The nursing assistant training courses in Altoona, Pennsylvania that are being offered as of the making of this page are all listed in detail below. Call one of the school facilities to get the latest news about class schedules, course curriculum, and the cost of tuition.
Altoona Center for Nursing Care
1020 Green Ave.,
Altoona, PA 16601
(814) 946-2700
Greater Altoona Career and Technical Center
1500 Fourth Ave.,
Altoona, PA 16602
(814) 946-8450
As the elderly population continues to increase, the demand for basic health care workers is also increasing. Because of the numerous opportunities that healthcare workers currently have, more and more people are trying to enter the field. If you are one of these people, then you should start to consider becoming a CNA or certified nurse aide.
Nurse aides are entry-level professionals who work under the watchful eyes of registered nurses. They help perform nursing and nursing-related procedures to patients. You can find nurse aides in hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care settings, including the patient’s own home.
The first step that you must do to become a nurse aide is to enroll in state-approved classes. An approved program will help prepare you for the situations that you may encounter once you are in the clinical setting. It will equip you with the skill and knowledge necessary to meet the individual needs of the patients. Successfully completing an approved training program will also make you eligible to apply for the certification exam; and according to the Nursing Home Reform Act, a person can’t work as a long-term nurse aide without being certified in a state’s Nurse Aide Registry.
To qualify you should be at least 16 years old to be able to enroll. You must also be physically capable of taking care of different patients. Other requirements are that you submit photo identification, TB results, immunization records, and pass the routine background check.
The certification exam is a two part examination that consists of a multiple-choice knowledge test and a skills evaluation exam. Applicants have the option to take the knowledge test as either a written or oral examination. Since the exam complies with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), applicants who have some disabilities can request for some special accommodations.
Applicants have 24 months after completing their training to pass. If they fail, each candidate is given a maximum of 3 attempts to take the test. If they do not pass within the 24 month deadline or use up all their attempts, they will have to undergo retraining before they can take the exam once more.
If you are a certified nurse aide from another state, you don’t need to start all over to work as a CNA in Pennsylvania. You may transfer your certification and gain immediate entry into the Pennsylvania State Nurse Aide Registry by applying for reciprocity. You must have a current certification and a clean record to qualify. Your name must not be on the Abuse Registry. To know more, you need to call the Department of Health via Pearson VUE at (800) 852-0518. For testing locations near you call the American Red Cross at 1-800-795-2350.
A person is only valid to work in as a certified nurse aide for up to two years. If you wish to continue working as one, you need to renew your certification through the DOH. No person is allowed to continue working with an expired certification. The state requires CNAs to work, for compensation, for at least 8 hours while under the supervision of a registered nurse. You can find out more about this by following this link: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/nurse_aide_registry/
This city is located in Blair County. The city is also known as The Mountain City. Altoona is a primary city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area. With a total population of 46,320 during the last census, it is considered as the 10th most populous city in the state of Pennsylvania. It has a population density of 5,069/sq mile. The total area of the city is estimated to be about 9.8 sq miles, where all of it is land.
Examples of health care facilities that are located in the city area include Children’s Health Center, ARC of Blair County, Acrp, Preferred Healthcare System Inc., Lifeworks Health Center, Pyramid Healthcare, Children’s Behavioral Health Inc., Living Well Behavioral Health, Blair Medical Associates – Hematology and Oncology, Altoona Family Physicians, Circle of Life Holistic Health Center, and many more. photo attribution: ufv