare field because CNA’s are the first to report any changes in the patient. Doctors and nurses rely on CNA's because CNA’s spend the most time with the patients.
The Nursing Assistance (CNA) course is a 4 weeks course, 120 hours program consisting of 80 hours of theory as well as 40 hours of clinical training in a nursing care facility. Upon completion students will received a Nurse Aide certificate and may take the Virginia Board of Nursing exam for certification as a nurse aide (CNA). The board exam is a two part exam that consist of 70 multiple-choice questions and five randomly selected nurse aide skills. Students will be given 30 minutes to complete the five nurse aide skills.  If the student passes, he/she will hold the title of Certified Nurse Aide and may then work in; hospitals, Nursing Homes, Assisting Living Facilities, Group Homes, and as an in-home caregiver. The requirements for this course are as follows:

• Must not have any barrier crimes convictions (Assaults, crimes against elderly & children)
• Must be able to read and write English sufficiently enough to understand the material

The average wage for a Nursing Assistance is $10.00 to $16.00 per hour.