Certified Nursing Assistant

Overview

The Certified Nursing Assistant program prepares students to care for sub-acutely ill clients and to work as members of the healthcare community. Students who successfully complete the five-credit-hour course may take the Arizona State Certification test to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).  This course is approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing and meets OBRA requirements.  Students learn the basic concepts of communication, client safety, anatomy and physiology, nursing process, client rights, legal and professional responsibilities, and specific client care skills.  Students learn to recognize and meet the basic physical, psychosocial, and cultural needs of clients. Although all ages are covered, special emphasis is placed on the needs of geriatric clients.

The Nursing Assistant Certificate, which requires one semester to complete, is approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing to prepare students for nursing assistant certification. Emphasis is on communication, patient safety, anatomy and physiology, specific patient-care skills, and patient rights. Includes the nursing process and the legal and professional responsibilities of the nursing assistant. Also covers the basic physical, psychosocial, and cultural needs of all patients, with special emphasis on the geriatric population.

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program will be able to do the following:

• Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required for basic-level nursing assistant certification by the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
• Demonstrate skills in communication, patient safety, the nursing process, and specific patient care.
• Demonstrate skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic first aid.
• Demonstrate an understanding of patient rights and legal and professional responsibilities.
• Apply the knowledge and skills required to address basic physical, psychosocial, and cultural needs of patients, especially those in the geriatric population.

Admissions Requirements

• Students who plan to work as CNAs after completion of the course should be at least 16 years of age. Most long-term care facilities require employees to be 16. However, some healthcare facilities may require employees to be 18.
• Fingerprinting with background checks for felony convictions is required.
• Reliable transportation is needed to attend classes and clinicals at various healthcare facilities throughout Cochise County.
• The AZ State Board of Nursing will not grant certification to anyone with a felony background that is less than 3 years past the date of discharge of the felony.
• Federal and State Law requires documentation of citizenship or nationality for certification
• Current vaccination records to include the following…
  • COVID Vaccination records (in accordance with the CDC Guidelines)
  • Hep B Series (2-3), MMR (2), Varicella (2), Tdap (not more than 10 years old), current season’s Flu vaccine and TB screening (within the last 6 months)

Certificate

• Nursing Assistant - Certificate - Less Than 1 Year (Catalog)