How Long Does it Take to Become a CNA

The career of a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a rewarding one and acts as a stepping stone to become a nurse. In order to become a CNA, you need to appear for the CNA examination and obtain the CNA certification. The CNA program is for a short duration and usually lasts for 6 to 12 weeks. Once you complete the program and get the CNA certification, you can start your practice as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

The duration of the CNA programs is not the same everywhere and tends to vary according to the type of training that you opt for. Some CNA programs may be for a longer duration as compared to others. You need to hold a high school diploma in order to enroll for the CNA course. In the CNA training, you will be taught the theoretical as well as practical skills required to become a CNA. The CNA training will cover a wide range of topics such as basic anatomy and physiology, body mechanics, disease and infection control and many others. Depending upon the training hours per day, the CNA program can extend from a couple of weeks to months or may be even years.

The CNAs are responsible to carry out the basic duties and assist senior nurses as well as doctors. While on the job, CNAs can develop their clinical skills and decide whether they want to stick to their current job or pursue higher education for better career opportunities. You may also get familiar with the environment in the hospitals, clinics or other health-care settings. You will be dealing with the patients on a daily basis and will have to face several challenges while on duty. This will build your confidence to work in the nursing profession.

The CNA job demands great patience. You have to keep up with the day-to-day challenges and ensure that you stay calm while handling stressful situations. You need to gain sufficient amount of experience to become good at your job as a CNA and this may take quite some time before you think of skipping to another high-rank job. You need to be strong-willed and show a lot of devotion and passion towards your work.

The CNA training programs will equip you with all the theoretical and fundamental knowledge of the nursing profession. In order to understand how long it takes to become a CNA, following are the details on the outline of the CNA program and the duration of each section:

1. Theoretical Training: The CNA program is divided into two main sections – the theory and practical sections. The theoretical training equips you with the information on all the theories of nursing. Subjects like nursing fundamentals and terminologies, diet and nutrition, disease and infection control, basic anatomy and physiology of the human body are all covered in the theory section. Usually, the theoretical sessions are classroom-based and the time allotted for the them is around 60 hours.

2. Practical Training: The time allotted for the practical or clinical training sessions is around 16 hours. The CNAs are usually required to do the practical duties 8 hours a day. CNAs are trained on different set of clinical skills such as helping the patients do their daily tasks like bathing, brushing teeth, combing hair, feeding and dressing. They also need to move the patients from the wheel chair to the bed and vice versa. CNAs also need to ensure that they maintain cleanliness and hygiene. CNAs are also trained on measuring and recording the patients vitals such as blood pressure and heart rate. The clinical skills training forms a very important part of the CNA training program.

3. Accelerated Programs for CNA: If you are pressed for time and cannot attend the regular CNA programs, you can opt for accelerated CNA programs. The accelerated CNA programs are offered by few selected medical institutes and health-care facilities. The program is conducted on a fast-track basis and you can thus manage your time schedule accordingly. However, you need to be sincere enough while enrolling for the accelerated CNA programs, to make sure you complete all the course requirements well within the deadlines.

4. CNA Online Training Programs: There are also online CNA training programs available. All the theory sessions are covered via the internet medium. The drawback of online CNA programs is that it does not cover the practical sessions. The duration for these online programs is more or less similar to the traditional CNA courses and may range from 6 to 12 weeks.

Thus, we see that the CNA training program can be completed within a period of 6 to 12 weeks on an average. You can opt for the full time course or the part time course or go in for the online course. 60 hours of theoretical training and 16 hours of clinical skills training is mandatory for all the CNA training programs.