There are a lot of people looking at CNA certification online because they have found themselves in need of a new career either due to redundancy or other issues. With this economic crisis sweeping the country, more and more people are looking for a stable career with prospects, and online CNA certification provides them with a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) qualification. This is a highly sought after qualification that allows entry into the nursing career – a career that is set to grow year on year for the next 6 years at least, according to the US Department of Labor.

There are various schools or colleges you could attend to get your CNA qualification, but CNA Certification Online is much easier for many people and has a lot of benefits. It’s cheaper, more convenient and you can work through it in your own time at the hours you desire. This nursing assistant training is quite short in nature, meaning you can be qualified in just a few weeks, even when taking your CNA certification online.

However, there are still a few things you need to know to help you decide whether or not to pursue your CNA certification online or not.

CNA Certification Online … Really?

Despite the name, you don’t get your CNA certification online by itself. You have to take some face to face training to learn the procedures you will be expected to perform as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Then you will have to take the actual nursing assistant certification itself, rather than gain your CNA certification online. This is taken in two parts in most cases.

Firstly you are given a variety of questions to see what you learnt in your CNA certification online training. These can be direct questions or “What would you do if …” scenario type questions.

The second part is the skills test where you are asked to perform 3 to 5 different skills that you were taught in the face to face, clinical environment. You do not know which of the skills you will be tested on and it could be anything that the examiner wants to ask you. You may find that sometimes this part is related to the questions you receive in the first part, particularly if you seemed to perform weakly in certain areas. Each skill must be performed to the satisfaction of the examiner in order to pass.

The number of questions and skills tested will vary from state to state.

Why Would I Take My CNA Certification Online?

There are a lot of different reasonings behind CNA certification online, and for many people it is much easier. In traditional training you are expected to train in a classroom, which potentially could be miles away from you. It can be a struggle to get there after work, to arrange someone to look after the kids or even to pay for the gas / bus to get there. You are required to take 120 hours of classroom instruction to pass the state exame and get your CNA certification, which can take up to 6 weeks!

Plus, on top of this the state you reside in will also require a certain number of hours of hands on experience to ensure you have the necessary skills.

However, you can use coursework on the web in place of the 120 hours classroom study, but you can’t miss out the clinical experience.

The advantage of taking your CNA certification online is that you can meet the state requirements without having to take time off work, arrange for child care or spend a fortune on travelling. Plus, because of the lower overheads for learning many online cna training programs are much cheaper.

CNA Certification Online : The Clinical Component

When you are studing for your CNA certification online the hands on learning is a separate component. You can learn the theory of it and how it’s done online, but you have to actually do it for a minium of 16 hours in a proper nursing establishment under the supervision of a certified aide or nurse educator.

In most cases you will find somewhere near to where you live where you can take this component and most CNA training schools have relationships with nursing establishments to help find you a place for this clinical experience. The enterprising budding Certified Nursing Assistant may well approach local employers that hire CNA’s and offer their services after graduation in return for the training fee to be paid (it works – you get trained and get a guaranteed job for a year or two!). This will help pay for and make your CNA certification online worthwhile.

Once you have completed the clinical component to the satisfaction of your trainers you will be eligible for taking the CNA certification exam.

Things To Consider Before Taking Online Nursing Assistant Classes

There are many different training schools for taking your CNA certification online and you need to make sure you pick the right one for you. It is vital that whichever one you pick is accredited by your state for providing CNA training and you must check if you are in any doubt as you will not be allowed to take your CNA certification exam if your school you studied for your CNA certification online is not accredited.

Check with your local state nursing registar to ensure that your chosen school is accredited before you part with any money and start training for your CNA certification online..

You can also shop around to see what the cost of the different training programs for CNA certification online. The cost of taking your CNA certification online will vary from school to school and you can make a good saving just from doing some price comparison.

It’s also important for you to check what ties the nursing assistant school has with businesses in your area to make your clinical placement easier. If they don’t have any local ties then you are going to have to do some legwork yourself and find somewhere that will allow you to do your clinical studies.

Taking Your CNA Certification Exam

At long last you have finished studying for your CNA certification online and it’s time to take your CNA certification exam. There are two components to it:

a) Written Test
b) Clinical Demonstration Test

The written test is a multiple choice test of questions based on what you learned during your online training.

The clinical demonstration requires you to perform 5 skills, selected from 25 different skills learnt during your hands on training. You will be expected to perform these skills either on a live person or a dummy.

If you pass both tests then you will get your CNA certification qualification and will be listed with your state Nurse Aide Registry. You may then work as a Certified Nursing Assistant within your state and enjoy the many benefits this entails.

CNA Certification Online is a great way for you to get qualified as a Certified Nursing Assistant and to get a great new job. Now you’ve had enough information about CNA certification online you can look through the rest of this site and find out more about being a CNA.