Guide to Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Online Classes

If you want to become a nursing assistant and receive your certification, you might be tempted to take courses through an online venue. If you work, have a family and your time is limited, you’ve made a good choice. Taking courses online for your nursing assistant, or CNA, program can provide you with flexibility and a cost-effective means to reach your goals.

You might be fearful about committing money to a school that you can’t visit or touch other than online. This is a rational fear, but one that can be overcome with close scrutiny of the schools that you pick for your courses. You might wonder if other schools will accept your credits, if you will be prepared to take your state CNA exam, and if you will obtain enough hands-on education.

First, you must qualify the schools that you’re researching for your education. If you find online courses that are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accredited Commission (NLNAC), then you know you won’t waste your time or money. NLNAC provides specialized accreditation for all types of nursing education programs (clinical doctorate, master’s, baccalaureate, associate, diploma, and practical), and they also support the interests of nursing education, nursing practice, and the public by the functions of accreditation. Any courses you take under their accrediting will be recognized by other schools. This is important if you plan to upgrade your education later.

While online education is easy to obtain, you must consider your state’s requirements for certification. Although you can take courses from a school in Idaho while you live in Florida, it would be up to you to recognize the requirements you must meet for Florida, not Idaho (unless you plan to move to Idaho). Every state is different in regards to amount of time required for training and testing and the type of environment where you’d like to work. Therefore, you might want to contact your State Nurse Aide Registry and/or State Licensing Board to learn about their requirements.

Finally, you might wonder about your “hands-on” experiences, a requirement for many state board certifications. Most accredited online CNA programs will require that you spend time in a local healthcare facility to learn the skills you need for this career. The online school usually act as a liaison between you and the healthcare facility to set up an arrangement for you to work locally and to meet your requirements.

Should you study with an online CNA program? Since you now know that online study is an option, the answer is up to you. Many courses range from two weeks to nine months, depending upon the amount of time you have to spend on the course work. The keyword here is “flexibility.” If this is what you need to meet your goals, then an online education is a great option to consider.