Nursing Assistant Training

Jobs for nursing assistants, or nurse’s aides as they are sometimes called, can often lead the way into the very lucrative field of health care. The requirements for obtaining a nursing assistant job vary from state to state and from one employer to another. Regardless of where you are, however, it’s not at all difficult to land a job in this position, which is often considered a gateway to a more advanced career in health care.

Some nursing assistant training courses are part of the high school curriculum at schools that specialize or place heavy emphasis on vocational and technical educations. These programs prepare students to become valued members of the workforce from the moment of graduation and are taught throughout the country.

Many other people filling these positions received their nursing assistant training on the job. Some employers prefer to handle the training in house, which means the employee is trained exactly the way the employer desires, meeting any specifications unique to the particular workplace.

Where a more formalized approach is favored, an employer will often accept previous experience in a similar position in lieu of higher education focused on nursing assistant training. Others, where a state-mandated education is enforced, require a minimum of 75 hours of training and successful completion of a competency exam before a certificate to work is issued. The certificate allows the use of the designation certified nurse assistant (CNA) after the nurse assistant’s name.

When a nursing assistant is working as a home health care aide for an employer who receives federal reimbursement from the Medicare program, nursing assistant training will always require successful completion of a competency examination. The exam will cover areas such as communication and documentation, infection control, emergency procedures, personal hygiene, and basic nutrition. The nursing assistant training program leading to such employment must meet the standards established for the occupation by the center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

There are many circumstances where the nursing assistant training program features a physical examination of the application. Workers in these positions can be called upon to work on their feet for extended periods of time and must be able to lift and maneuver incapacitated patients and heavy medical machinery.

Some positions, such as those dealing with home health care, may also include a criminal background check as part of the qualifying requirements in a nursing assistant training program.