Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) help patients with day-to-day living while also keeping track of their vitals. They typically report directly to registered nurses and earn a CNA salary of around $32,000 a year. While some medical professions are removed from patients, CNAs are at the heart of patient care. CNA programs can take between a few weeks to six months.
25 Best CNA Programs
If you want to attend the best CNA program, you must choose one your state approves of. If not, you most likely won't be able to register as a certified nursing assistant.
Though each state calls CNAs something different, the following schools are all state-approved, affordable, and have great graduation rates. Here are 25 of the best CNA programs in alphabetical order:
How to Become a CNA
Anyone interested in becoming a CNA must complete a CNA course from a state-approved program. Depending on where you live, you can find state-approved CNA programs at:
High schools
Hospitals
Community colleges
4-year schools
Nursing homes
Once you have completed the best CNA program for you, which may take as little as a month to an entire semester, you will take a state certification exam. Once you have passed the exam, your name is on the state registry, and you can get to work.
How to Choose the Right CNA Program
Many people interested in becoming a CNA have a few programs to choose from that are nearby, accredited, and affordable. The best CNA programs:
Provide hands-on experience
Have instructors with extensive backgrounds in a nursing capacity
Offer career placement services once you have completed the coursework
Have programs that fit your schedule and expected timeline for completion
Other Ways to Become a CNA
Unfortunately, there are no alternative ways to become a CNA. If you are not in the medical industry and want to become a CNA, you must take the required coursework and pass your state's exam.
However, if you are already a licensed nurse or are studying to become one, you may be able to take your state's CNA certification exam. If you are a nursing student, you must have completed at least one course in your program before you can take the CNA exam.
Some states allow CNAs to take additional training that will allow them to dispense medicine to patients. Once qualified, your job title would shift from CNA to certified medication assistant.
Financial Aid for Your CNA Program
Scholarships for CNA Programs
Nurse Corps Scholarship Program
Must work in a critical shortage facility once you graduate
Must be enrolled in a state-accredited program
Covers all tuition, fees, and other educational costs
Professional Caretakers Scholarship
Must demonstrate financial need
Covers up to $800
Scholarships for LPN and RNs are also available
Grants for CNA Classes
Dorothy Rupe CNA Program
For low-income, unemployed CNA students
Must be enrolled in a California-accredited school
Covers full cost of CNA Program
January 8th deadline
Pell Grant
Students who have not yet earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree are eligible
Must demonstrate extreme financial need
Amounts change each year, but the maximum amount in the 2021-22 school year was $6,495 a year
