CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT (CNA) / Acute Care Nursing Assistant

CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT (CNA)

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) represent an essential part of the patient-care team. In assisting the medical staff, CNAs provide physical care for patients and emotional and spiritual support, truly making a difference in the lives of patients and families. CNAs are also the eyes and ears of the clinical staff, observing their patients carefully and ensuring the healthcare team knows of any changes.

The CNA works in hospitals and nursing homes with patients and provides assistance with daily tasks such as dressing, bathing, feeding, toileting, vital signs, catheter care, bed making, etc.

We offer entry into the nursing assistant role with the Nursing Assistant Certified Certificate of Completion and an opportunity to upgrade your skills with the Acute Care Nursing Assistant Certificate at our campus in Lynnwood, WA, near Seattle.

Upon completing NURS 101, NURS 102, and NURS 103, Washington State students will be eligible to take the state certification exam and earn the Nursing Assistant Certified certification through the Washington State Department of Health.

Career Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) employment of Certified Nursing Assistants nationally is projected to grow 5% percent from 2021 to 2031, about average for all occupations. Because of the growing elderly population, many nursing assistants and orderlies will be needed in long-term care facilities.

The Washington State Employment Security Department (esd.wa.gov) projects the average annual growth rate of 2.4%  from 2020 through 2030 for Nursing Assistants in Snohomish County and 2.0% in Seattle-King County.  Pay varies by experience, employer, and locality.

Academic Planning

The Nursing Assistant - Certified (CNA)  Certificate of Completion (COC) is a total of 8 credits that can be completed in one quarter.  Students must be aware that there are prerequisite classes that must be completed before they can begin the nursing assistant classes, which may add additional time to complete this COC. 

Students with previous healthcare experience or education may be able to waive some or all of the prerequisites. Please consult with an advisor for more information.

Quarter 1

** AHE 115 CPR: Each student needs to have completed an American Heart Association BLS Card that expires after the end of the quarter. This course can be taken in the prior quarter or must be the first offered section in the quarter taking CNA courses. 

NURS 101, 102, and 103 must be taken in the same quarter. 

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) REQUIREMENT SHEET

Acute Care Nursing Assistant Certificate

Take the next step and upgrade your skills to work in the acute care environment

The Acute Care Nursing Assistant certificate prepares you to function as a CNA in acute care settings, including hospitals and sub-acute facilities, under the supervision of a registered nurse.  

We provide training in all client care aspects necessary to obtain the Washington state Nursing Assistant Certified certification. Additional classroom and clinical coursework in skills such as point-of-care testing, glucose monitoring, and wound care will prepare you to provide high-quality care in an acute setting.  Clinical rotations in specialized areas such as medical/surgical areas and orthopedics are completed at the end of the Acute Care Nursing Assistant course.

Academic Planning

The Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)  Certificate of Completion (COC) is a total of 8 credits that can be completed in one quarter.  Students must be aware that there are prerequisite classes that must be completed before they can begin the nursing assistant classes, which may add additional time to complete this COC. 

Students with previous healthcare experience or education may be able to waive some or all of the prerequisites. Please consult with an advisor for more information at Edmonds College located in Lynnwood, near Seattle.

Quarter 1

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Acute Care Nursing Assistant requirement sheet

Clinical Experiences/Externship Requirements 

Participation in a clinical experience requires proof of vaccination for common infectious diseases including influenza and COVID-19. The Clinical Passport outlines the immunization requirements, please download a copy and keep it in a safe place. The CPNW-Clinical Passport Tutorial provides an overview of each document section and will take about 30 minutes to complete. If you have additional questions after completing the tutorial, please get in touch with an Allied Health faculty advisor.

Background checks are also required to participate in clinical externships and must be completed before registering for a clinical externship class. A list of Disqualifying Crimes and Negative Actions is provided by the DSHS Secretary. If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to get in touch with an Allied Faculty advisor.

All immunization and criminal background checks for allied health programs go through our online databank system CastleBranch. To place an order, enter package code EE78. The cost is $96.

Advising

For program information and questions, please contact our Nursing Assistant  program advisors:

If you would like to make an appointment with someone to discuss pre-medicine, nursing or pre-nursing, Allied health careers, or the LPN program, please feel free to make an appointment with one of the following people below.

Pre-nursing Advisors:
Lung Le- Academic Advising
Lori Hays, Jonathan Miller- Biology Advising

Allied Health Advising:
Cathy Dominguez-Academic Advising

CNA Program:
Terri Glazewski, Director

LPN program:
Julia Erickson-Nursing Navigator

To book an appointment:

• ACADEMIC ADVISING APPOINTMENTS
• BIOLOGY ADVISING APPOINTMENTS

Next steps: Certificates, AAS-T and BAS degrees

If you wish to continue your studies in healthcare you may apply the Nursing Assistant and Acute Care Nursing Assistant coursework towards additional Allied Health certificates, our Allied Health  associate degree, and our Integrated Healthcare Management Bachelor of Applied Science degree: 

• Patient Care Technician / Emergency Room Technician Certificate
• Allied Health Education AAS-T
• Integrated Health Care Management Bachelor of Applied Science

Nursing Assistants interested in the next steps along the nursing pathway should consider the following certificates and degrees: 

• Practical Nursing Certificate
  While your CNA coursework may not be directly applied to the Practical Nursing Certificate, extra consideration will be given to applicants with a valid CNA certificate/license, MA certificate/license, or military medical corps experience.
• Associate in Pre-Nursing - Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA/MRP)
  This degree is designed for students who plan to transfer to Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs at the University of Washington, Washington State University, Northwest University, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran University, Walla Walla University, and the Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing (WSU-ICN) whose members include Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, and Whitworth University.