CNA Training

CNA training can be received anywhere in your state or local community and each program may have unique differences based on the institution or organization providing the training course.  However, use this section of the guide to help you understand the core components of what a reliable nurse assistant course should look like.

First, if you are seeking training, one of the best courses you can get is provided by the American Red Cross.  If you happen to live in the Maryland area, you want to contact this organization for enrollment.  Currently, the American Red Cross of Central Maryland is conducting a comprehensive course that outlines all of the requirements to pass the state exam and become certified.  A person taking this course will be expected to complete 43 hours of academic lecture that focuses on the theory behind care-giving, 42 hours of clinical instruction and 29 hours of practical lab applications.

The clinical portion of the CNA training will be done on site at a nursing home or long or a commensurate long term facility at which time the enrollees will get a chance to learn by working with real patients in the actual environment.

Not only is this a superb course, but it also meets all federal and state requirements for CNA certification and is also widely recognized by GNA (geriatric nursing assistant) as a training program which meets all of the requirements too. Once of the great benefits of taking your classes with this organization, is that they are stocked with the best equipment for students to learn on such as a Hoyer life, updated wheelchairs, and state of the art hospital beds.

Below, you will find a list of procedures that students will learn in this nurse assistant training class.  The core course provides instruction in the following:

- First Aid care for choking patients
- Proper hand washing techniques
- Proper use of protective clothing
- Safe handling of trash bags and garbage bins
- Using an electronic thermometer
- Proper ways to take and record pulse, blood pressure and respiration rate
- Turning a patient in the bed
- Positioning a patient in Lateral, Supine and Fowler’s positions
- Proper transfer techniques from bed to chair
- Using a mechanical lift-chair to move a patient from a bed to a stationary chair
- Dental flossing and brushing
- Bathing  to include shampoo
- Hair grooming for males and females
- Proper shaving techniques for men using both electric and safety razors
- Cleaning the fingernails and toenails
- Assisting a patient with dressing and undressing needs
- Making the beds and preparing for bedtime
- Assisting patients with eating meals
- Taking weight and height measurements
- Bathroom support for toilet and bed pans
- Urinary catheter care
- Disposing a urinary bag
- Proper application of catheters for males
- Collecting stool, sputum and urine samples
- Testing patients for acetone and sugar levels
- Administering enemas with warm water
- Changing and disposing of diapers
- Sampling infant urine samples
- Assisting with range of motion practice exercises
- Helping individuals who need assistance walking
- Sterilizing applicable utensils to include infant bottles
- Giving a bath to infants and newborns
- Administering post mortem procedural care
- Proper application of hot and cold compresses
- Taking care of patients with using Ostomy appliances

As you can see, the American Red Cross CNA training program is an essential tool to equip you with the vital care-giving skills you need to become certified as an assistant. Students who pay and complete the course can then apply to take the appropriate exams for state certification. Once awarded, the student may then start applying for open job vacancies in their local area or state in which they live in nursing homes, long term care communities, medical facilities and as home health care aids.

Should you have any prior CNA training from past experience, college or vocational school, the American Red Cross will not give you any credit towards completing their program.  You will have to complete the entire program curriculum in order to be eligible to take the state test under their program.

Should you opt for free CNA training programs, you may find them by researching your local community organizations, nursing homes, hospitals or vocational schools.