A Certified Nursing Assistant is a medical officer who works in a medical facility and takes into the complete account of a patient. A CNA is a widely respected job and is gaining popularity. If you wish to choose to become a Certified Nursing Assistant, you must get into the right path and meet the CNA certification requirements to be certified.

To work as a CNA, you must be at least 18 years or above. Also you are required to have at least a high school diploma or qualification equivalent to GED. The CNA training course is a 75 to 120 hours course which consists of both theoretical and clinical sessions. After completing the training course, you are eligible to sit for the CNA certification examination.

CNA certification requirements

To sit for the CNA certification examination, a student must have completed both the theoretical and the clinical sessions. Unless and until you don’t complete both the class sessions, you won’t be eligible to appear the certification examination. The CNA certification exam is conducted in order to test the knowledge and skills of the students and to ensure that they have sufficient knowledge to start a career in this field. To sit in the certification examination, all the students are required to pay the Exam fee. Also students should arrive at the exam center well on time.

The certification exam consists of two sections. They are the written section and the practical section. The written part of the exam consists of multiple choice questions. The written part of the exam is aimed at checking the knowledge required to work in the medical field as a Certified Nursing Assistant. The written exam is generally straight forward. The sample questions for the written examination can be found on the internet. However, the format of the written exam may vary from state to state. After the written part of the certification examination is completed, the students are required to give the clinical part.

The clinical part is the test of technical skills aimed at checking the skills of the students to work in healthcare facilities. To take the clinical examination, you may be required to take a volunteer to the examination center. Using the volunteer, you are needed to demonstrate the clinical skill that the examiner asks you. A state examiner is there to examine what you learned and how you apply them in your real life situations. Before you start the practical examination, you are required to wash the hands carefully and follow the procedures appropriately. The examiners examine your performed skills closely, so it is very important to perform well on this part of the examination.

After you successfully pass the CNA certification examination, you are granted the CNA license and you are legally permitted to work as a Certified Nursing Assistant.

Registered Nurses (RN) are integral members of any medical facility. They are basically employed in hospitals, private clinics, nursing homes, residential care facilities, schools, community clinics, elderly healthcare facilities and many other places. The basic duties of a Registered Nurse includes treatment, administering medications, screening health conditions, diagnosing their conditions, completing medical charts, and providing emergency care to the patients.

How to become a Registered Nurse?

You may be wondering how to become a registered nurse. Here are the three main steps required to become a Registered Nurse:

Get the proper basic education: Registered Nurses can be distinguished from other classes of nurses by their higher level of training and education. To become a registered nurse, you must have high school diploma or a GED. For students who are still in high school, they should give attention to their science course mainly biology and chemistry because these are mainly used in the medical field. They also take the SAT or ACT exams to get admitted to a good undergraduate college.

Get the proper Advanced Education: Apart from your regular studies, you should also get the appropriate advanced education to succeed in this field. For this, there are four major paths that you can follow. They are master’s degree in nursing (MSN), a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing (BSN), an associate degree in nursing (ADN), and a diploma. Among these, the most widely used path is the ADN program. The Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) is a two year associate degree program offered by junior and community colleges. The Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) is a four years course offered by colleges and universities. The diploma program is a three years course offered by hospitals and nursing homes. Registered Nurses with an ADN or diploma also choose to pursue a BSN degree which is also known as RN to BSN program that prepares student for a wider extent of nursing practice. Additionally, Accelerated MSN (Master’s Degree in Nursing) programs can also be pursued by combining a year of BSN program and two years of graduate studies to hold a MSN degree.

Pass the NCLEX-RN exam: In all the states and territories of the United States, including the District of Columbia, students wishing to work as a Registered Nurse are required to pass a national licensing exam known as the NCLEX-RN exam. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing develops and administers the NCLEX-RN examination. The NCLEX-RN examination is accepted by every state as an indicator of having passed the minimum knowledge and skills required to work as a RN. The NCLEX-RN exams are aimed in testing the knowledge and skills of a RN graduate to work effectively as a RN in medical facilities. Those students who wish to take the NCLEX-RN examination should check with the Board of Nursing in their respective state to find out what they need to do.