West Virginia CNA Program Basics
West Virginia has one of the longest hour requirements throughout United States when it comes to providing nurse aide training. The state requires all aspiring CNAs to complete at least 120 hours of training. Sixty hours are reserved for classroom studies while half of the entire training duration is used for manual skills instruction. West Virginia does not approve any Internet based training course. All interested applicants that have been hired by a health care facility or have a written employment offer may receive a free CNA training.
West Virginia CNA Training Requirements
- The CNA course will allow the students to learn important health care topics such as infection control, blood borne illness prevention, emergency preparedness, some psychology and all necessary clinical skills needed to provide day-to-day care for patients.
- At the end of course, the student will need to be ready for the state’s final CNA assessment by preparing all of the needed items such as identification, photo, social security card and possibly a criminal background check release.
- Fingerprints may be required for all CNA applicants from other states.
West Virginia CNA Examination Information
- The assessment has two sections, as all CNA certification exams throughout United States.
- One portion is a written, multiple-choice test with 72 questions while the other portion is a manual skills evaluation.
- The examinee must pass both sections of the assessment to gain certification.
- In the clinical skills evaluation, the student will be asked to perform five hands on exercises that they have learned during the training program.
- The manual skills portion of the assessment must be demonstrated in a way that shows the professionalism of the CNA student, preserves the dignity of the patient and also the good hygiene of the examinee.
- The person that the examinee performs their manual skills on will be either a student that has previously passed the exam or an actor.
West Virginia CNA Certification Reciprocity
- The reciprocity process in the state of West Virginia requires an application to the Board of Nursing of the state.
- The nursing aide who is transferring to West Virginia needs to present proof of certification through a training course that meets or exceeds the federal requirements set forth by the state.
- A background check on the applicant for criminal allegations or charges will be conducted.
- The transferring CNA may also need to provide fingerprints.
West Virginia CNA Certification Renewal
- Recertification or renewal of license in West Virginia is due every two years.
- The CNA who is renewing his or her license should accomplish all paperwork and provide proof of employment during the past 24 months.
- Any nurse aide who allows their certificate to lapse will be required to retake the training course and the state’s final assessment before being allowed to work in any facility as a CNA again.
