Nursing assistant certification in Ohio operates a little differently from many other U.S states. The state of Ohio calls certified nurse aides, “state-tested nursing aides” or STNAs and not CNA’s. They call those who are nursing assistant students as certified nurse aides. As a state-tested nursing aide you will gain valuable experience you can use to advance within the health care industry and be allowed to work in long-term care facilities and hospitals.
In order to become an STNA, one should undergo training from a licensed and approved facility or school and pass the state examinations. Criminal background checks are done before applying for the training and before employment. The training that one should enroll in should be a course that has been approved by the state. The course lasts for 2 weeks if you are going to take the basic course; 5 to 8 weeks if you take the full course. The subjects covered by the training include basic care, observation of patients, and handling of equipments, safety procedures, hygiene and medical terminology. This is usually tackled when one takes the advanced courses. The course and training is offered by community colleges and home health agencies around the state.
The training requires a submission of a high school diploma, undergoing a physical exam, and a state and federal background check.  The course takes 75 hours: 16 hours of classroom instruction and 59 hours of practical training with supplemental lectures.  Those who cannot attend all of the classes have 60 days for them to make up for their absences to complete the required 75 hours.  Subjects covered by the training include basic care, infection control, emergency procedures, grooming and maintaining of patient’s room, effective communication skills, and mental health as well as keeping a record of a patient’s progress.
After the required training program, one should also take the state exams. This includes both a written and a practical type of exam. One should be able to pass both of the exams in order to be listed on the state’s registry. The applicant will have all of his expenses reimbursed if he or she is able to find employment within one year from the date of the completion of training. One will need to undergo a TB test and a criminal background check about 5 days before he becomes employed.
One can also apply for reciprocity in the state of Ohio. He needs to submit a copy of their certification, their social security card, a state-issued photo ID, their name, address and birth date in order to apply for a certification. The applicant should be currently on the other state’s nurse registry and should be currently in good standing on that state. He or she should not be convicted of any felony or abuse and neglect of a resident on that state.
The license or certification is renewed every 2 years. The state requires a nurse aide to have worked for at least 7 and ½ hours as a state-tested nursing assistant for the past 24 months in a licensed healthcare facility. A license can be considered for renewal if it has lapsed if the holder can show proof of employment for at least 8 hours as an STNA for the past 24 months. You can contact the Ohio Nurse Aide Registry to verify a certification status or get important information about renewal.
Click this link to find STNA classes in Ohio listed by city.
Although each program has its own way of teaching and training their students, there is a module that they are required to follow. This modules where given so that the students, from whichever program, will have the same set of skills and knowledge that is needed to take care of the patients. These include basic care, mental health, infection control, communication techniques, and medical terminologies.
To ensure that the quality of training that the student’s will receive, training facilities that want to offer STNA training must undergo certification. By requiring the training facilities to undergo certification, the facilities will have to follow certain standards such as the number of training hours and the types of lessons that they must teach the students. According to Federal Law, training programs must offer no less than 75 hours of training. For this state, those 75 hours are divided into 16 hours of lectures and 59 hours of on-the-job training. Full-courses normally take 5 to 8 weeks to complete. There is also a 2-week refresher course that those with previous medical background and experience can enroll in.
The full-course training programs last 5-8 weeks and consists of 75 hours of training. Your hours will be divided into 16 hours in classroom doing lectures and 59 hours doing clinical training. You will be taught in various subjects like medical terms, infection control, mental health, personal care, therapeutic communication techniques, and safety and emergency procedures.
If you think that you what it takes to become a nurse aide in Ohio, you should then start looking for a training program to enroll in. Training programs that are approved by the state are required to offer 75-100 hours of training. The training can last from 5 to 8 weeks, depending on which program you enroll in. Although there are a lot of training facilities that offer nurse aide training, most of them are nursing homes and hospitals. Your training will consist of classroom lectures, laboratory works, and clinical duties where you will handle actual patients.
If you are planning on working long-term as a nurse aide, you must first get certified by passing the state’s competency exams. If you are able to pass both the written and practical skills portion, your name will be entered on the Ohio Nurse Aide Registry. The Registry is a masters list of all the individuals who have proven themselves competent in both skill and knowledge to become a nurse aide. Nurse aides from other states may also enter Ohio’s NAR by applying for reciprocity.
To become a STNA in Ohio, you will need to first enroll in a state-approved training course. To enroll, you must show your high school diploma, undergo physical exams to determine that you are physically capable of handling patients, and pass the state and federal background checks for criminal records. Because of the high demand for this profession, you will not have any problems looking for a suitable course to enroll in. If you want to get more details about the courses you can contact the Nurse Aide Training Competency Evaluation Program or NATCEP at (614) 725-8285.
Keep in mind that in this state, their CNAs are referred to as STNAs and that as a students of a nursing assistant training program you will need to complete the required amount of hours of instruction before you qualify to take the exams.
The program you must complete is a 75-hour training program that has been approved by the state. The training hours will be divided into 59 hours of clinical duties and 16 hours of classroom lectures. You will be trained in different concepts like infection control, medical terminologies, mental health, communication techniques and emergency procedures. With the high demand for state-tested nursing aides, these programs are now offered by different training institutions. You can try to enroll in community colleges, private training centers, nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities.
Courses in Ohio last 5-8 weeks and requires a minimum of 75 training hours to complete. For those who had already taken up nursing course and want to refresh their knowledge, they can enroll in a 2-week refresher course. These courses usually cost around $100-$200. If you missed a particular program, you do not need to worry since most of the programs restart their training fairly quickly. There are however, some programs that place their STNA training programs in semester scheduling.
This is a very practical career choice since the training is well quick and is well compensated once you find work. According to studies, the mean hourly wage that a nursing assistant makes is $11.46, making their annual salary around $20,200 to $28,700.Training programs for this profession are offered by different institutions and an aspiring nursing aide may already start working for a licensed nursing facility while under training. If you are able to find work within 1 year from your certification, your employer will reimburse you for your expenses if you qualify.
One of the requirements to become a nursing aide in Ohio is to pass the license exams after completing a state-approved 75 hour training class. To be accepted into a class, the applicant must have  a high school diploma, by physically capable of taking care of the residents, and pass the background checks for criminal records. Students who are employed under a licensed-health care facility are required an additional TB testing must be done before starting work.
A nursing assistant works typically under a registered nurse and helps them out in taking care of the patient by providing nursing care that are delegated to them. These nursing procedures are often routine, simple, and do not involve any ongoing evaluation of the patient’s current condition. Their task may range from the simple bed baths, taking vital signs, to assisting the patients with their daily tasks. If necessary, nursing aides will also be tasks with helping in in the performance of emergency procedures like CPR.
In the state of Ohio, CNAs are commonly known as state-tested nursing aides or STNAs. To gain entry into Registry one should first complete a state-approved training program. You can either opt to enroll in a basic course, which last for only 2 weeks, or take the full 5-8 week course. The subjects that will be tackled during the training will include basic patient care, safety procedures, respecting and promoting the patient’s rights and independence, proper hygiene, medical terminologies, and many more.
Another way of getting into the state’s NAR is to apply for reciprocity. Reciprocity is given to nursing aides who are currently registered in a different state-registry and wishes to transfer and work in Ohio. STNAs or CNAs from Ohio may also transfer to a different state if the state offers reciprocity. When applying for this state, the applicant must provide a government-issued ID, his complete name, address, contact number, SS card, and the states that he is registered as a nursing aide.
What are the Job Duties of a STNA in Ohio