CNA Nursing Schools in Illinois

Certified nursing assistants thus are a vital cog in the wheel of healthcare field and owing to many reasons like growing old age of population and lower pay scales the demand for nurse aide is at its peak. Moreover you don’t have to spend extraordinary amount of money or years at college to become a nursing assistant. It just takes few weeks of training at nearest CNA certification classes , clear the state exam and start professional practice.

Some of the most well know institutes for nurse aide training in Illinois are Advanced Medical and Technical Institute in Chicago, Niles and Schaumburg; Americare Home Health Group Nurse Aide Course in Chicago, Bloomington Area Vocational Center in Bloomington, Central Community High School Nurse Aide Program in Breese and Chicago Community Learning Center Nurse Aide Course. Chicago is the biggest metro of the state and plays a big role in imparting nursing assistant training for the aspiring candidates in the state.

It is true that the state of Illinois is an exact representation of America, but there is one aspect that is totally different from the rest of the country and that is the eligibility criteria for CNA certification in Illinois. In most states you need a high school diploma or a GED to join a training program, but in Illinois you don’t need this. You must have a clean background and good medical health; a report for both these requirements must be submitted. You must have completed 16 years of age instead of the 18 years mandate in most states in America.

After fulfilling these requirements, all you have to do is get trained at a CNA program in Illinois which is accredited by the health department of the state and on completion of the program pass the state competency test. This test consists of one theory paper and one skills demonstration paper and you must pass both these papers for certification.

If you have a RN or LPN license of the state that is active, you can work as a CNA without passing the exam. Nurse aides from other states are deemed to be qualified in Illinois and you have to fill the registration form; once the nurse aide registry approves of your certification you can practice in the state as a nursing assistant.

Many community colleges and medical facilities provide for nurse aide training in Illinois; you must enroll in a program recognized by the state to qualify for the competency exam. In Illinois any approved program provides training for a minimum of 120 hours; it is divided into 40 hours of classroom study and 80 hours of clinical training.

You can find training programs in Illinois which can cost you from $500 to $1800. You must check the details of the cost before enrolling; some schools advertise that they conduct low cost programs, but the cost does not include uniform cost and cost of study material or practice equipments. Some costly programs cover for all these costs and additionally include the state certification exam fee as well.

If you find the cost too high you can research for some local hospitals or facilities; if they have vacancies for nurse aides they will offer you free training if you are willing to fill up the vacancies. For cheap CNA classes you might look for community colleges where the cost is usually low; other provide for financial aid at almost zero interest rates.

Illinois is one of the top ten states that have job openings for nursing assistants; every year the state requires at least 1,700 new CNAs to serve in various healthcare settings like hospitals, nursing homes, long term care facilities etc. You can earn anything between $19,000 and $38,000 a year in Illinois and the average salary of nursing assistants stand at $31,000 a year which is over and above the national average. With a greater forecast for job openings in the next five years the salaries can only get better.

CNA nursing schools in Illinois offer comprehensive training to pass the state competency exam and once you get certified you name will be listed on the nurse aide registry for all your life and you will not have to renew your certification as long you practice for minimum 24 hours a year.