Free CNA Classes

Sometimes nursing homes and hospitals who hire CNAs will sponsor you in a class. Check with some local prospective employers and see who has a program like that. Or check with the unemployment office/workforce development in your area. They may have some sort of funding available. Best of luck!!

Here is some contact info for Life care Centers in Columbia.

Life Care Center of Columbia 2514 Faraway Drive Columbia, SC 29223 Carol Cordan, Executive Director Office: (803) 865-1999 Fax: (803) 865-0759

http://www.lcca.com/facilities.cfm?mode=detail&id=241

I know the local Lifecare here will sponsor people, check with your local facility.

Best of luck

David

Thank you both for the information.

:heartbeatHello0 I am new to this forum. I may be posting in the incorrect site, OK, I am interested in locating an inexpensive CNA course in the Kershaw county area. I live outside Kershaw. Also, I have a BA degree from an unrelated field, PLUS I am older! Is there a possibility of My taking training in a less high cost way? What does the LPN degree/certificate involve? I am terrible at math and sciences, which is why I have a useless BA in English! I have worked at nursing facilities in Ohio, but only in the dietary and laundry departments. Thank You in advance for the help!!

Hi Pitcrew. I would recommend calling a local hospital system and ask about CNA training. Working as a CNA can be a good intro into healthcare. I can't really tell you much about LPNs, but I would look into local technical schools or try looking at discovernursing.com. It has lists of schools by state and degree. I found that website to be helpful. Hope this helps a little. :)

thanks to all who replied! How hard on your back is the constant lifting and transferring? Also, are the body fluids, etc. easy to get used to? Im not easily grossed out but i have heard horror stories about cleanups. Also i worked in laundry at a small nursing home and I got used to the biohazards. I also worked dietary in a large home, which was not a problem at all. For some reason its hard to even get a part- time job anymore in assisted homes.....

Just as an update, I did eventually find a class and got a job in a hospital.

FYI, I looked high and low for nursing homes/ hospitals in Columbia that had a program where they gave the class and you could work there to pay off the class, but there were none. Most places will give you up to 3 months to get certified if they decide to hire you before you get certified.

hey there... i was waiting to see if you found a class. i just moved to columbia,sc from seattle,wa and i am in the same spot you were in a while back. i'm looking for a hospital or somewhere, where i can take a cna course. can you give me any advise on where to go? thanks...

hey there... i was waiting to see if you found a class. i just moved to columbia,sc from seattle,wa and i am in the same spot you were in a while back. i'm looking for a hospital or somewhere, where i can take a cna course. can you give me any advise on where to go? thanks...

you can get in contact with dhec (the dept. of environmental control) and they can give you a listing of all of the approved training facilities. you can also go to pearsonvue.com for a listing of approved training facilities in sc.

HELLO- this is pitcrew- i am trying to decide whether to take the cna training online at york tec college or in person at york tech. both programs are $475 plus 50 for textbook. I am 51 and have not been to college for a coon's age. I type horrendously-does anyone have an opinion on which to take? The lab and clinicals are, i guess, at the campus also. I am scared to try new things. How will I know if i can do this work? How does one get used to the bm and other fluids?! I have many animals and deal with this a lot! Also, what type of person can work cna at a hospice? I have an idea about working in one. Thanks!

Hello- pitcrew here- i'm still undecided about the online course or the in person course. is it worth my time and money to go through this? i get somewhat excited thinking about a new type of job. i have worked at strange jobs in the past. worked at a library as a tech, as a custodian, and in genealogy/humanities! i had a cleaniing business in the 1980's, a craft business in Amish land, worked in a bakery, ltc dietary, ltc laundry, bought houses to remodel and resell, at a newspaper for a short time, etc!!! Now i have animals.... is it easy to adjust to cleaning up a ltc resident? Does it just become routine? When i started out in ltc laundry i had to get used to the smell and the nearness of the urine-soaked articles. But i did, and i enjoyed pulling the resident's personal clothingout of the hot dryer and hanging them up for them, eventually taking them around to hang up in individual rooms. I don't know, it was odd, but i felt i was doing something nice for the residents. i sure didn't make much money. i liked the solitary aspect of the laundry, and could work at my own pace. is it true about having too many patients on just one aid? I know that all the places are cutting back on personnel, but isn't there a minimum staffing they have to meet? What are the requirements in SC? I live near lancaster and camden, also hartsville and pageland. would it be better to work in a hospital, perhaps in pediatrics, or rehab, even maternity ward? I am used to the geriatric patient. I kind of liked, if that is the term, the dementia/alzheimer's wing. the people were usually like children, but then you'd get the ones who liked to hit , scream, and fight with anyone near them. But i got to know a lot of the residents. everyone had their favorites, at least in the dietary. my parents are both gone, and i feel like i might owe something to the people as i lived too far to take care of my parents every day. my dad had PSP for 10 years and eventually died after just one month in a ltc facility. my mom took care of him for years, but she wore out and died taking care of him. i feel bad that i did not just step up to the plate and help more. my brother lived in mom's basement, and the family was in a shattered condition. with the result of brother bringing a handgun to the funerals! it was a nightmare that i still have not figured out, anyway, hence my thinking turning to this point. if i get throught the program and pass the state test, which i hear is hard and confusing, i might be able to find a job, even as old as i am! how hard is the LPN course? i am unadept at mathematics, having something called dyscalculia- i know, i never heard of it before they told me i had it! so im bad at math, probably chemistry, anatomy, etc. my entire family on my husband's side are in healthcare and my neighbor is a doctor, so i'm outnumbered!! Pitcrew

There is an LPN program at ATEC in Camden. I, too, have a BA in English and am starting my second semester in the ADN program at Central Carolina. Would really recommend that! And I'm 50 and terrible in math, but I'm doing okay and better than most.