A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) plays a vital role in the health care field. As one of the front line medical personnel that regularly interact with patients, a CNA will often care for patients in a hospital setting, a nursing home setting, or even in a private home. With the constant rise in the elderly population of the United States, CNAs are very much in demand. To become a CNA, Certified Nursing Assistant classes must first be taken, and then a certification exam must be passed. With proper training in good Certified Nursing Assistant classes, virtually any willing person can be trained to perform this job as long as they qualify with a high school diploma.

The primary role of the CNA is to provide care for patients who are not fully able to take care of themselves. Tasks that a CNA will perform may include bathing, feeding, and providing basic care tasks such as shaving or brushing the hair of the patient. A Registered nurse (RN) will assign duties to the CNA. After the CNA has performed the assigned duties, a consultation with the RN will typically take place. During this consultation, the CNA will report any changes in the patient status or discuss any medical information that they deem important to discuss with the RN.

Most states in the United States require CNAs to pass Certified Nursing Assistant classes before they can take a certification exam. The length of the Certified Nursing Assistant classes will vary by area, and can be anywhere from about four weeks long to a full college semester. The instructor for the training classes is typically a Registered Nurse. After the classroom portion of the CNA training, hands-on care training will be provided.

At the conclusion of the Certified Nursing Assistant classes, students will need to pass a two part examination. The written portion of the exam will test textbook knowledge, and the clinical portion of the exam will test abilities with hands-on patient care. Any student who has attended classes faithfully will have an excellent foundation for the examinations and will be able to easily pass both parts of the exam.

After a CNA has received training, there are a number of different facilities that will be interested in hiring new graduates. Private practice doctors, hospitals, special care hospitals, and nursing homes are frequent employers of people who have recently completed CNA classroom training.