A CNA is a Certified Nursing Assistant and works under the supervision of a registered nurse. CNAs can be found in nursing homes, hospitals, adult day health centers, assisted living facilities and even personal homes. Wherever there is a need for personal care, Certified Nursing Assistants are the ones who, for the most part, perform the most basic needs for patients, young and old alike. Since CNAs have extensive daily contact with each patient, they are key to providing vital information on the patients' conditions to the nurses.
Classes are generally taught by a registered nurse. Classes offer the basics of what to expect with this job, however, this is a career in which skill levels and confidence dramatically improve once the CNA becomes involved in the daily routine of actual care-giving. One must first complete an approved nursing assistant training program as well as a competency program and pass the competency evaluation program examination. The programs typically consist of at least 51 hours of classroom instruction and 24 hours of clinical training. In these two programs, students learns such skills as bedside nursing skills, bathing, feeding patients, taking vital signs, answering call lights, and preparing and assisting patients for examinations.
It is unlikely you will find a free CNA course as most colleges are privately funded, therefore you have to pay for the course. There is a website, freecnaclasses.net, which has some invaluable help and advice, but it does not seem to have any information regarding free classes. The most likely way to get free CNA training is by working for a company who needs certified nursing assistants and is prepared to pay you a basic salary while they pay for you to go through college. You would be obliged to work for them for some time afterwards but it would mean you gain further experience. A nursing home would be a good place to start and if you prove to the manager that you have what it takes, then you may be lucky and gain sponsorship through your course.
Classes are generally taught by a registered nurse. Classes offer the basics of what to expect with this job, however, this is a career in which skill levels and confidence dramatically improve once the CNA becomes involved in the daily routine of actual care-giving. One must first complete an approved nursing assistant training program as well as a competency program and pass the competency evaluation program examination. The programs typically consist of at least 51 hours of classroom instruction and 24 hours of clinical training. In these two programs, students learns such skills as bedside nursing skills, bathing, feeding patients, taking vital signs, answering call lights, and preparing and assisting patients for examinations.
It is unlikely you will find a free CNA course as most colleges are privately funded, therefore you have to pay for the course. There is a website, freecnaclasses.net, which has some invaluable help and advice, but it does not seem to have any information regarding free classes. The most likely way to get free CNA training is by working for a company who needs certified nursing assistants and is prepared to pay you a basic salary while they pay for you to go through college. You would be obliged to work for them for some time afterwards but it would mean you gain further experience. A nursing home would be a good place to start and if you prove to the manager that you have what it takes, then you may be lucky and gain sponsorship through your course.
