I know why you clicked on the title after reading it, you want to become a CNA in Florida, right? Don’t worry you are at the right place.
I am here to give you all the information you need before getting enrolled in a CNA program and guide you in the best possible way.
Let’s get into the details to help you attain your goal of becoming the best CNA of all times.
4 Simple Steps To Become A CNA In Florida
If you are here for the shortest possible answer then you have your answer in the simplest way right here. Let’s have a look on the steps you need to take in order to become a CNA;
- Get yourself enrolled in a CNA program approved by the Florida board of nursing and complete the CNA training course program.
- Pay your processing fee, apply for license, and attach your program completion documents and fingerprints along with your license application.
- Appear in the prometric exam and clear the exams, both theoretical and clinical skills based.
- Get your CNA certificate after clearing the basic competency certification exam.
- Obtain your CNA license by getting your name listed on national registry of your state
What Is A Certified Nursing Assistant Or CNA?
Before starting with anything else, it is important for you to know what actually a CNA is and what are their roles in the healthcare system. The acronym CNA stands for certified nursing assistant, who works under the guidance of a registered nurse (RN) or a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN).
A CNA supports the patients physically and emotionally who are recovering from a disease or surgery. A nursing assistant helps the patients by preparing meals for them, changing their bedding essentials, taking the patient for a walk, bathing them, or transferring them to or from the wheelchair. Also, a CNA provides emotional support to the patient, a nursing assistant can listen to the concerns of the patient and his/her attendant and try to resolve whatever issue they are facing.
A certified nursing assistant (CNA) offers a helping hand to the registered nurses (RN) by checking on the patients, getting the patient’s vital signs, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, body weight, providing medication to the patient, etc. in this way a CNA can help an RN to treat the patients.
A certified nursing assistant or CNA is commonly known to be a patient care assistant (PCA), nursing assistant or nurse’s aide.
What Are The Duties Of A Certified Nursing Assistant?
A CNA is required to take care of the patient in the best possible manner to help them and make the patients feel better and fight from their illness. Read below for some of the key tasks you will be required to do as a CNA:
- Help the patients eat
- Bathe and clean the patient
- Help the registered nurse (RN) with different medical procedures
- Monitor patient’s symptoms and take required actions
- Stock the required materials
- Change and clean bed spreads
- Ensure the availability of essential supplies
- Help or lift patients to beds, rest rooms etc.
- Dressing of the wounds
- Answer their phone calls
- Keep the record of patient’s vital signs
- Safely relocate or move the patients who are bedridden
Is CNA Program A Certification Or A Degree?
After looking at the abbreviation of CNA the above question must have come into your mind, don’t worry, I’m here to answer that for you and guide you with all the process. To become a certified nursing assistant you are not required to get a proper degree, all you need to do is get yourself enrolled in a CNA program to get a diploma or a certificate to practice as a CNA.
Most people get enrolled in this program to know about the nursing profession and determine if they want to continue their career with nursing or not.
Eligibility Criteria For CNA Training And CNA Examinations
In order to officially opt for this emerging field of nursing assistance, basic requirements should be met. Basic requirements are as follows:
- You should meet the minimum age of 18 years to be eligible for this program i.e. you should be no younger than 18 years of age.
- Your current immunization record is also an important requirement for entering the CNA training course program classes.
- You should have a high school diploma or GED.
- You should not be involved in drugs
- You must have a valid state ID or SSN.
- You must possess a school completion certificate
- You should pass the criminal background check
CNA Examinations
To appear in the CNA examinations you first need to have complete knowledge about the procedure and the courses/topics included in the examination. There are actually two exams that you need to clear before you will be able to become a certified nursing assistant and practice like a CNA, the two exams are named below:
- Prometric exam
- Competency certification exam
The Prometric exam is the main CNA exam, after passing this exam you are eligible for appearing in the competency certification exam, the Prometric exam consists of two parts which are as follows:
- Theoretical or written exam
- Clinical skill test or practical exam
Theoretical Exam Or Written Examination
As for the theoretical exam or written examination, you will have a time span of 90 minutes or 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete 60 multiple choice questions, this exam may be referred to as CNA quiz.
The questions included in the theory test maybe regarding:
- How will you handle behavioral changes of a patient?
- How will you control a certain infection?
- What are the health hazards which may arise due to wrinkled bed sheets?
