CNA Training Seattle Washington
Just as with many regions across the country, Washington State has a high need for Certified Nursing Assistants. Many of these job openings are in a nursing home setting, with an average pay of around 26 thousand a year plus benefits, depending on the employer. It is a great time to get CNA certified in Washington State as these needs will continue to rise in the next several years. The requirements to become a certified CNA in Washington State are very similar to any other state in the country. A prospective candidate must complete a state approved CNA training program, pass the state CNA examination and apply for CNA certification WA through the state nursing board. The application requires you to answer many personal questions about mental health, criminal background, and provide further information if there is any background in either area. The state of Washington also requires an additional Aids/HIV training, which typically is about a 7 hour program. Once these steps are achieved, one may be approved as a CNA and placed on the state registry in order to work in a medical setting as a Nursing Assistant.
CNA Training in Seattle WA
Naturally, due to it’s population size, the metro area of Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA has the highest concentration of CNA jobs in the state. With nearly 12,000 CNA jobs in Seattle and it’s surrounding area, the outlook is positive for aspiring CNAs. Additionally, the average hourly rate in Seattle is 15.02, which equates to $31,230 dollars per year in salary. If you include the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division, there are nearly an additional 10,000 CNA jobs for consideration, with slgihtly higher wage averages (nearly $32,000/yr for the average). Spokane and Tacoma WA have over 2,000 CNA jobs each, followed by Bremerton-Silverdale WA at 1300. These regions have lower wage rates due to the lower cost of living and lower demand for medical professionals in the area. Seattle has a population of over 600,000 citizens, followed by Spokane and Tacoma at around the 200,000 mark. Thus CNA training Seattle is the most popular due to it’s percentage of prospective nursing candidates, while CNA classes Spokane WA are the next most popular program.
CNA classes in WA come in a variety of formats. One of the most common training options is community colleges. Popular examples include: North Seattle Community College, Seattle Central Community College, and South Seattle Community College. Even the Seattle Public High School offers CNA training. Private institutions are known to offer CNA training, such as the Health Care Education Center of Spokane Valley. Nursing Homes are another common option for training, such as the Avalon Care Center at Northpointe in Spokane WA, or Orchard Park Care Center is Tacoma WA. These are often great sources for CNA classes in WA, as they may lead to direct job placement after training at a medical facility and receiving state CNA certification.
Once you have completed CNA training in Seattle WA or CNA classes in Spokane, you will then take a competency examination. This exam is typically a two part exam that requires you to both perform skills and answer questions about procedures etc. You need to take and pass this exam within the 120 days of being hired by an employer to successfully complete your CNA training Seattle based program and be able to continue working where you were hired. If you do not complete all the Seattle CNA training requirements within 120 days you may no longer work where you were hired. It is not legal for an employer to fire you and then re-hire you in order for the 120 days to re-start. Typically an employer will assist you in making sure you get these requirements met within the 120 day time period.
It is important that you pass the Washington state examination in less than a year from your program completion. If you fail to do so, you will be required to re-take your CNA training Seattle program and then pass your test. If you trained in a different state within the last year, you may be able to take the examination and receive CNA certification WA status. It is important that your transcripts are mailed to Washington Department of Health in order for you to find out what the next steps you need to complete in order to be certified. Nursing students may be allowed to sit for the examination without further CNA training depending on the time frame of their nursing program. Again, it is important to contact the WA Department of Health to find out the needs for your specific situation.
Washington State CNA Certification
One of the benefits of CNA certification in Washington State is that once you have successfully completed a CNA training Seattle program and passed the exam, the state will reimburse you for the cost of your CNA training and certification. This only applies to applicants who successfully completed their certification process within 1 year. The hope in doing this is that reimbursing candidates will attract more applicants to the program, as the state is in high need of well qualified Nursing Assistants. If you can’t afford a program upfront, there are financial aid packages available and government assistance. Ultimately, the state wants to make it as easy as possible for good candidates to be able to successfully complete CNA training and get into the workforce. Typically the training program process (including hours in a facility) takes around 80 hours. Again, if you are hired on in a nursing home capacity it is vital that you complete all portions of training and testing within 120 hours in order to keep your job.
Once you have completed the training program, testing, and additional HIV/Aides training, you will be able to apply for your certification. As long as you pass your background check, and get fingerprints registered you will be on your way to being a Certified Nursing Assistant. At this point it is important that you keep your address up to date with the WA Department of Health so that you will be aware when your certification is in need of renewal. Keep you CNA certification WA license up to date in order to avoid any further need of re-taking tests.
CNA Jobs in Washington – from Seattle to Spokane, Tacoma to Vancouver
In order to work as CNA in Washington State you must have a Washington state license. If you have achieved a CNA license in another state you may apply for licensure in Washington, however, you must go through the application process, you may have to re-take the examination, and meet the state requirements of additional training which may not have been required in your previous state. Check with the Washington State nursing board about the requirements of getting your license transferred.
In the state of Washington the Department of Social and Health Services (or DOH) is responsible for ensuring that all persons working as a Nursing Assistant are properly trained and meet the federal regulations. You may be hired as a Nursing Assistant without certification, but you must register with the Department of Health in Washington within 3 days of starting work. You must then complete a state approved training program within 120 days of being hired. If you are unsure of where to find a state approved CNA training program in Seattle or your immediate area, you may visit this website: www.altsa.dshs.wa.gov