CNA Training
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Complete a CNA training course and earn your CNA certification in as little as 3 months
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What is a CNA and How Do I Become One?
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) is a trained health care provider responsible for providing basic care and treatment to patients suffering from disease, illness, injury or mental incapacity. Thus, this career path requires someone who is sympathetic towards others and enjoys helping people.
To become a CNA the training is simple: there are technical schools and vocational training colleges that offer CNA training programs, but because they are private learning institutions they might have a higher cost than other training programs. For example, Private institutions such as the Gwynedd Mercy nursing school can cost more because they offer more hands on experience and more in-depth training.
Where do CNAs Typically Work?
Many CNAs are employed in long-term care facilities, hospitals, nursing homes or other medical care facilities. Additionally, facility administrators maintain a large number of CNAs on staff to serve their patients and to abide by state guidelines regarding the ratio of care takers to number of patients. Because CNAs are more cost-effective to hire than registered nurses they make excellent candidates for employment in health care centers.
What is the Average CNA Salary?
While the average salary range for a CNA is around $46,267 per year in 2025, the average salary for an RN is around $94,006/year. For this reason, CNAs are more attractive to employers seeking to maintain a large amount of care providers on staff. However, since CNAs have fewer educational requirements than RNs they must work under the supervision of either a registered nurse or a physician. Therefore, it is typical for health care facilities to employ one registered nurse for every 5-10 nursing assistants.
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Daily Tasks & Duties of a CNA
The tasks and duties performed by a CNA are very similar to those of a registered nurse. The CNA will provide basic personal care and medical treatment for patients, including assistance with bathing, eating, dressing and toileting. CNAs also provide medical care such as measuring and recording vital signs, height/weight, temperature, blood pressure and heartbeat. They also administer medication and answer patient’s questions about their treatments and medications.
However, one limitation of a CNA is that they cannot prescribe medication or make medical diagnoses. On the other hand, they are allowed to make recommendations to the registered nurse or doctor on duty. CNAs are usually responsible for maintaining daily relationships with the current patients and monitoring their health progress. They typically keep their findings in a medical chart and submit these to their supervisor for review and to assist in further consultation.
CNA Schools & CNA Certification
The process of becoming a CNA is very simple and can be completed in about 3 months. In fact, for those seeking to gain experience in the health care industry without investing large amounts of time and money in education and training, the CNA certification is an excellent option.
The first step is to enroll in a state-approved CNA training program and complete the required coursework. The federal minimum number of training hours required is 75, but individual states might have their own requirements as well. Many community colleges offer approved CNA courses and cost between $800 – $1,500. In addition, nursing homes and assisted living facilities often offer on-site CNA training for current or future employees. These programs usually cost less because they are comprised of paid hands-on training. If the facility covers the cost of the program they will usually expect that upon graduation the student will become an employee at that facility. However, some technical schools and vocational training colleges offer CNA training programs as well, but might have a higher cost because they are private learning institutions.
The second step to becoming licensed is to take the state CNA certification exam and achieve a passing score. The CNA exam includes two parts: written multiple choice questions and a hands-on clinical skills test. Both portions of the exam must be completed satisfactorily to obtain your CNA certification. Most well structured CNA training programs should include practice for both parts of the exam and provide insight as to what to expect from the skills test. There are 25 basic skills that can be tested, but each certification exam will only test 5. However, the student must be prepared and feel confident in performing all 25 tasks to ensure that they will pass the test.
The final step to becoming a CNA is to register with the state nurse aide registry in the state where you hold your certification. Once that is complete you will be included on the state registry list your license can be verified by prospective employers.