- When you need to report about a patient’s condition to the nurse in charge
- Ethics of patient care and their rules
- How you can handle visitors from the patient’s family
Practical Exam Or Clinical Skills Test
While, in the practical exam or clinical skills test, you will be given 30 to 45 minutes to perform any of the five duties which the patient needs.
In the clinical exam, the examiner may ask you to perform the following duties:
- To collect the data of the patient
- Administer oral medication or apply the topical medication to patient
- Administer oxygen to the patient
- Remove indwelling or peripheral catheters
- Help the patient with personal care
After this CNA examination, you have to appear in another exam to get your CNA certificate and get registered as a CNA. After getting registered as CNA, you are ready to serve the patients with your clinical skills.
Time Duration For The CNA Program
The CNA training program usually takes about four to twelve weeks of training with 120 credit hours, clinical classes and theory classes are arranged according to the guidelines provided.
How Do I Get My CNA Certification?
Once you are finished with your learning, CNA training, and cleared your CNA examinations, then you have to give another exam which is a competency certification exam. You will get a CNA certificate once you’ll clear your certification exam, then you will be registered as a nursing assistant and ready to practice in any hospital.
If you have a dilemma in choosing the right organization for your CNA certification, then don’t worry about anything, because we have your back and we will help you in getting your CNA certificate easily.
Requirements For CNA Certification
To get a CNA certificate you need to fulfill certain requirements to be registered as a nursing assistant. The requirements include:
- Clearing the state approved prometric exam and competency certification exams.
- 85 hours of training in a CNA program approved by the Florida board of nursing
- Statement of complete information regarding physical and mental health, bio-data and other personal information.
Fee For CNA Training Program
When you are getting enrolled in the CNA training course program, then make sure you choose the best of the organization providing you excellent services of CNA classes near me. The CNA courses usually cost around as low as $500 and as high as $1600, the fee may vary depending on the number of hours for the CNA course you want.
Many other additional charges can be added due to liability insurance, health tests, registration fee, books, clinical training uniforms, background information check etc.
Fee For CNA Certification And CNA Testing
To give CNA certification examinations and to get registered as a certified nursing assistant one must pay a fee of $140 for both tests i.e. written exam along with clinical skill exam. If you have failed the first exam and you are planning to take a retake exam then the examination fee is different.
You only have to pay only for the exam that you have failed instead of the whole examination fee. If you want to retake the written exam, then the candidate has to pay $35. If you have failed the clinical skill test and you are interested in giving the retake exam of the clinical skill test, then a candidate must submit a fee of $104.
If you have once applied for the CNA training program then you are allowed to give the test for up to two years, with three attempts, but if you fail to clear the test in all of the three attempts in the given time period of two years, then you will have to get yourself enrolled in the CNA training course program again.
What Is A CNA License?
Even after getting your CNA certification, you must have a CNA license to practice as a nursing assistant in the hospital or nursing home. To get a CNA license in Florida, you are required to be registered in the registry of your state and your name is listed in the registry of nursing in Florida.
How can I get a CNA license in Florida?
To get a CNA license in Florida you need to appear in a Prometric exam and clear all the exams. Along with this, you have to clear all the background checks conducted by the board of nursing in your state. After you have successfully cleared the exam and background checks, your name will be listed in the nurse aide registry of Florida.
Now that you have your CNA license in your hand, you have to take good care of it and never get involved in such activities which might result in getting your license revoked. Usually, the CNA license is valid for two years, after that, you need to apply for the renewal of the license.
I would suggest you apply for your license renewal before the end of these 24 months to avoid any unnecessary licensing issues.
What Is The Possible Salary Of A Certified Nursing Assistant In Florida?
I am not wrong when I say that we all study and work hard just to get a good amount of salary and make our lifestyle better. Once you pass all your CNA exams and get your CNA certificate then you can expect a handsome amount of salary which can be at least $13.54 per hour. In Florida, CNA’s can get a salary of about $29,660 annually.
The salary a CNA receives greatly depends on the state he or she works and the number of overtime hours he or she is willing to do. If a CNA is interested in doing overtime then his or her salary may increase up to $4,125 per year excluding the basic salary package. Besides all this, a CNA may get additional benefits including retirement aids, paid trips, and vacation along with medical cover.
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- https://nursinglicenseflorida.com/what-is-the-best-shift-to-work-as-a-cna/
- https://nursinglicenseflorida.com/is-becoming-a-cna-worth-it/
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