Washington CNA Program Basics
The state of Washington has numerous training courses for those who are interested in becoming a certified nursing aide. The nursing assistant title in Washington is more commonly referred to as a NAC or Nurse Assistant- Certified. Some training courses can be expensive but certain candidates may be able to qualify for employers to shoulder the fees for their education. Some long term health care facilities offer NAC training programs. While some are paid training courses, these in-facility training are provided for free.
Washington CNA Training Requirements
- All training courses in Washington must be at least 85 hours long and include two sections – classroom and clinical.
- An additional 7-hour training course on HIV and AIDS must also be completed before the student is allowed to sit for the state’s final NAC assessment.
- Aspiring nurse aides will need to present a proof of this extra course prior to challenging the final exam.
- Out of state nursing aides are required complete such additional training before they can apply for reciprocity or take the assessment.
- Nursing students may also file a petition to the state to be permitted to challenge the final assessment as most nursing courses include topics on HIV and AIDS.
Washington CNA Examination Information
- The final assessment taken after the training is also the federal CNA exam.
- All states provide an assessment that includes two portions – written multiple-choice and a manual skills evaluation.
- The written test is composed of 72 multiple-choice questions and must be passed in order for the student to be allowed to take the manual skills section.
- Five clinical skills are demonstrated out of the 25 skills learned during training.
- No student may be certified if both sections of the assessment do not receive a passing score.
- As per Washington’s federal regulations, the student may only sit for the exam three times.
- After 3 instances of failure to obtain a passing grade, the student must retake training.
Washington CNA Certification Renewal
- Renewal of the nurse aide’s certification in Washington is done every two years.
- The nursing aide must present proof of employment during the last 24-month period.
- Failure to present this proof or failure to accomplish the renewal form in full will result to a lapse certification.
- A lapsed license will disqualify the nurse aide from working as a NAC in Washington and he or she may be required to retake the entire NAC training course and / or the final exam.
- A considerable amount is charged for re-certification.
