CNA certification

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Kobethegoat24

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To those who have taken being a certified Nursing assistant as a way of helping people and gaining clinical experience, how long did it take you to get certified? Are the classes flexible such that I can take one class a week? Thank you


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I've taken a CNA class in Washington State, not sure if the system varies between states or regions. I took a weekly class the summer between my senior year of high school and freshman year of undergrad that met four times a week that finished in about a month, and was able to receive certification about a month after due to testing and paperwork processing.

Most schools have a flexible array of class types to fit people's schedules that usually fall under three categories: daily (like "regular school"), nights, and weekends. The trade-off is the less classes you take per week the longer it will take to finish the class; daily classes can be completed in one month whereas weekend classes may take two to three months to complete. I don't think there are any schools with one class per week, however. The least you can probably get away with is two.
 
Completed the course in 2 weekends (8-7) and took the exam a couple weeks later. So total about a month. Call around and explain what you're looking for but like @Miss Anatomist said, the fewer classes you go to per week the longer it takes.
 
This is entirely dependent on the state in which you want to be certified. My cert was 5 weekends, 8 hrs each on Sat and Sun. The same course was offered Mon-Fri for two weeks. In a neighboring state, it's like a two month full time course, but I believe they have a slightly broader scope of practice due to it being a very rural state.
 
I took my classes Monday-Friday for 3 weeks and my clinical for 1 week and went to school 5 hours daily this summer. Maybe you should see if weekend classes are an option. Evening have shorter class days but lasts longer than a typical morning class.
 
In IL theres a junior college thag has aboit a 6 week class where you meet like 3 times a week for a couple of hours and go to clinicals once or twice a week.
 
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