Certified Nursing Assistant Schools in Alaska

Alaska is the biggest state of the US area wise but the population density of the state is low; but because of the varied terrain and climatic conditions medical care for people in Alaska is always in high demand. This leads to a good demand for certified nursing assistants in the state.

But before deciding to enter this profession you must give it a second thought. You must have a liking in helping patients in routine tasks because a nursing assistant’s job although very important, is a thankless job. Once you are clear that you have a flair for the nursing profession get a head start by enrolling into CNA classes in Alaska and you don’t need to have any prior medical experience to get started.

Certified nursing assistants work as per the guidance given to them by the supervising nurse or physician while taking care of patients in various healthcare activities. If you want to become a CNA in Alaska you must have a GED or a high school diploma and you must not have criminal sentence registered against your name. If you have worked as nurse aide in another state and wish to practice in Alaska there must be no case of abuse or neglect on you.

Many community colleges, technical schools and the University of Alaska along with local medical facilities provide for nursing assistant training which can cost you at an average of $1,500. The fees for CNA nursing schools in Alaska are include all the study material, equipments and uniform for the classes. It also includes the fee for certification exam and license; so you don’t have to pay any additional charges once you have paid for the training.

If you are financially incapacitated due to the global slowdown and cannot bear the expenses for this training you can find out that some facilities offer free programs on the condition of six to twelve months of employment with them after you receive your license. There are other scholarship and financial aid program on offer by community colleges or universities.

You must be medically fit; a medical checkup to verify the same is carried out and you can enroll in a CNA training program only after completion of 18 years of age. Most of these prerequisites are the same in many states in the United States. The only major difference is that the obligatory training hours in the state of Alaska is 140 hours out of which 80 hours are dedicated for the practical training; in most states the training hours are set at a minimum of 75 hours. So if you enroll in a training program in Alaska you are bound to obtain better CNA skills as compared to some of the other states as the training here is more comprehensive.

The training programs in Alaska make it mandatory that you get cardiopulmonary restoration (CPR) certification before or during the training program and you are taught first aid rescue skills along with other nursing skills like taking vital signs, nursing ethics etc. The classroom study involves subjects like Physiology, Anatomy, Medical terminology, Nutrition Control etc.

On completion of the training you have to pass the state certification examination, the papers for which are drafted by the Pearson Vue; it is essential that you pass both the practical and theory paper to get certified. After you clear the exam you will be issued a license for practice which is valid for the period of two years. The Alaska Nurse Aide Registry will send a notice of re-certification a week prior to the expiry and if you fail to re-certify you will have to start from the scratch with a training program if you want to continue practicing as a nursing assistant.

After such comprehensive training which is almost the double of what you get in other states it is natural that you will become a highly efficient nurse aide. The salary offered to CNAs in Alaska is also above average and they are paid up to $16 an hour which means their yearly salary is around $32,000 a year and owing to a great shortfall of nurse aides in the state this will only increase in the coming years.

Considering all these factors a nursing career can be a great career option; all you have to do is enroll in one of the CNA nursing schools in Alaska gain the skills required and start practice after certification.