If you want to take free CNA classes, especially if you don’t have sufficient funding for a nursing assistant education, you can find grants and health care facilities to help make that happen. These opportunities, and programs are available in practically every state in the U.S. and you only need to look for a facility or school which offers this training. This is done through government programs which provide financial assistance for its citizens as well as by private entities such as lending companies. It can also come from the training facility itself with the condition that you work for them for a certain period after passing the nurse aide certification exam.
With the cost of nurse aide training ranging from $400 to $5,000, it is no wonder why a lot of students are looking for training facilities that can provide free certified training. This can be done in two ways; it is either you pay for your tuition at the outset of the course or have it reimbursed to you after you finish the program or by complying with certain requirements and filling out forms that are required by the institutions which offer the free training. So, when you are looking for free nursing assistant education, you should think first how it is going to be: before the training or after the training.
There are many class offerings available by nursing homes and health care centers which have training facilities. Many of these facilities allow you to qualify for a free training and can even offer you work in the facility while you are training. In addition they may have you work for their facility after you pass the certification exams. The length and duration of your employment would vary depending on how much you owe their institution. There can also be instances when the training facility has partnered with lending institutions in order to pay for your tuition fees in the beginning and then you will have to pay for it with interest when you obtain work.
To find these nurse aide positions you may need to call nursing home and health care facilities in your town and ask them if they are currently offering free instruction to become certified. To qualify you must meet state and federal requirements as well as individual standards set by the facility. Here are some of the most frequent requirements to qualify:
- At least 16 years old, and in many cases 18 years of age depending on state standards
- Communication skills, literacy & math proficiency
- Clean criminal record
- High school diploma or a GED
- Fluent in the English language
Another way to obtain a free nursing assistant class is by qualifying for government financial aid programs. Oftentimes, the government provides a way for those who are unemployed or have physical incapacities to acquire free training and education in various fields. It may however depend if the training facility has been accredited by such funding programs or not. Another way is if you acquire an employment within a prescribed period from the date when you passed the nursing assistant certification exam. The government often reimburses a student’s tuition fees if he or she becomes employed within 6 or 9 months after graduating from a class program and passing the nurse aide certification.
To find a free government nurse aide grant or financial aid program you can search online using very specific terms. For instance you can conduct a search for “department of health free nursing assistant training in ‘name of state'”. This should give you a variety of programs that are available in your particular area. If that doesn’t help another helpful tip to use is to search for the “CNA registry in ‘name of state'”. Once you have located the website for the state registry you will want to locate an online chat or the phone number so you can find qualified professional assistance for your questions.
There are also other private institutions which offer a short training course for nursing aides. These can range from hospitals to training facilities and often, they would offer the course for free provided that you pass the initial admission tests for the course. These courses are often intensive due to their short duration and would require complete dedication from students. The good thing is that you get to train for free as well as gain the best experience for working as a certified nursing assistant.