JGrey

Hello, I just finished an accelerated nursing assistant class through the American Red Cross. We had 8 full-time days in the classroom and two 8.5 hour days of clinicals at a nursing home. We had three tests - a practice exam on day 4, a written final on day 8, and a skills test on day 8. Other than that the instructor went over chapters in the book, we watched videos, and spent a lot of time in the skills lab. We did a lot of skills...feeding, moving a person from bed to wheelchair, blood pressure, pulse, temperature, weight, bed bath, cleaning dentures, nail and foot care, oral care, bed positioning, how to dress a person who has a weak arm and leg, hand washing, and several other daily living tasks that people would need help with. Our class was fast paced and a lot to learn but nothing to be stressed about, I found a lot of it is common sense. We learned the most important things are safety, infection control (wearing gloves and washing hands A LOT), and making sure to respect the person. Good luck with your class, I really enjoyed mine :)

I live in Minnesota and the cost of the course is $800 which includes a book and background check. The costs probably varies from state to state.

Thanks for the insight everyone. I think I'm going to take the CNA class through the Red Cross in March. I have another question. When you take the state test is it always using a dummy, or on a real patient/resident? Hopefully that isn't a completely dumb question!

I found the local American Red Cross CNA course info on the Red Cross website, http://www.redcross.org. You can put your zipcode to find your local chapter and then it should list local courses.

The class I'm taking at the community college is one day per week for 10 weeks. Each class meeting is 5 hours. After the 10 weeks we will have a week break and then do clinicals. The class I can take through the American Red Cross meets 4 days per week for 4 weeks and then a few days of clinicals. I feel like I would be more comfortable taking the class that meets more than once per week spread over 2+ months. I will get money back for the course if I drop it within the next couple days. That's why I am struggling with what to do.

Hello everyone, I am currently registered for a certified nursing assistant course through a local community college. I've attended one class and while I think it is a good course, I'm considering dropping it and taking the nursing assistant class through my local American Red Cross. Has anyone taken a nursing assistant course through American Red Cross? Just wondering if anyone has any experience or opinions on it. Thanks!