Those interested in working as a nurse aide can find the schools in Sebastopol, California that offer this training on this page. The training shown here has met the standards required by the state and will allow one to take the certification tests after finishing the course.

Apple Valley Convalescent Hospital
1035 Gravenstein Highway South,
Sebastopol, CA 95472
(707) 823-7675

Fircrest Convalescent Hospital
7025 Corline Court,
Sebastopol, CA 95472
(707) 823-7444

According to the OBRA of ’87 all aspiring nursing assistants must be certified to work in a state-approved nursing home or health care facility. To get certified as a nursing assistant, you must first meet the following prerequisites:

•    Age: at least 18 years old
•    Educational Attainment: Have a high school diploma or a GED
•    Criminal Record: free of any records that may prevent one from getting certified as a nursing assistant.
•    English Competency: Must be able to read, speak, and understand Basic English
•    Health: physically capable of handling different patients and free of any communicable diseases such as tuberculosis.

Meeting all of the above will get you enrolled in a CDPH-approved CNA training program. Training programs will provide you with all the skills and knowledge you will need to become a competent nursing assistant. You will spend 50 hours in the classroom for lessons and a minimum of 100 hours in the clinical area for practical training.

When you complete your training, the next step is to apply for the certification exam. You can get an application form from your instructor or by going to www.pearsonvue.com or www.cdph.ca.gov. The exam consists of a written/oral test and a clinical skills test. If you pass all the tests you will get certified by the ATCS.

Certified nursing assistants from other states can apply for reciprocity. This will allow them to transfer their certification to California and work as CNAs. It is important that their certifications are still valid when they apply. Nursing assistants who are in the Abuse Registry are not allowed to work in a state-approved nursing facility. Applicants who get approved by the CDPH will no longer be required to take an examination to get certified by the ATCS.

CNA certifications are only valid for 24 months. To keep your eligibility to work as a nursing assistant, you must renew your certification before it expires. An expired certification cannot be renewed. However, it can be reactivated by taking a competency evaluation exam. You can only take the evaluation exam if your certification has not expired for more than 2 years.

Sebastopol can be found in Sonoma County. It is just a few miles north of San Francisco. It is also situated just between Santa Rosa and Bodega Bay.  As of the latest census, they have a total population of 7,379. The total area of this city is approximately 1.853 sq miles. It has a population density of 3,982.2/sq mile. This city has two sister cities, which are Chyhyryn, Ukraine and Yamauchi, Japan.

Health care centers and providers that you can avail while in the city include Cheri Quincy DO, Erskine Yusuf J DO, Sebastopol Community Health Center, STD Test Express, Palm Drive Health Care Foudation, Radiant Health Center, Palm Drive Health Care Foundation, and Embrace Health Care. photo attribution: departmentofed