RN Wants to Train Nursing Assistants

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I need to know if I need a certification to train HHA? I am a RN, CLNC,CNA instructor, CPR Instructor.

Dear Wants to Train Home Health Assistants,

I'm assuming HHA means Home Health Assistant. You do not need a certification to informally train assistants.

You do need state agency approval if you are considering setting up a program to initially train and certify individuals earning their home health assistant (HHA) or certified nursing assistant (CNA) certificate.

There is an application process and specific criteria, such as providing a certain number clinical hours in a qualifying facility, covering all required curriculum, etc.

If you plan to provide continuing education (CEs) you need to be an

approved CE provider through the state CNA/HHA overseeing agency. For example, in CA, the CA Department of Health certifies nursing assistants and grants CE provider status to persons and facilities.

Hope this helps,

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!

[Daisy Joyce]

I looked into this type of work in Pennsylvania (I'm not talking about starting a training program, I'm talking about getting employment in an already existing program).

One recruiter I talked to, who was a trainer, told me that *by law* you had to have a Master's degree to train CNA's. She was shockingly untruthful.

I've seen plenty of want ads for CNA trainers where you only need a Bachelor's. Some of them are affiliated with colleges, some of them with technical schools.

The problem is, these programs are seasonal, and they follow the school year. And you get paid by the hour. So if you're looking for full time employment, this is not for you.