Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) Program
A certified nurse assistant (CNA) assists individuals with their daily healthcare needs-including basic nursing procedures. A CNA’s job includes ambulation, applying anti-embolic stockings, output measurement, oral care, dressing, feeding, hair care, bed-making, nail care, bathing, positioning, range-of-motion exercises, and vital sign monitoring. It is also a stepping-stone to becoming an RN, whose annual salary can triple that of a CNA.
Course Description:
The course is designed to provide the student with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform basic care services for a patient (acute care setting) or resident (long-term care setting). It prepares the student to function in the role of nursing assistant under the supervision of a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN). This course is designed to meet the curriculum requirements of the Virginia Board of Nursing. In order to complete the 8-week long program and earn a certificate, students must complete a minimum of 80 classroom hours, 20 hours of lab practice and 40 hours of practice in one of our partner care facilities and earn a passing grade of 80% or above in the overall course. Those who earn the certificate will be eligible to take the NNAAP® Examination which is the State-approved competency evaluation to evaluate basic nursing assistant proficiencies through a written and manual skills component.
Enrollment Requirements:
-
16 years of age or older (valid photo ID required)
-
No education requirement
-
Intermediate to Advanced English Proficiency
-
Tuberculosis (TB) test (PPD) showing negative results within the past 6 months or a
-
Chest x-ray if there are positive results
-
Copy of Hepatitis B Vaccine Record or signed Declination Letter
-
Valid Social Security card
-
Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR Certification (2-year certifications through Astar - $100)
Course Details:
Course Code: MED102
Duration: 140 hours (6 weeks total)
Schedule:
-
Theory Hours (80 hours total) – Weekday or weekend classes available
-
Monday to Friday – 6PM - 10PM
-
Saturday & Sunday – 9AM – 5PM
-
-
30-minute lunch break; additional two 15-minute breaks
-
-
Skills Practice Hours (20 hours total) –
-
Monday to Friday - 5:30PM - 9:30PM
-
Saturday & Sunday – 9:00AM - 4:30PM
-
-
Clinical Practice Hours (40 hours total)
-
both schedules - 6:30am- 3:30pm
-
*Assistance with registration for the state licensure exam requires additional fee.
*Only students who: (1) hold a current CPR certification valid for at least 3 months after the initially planned date of completion for their specific program, (2) completed this CPR certification BEFORE their registration date for Astar’s program, and (3) who submit a copy of the certification BEFORE the first day of class will be excused from Astar’s CPR course. All other students are required to pay the $100 fee and complete Astar’s BLS CPR course.
*Any missed class time will require a fee of $35/hour for make-up hours.
Included in tuition:
-
1 Set of Nurse Scrubs & Nametag – To be provided before clinical hours begin
-
Textbook & Workbook
-
Background Check Fee
-
Lab Materials & Technology Fee
-
Certificate of Completion (pending final grades)
-
Liability Insurance for each student
-
Use of state-of-the-art skills lab both during and outside of class hours for extra practice
-
Guaranteed Job placement at a home health care company, assisted living facility or nursing home