CNA My Way
Our Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course is designed to help students quickly start their career in healthcare. We are proud to offer all of our students hands-on, clinical experience inside local hospitals to get a real sense of the job.
As a CNA, you can work in a variety of settings, from doctor’s offices to hospitals, and help provide basic care for patients, including assisting with daily activities and relaying information to the care team.
Obtaining your CNA certificate also allows students to apply for Idaho Healthcare Institute’s LPN and RN programs.
What You’ll Learn
Our hands-on training program is designed to help you learn the basics of patient care. We cover safety and cleanliness, vital signs, transporting patients, medical terminology and communication skills.
What You’ll Do
You’ll support patients’ needs by working alongside doctors and nurses. You will help take vital signs, help bathe patients, monitor their conditions and help patients with eating, going to the bathroom and other daily needs.
Step 1: If needed, apply for a scholarship
If money is holding you back from starting a career in healthcare, apply for one of our scholarships.
Step 2: Register for CEI Workforce training
All you need to do is submit your application for the CNA program.
Step 3: Complete the mandatory orientation
To qualify for the CNA scholarship, all applicants must have completed the mandatory online CNA orientation. We require all of our students to attend this orientation before being accepted for the scholarship.
Step 4: Complete pre-program requirements
ALL documents submitted must have 2 identifying pieces of information (name & date of birth) on them for validation.
Before students can start their program, they must complete the following requirements:
- Mandatory online CNA orientation
- Healthcare Provider BLS
- All students are required to have Basic Life Support (CPR) certification through the American Heart Association prior to registration and start of class. No online CPR cards are valid for this class. Certification will only be accepted from the American Heart Association, no others will be accepted.
- TB testing—pick 1 of the 2 options listed below
- Quantitative Gold blood testing OR
- 2 step PPD (2 separate PPD tests completed no sooner than 2 weeks apart)
- Flu vaccine during flu season (October-March)
- COVID Immunization Series
- Hepatitis B Immunization Series
- Hepatitis B Surface Antibody to check for immunity—if negative, booster is required with repeat titer 1 month later
- MMR vaccine or positive titer to all 3 components (measles, mumps, rubella)
- Varicella vaccine or positive titer
- Tdap within 10 years time
- Background check
- Please go to StudentCheck to order your background check:
- This is the only background check accepted for this program and it must be fully processed before class registration is allowed. It must be current within the last year, not to expire during the class session. The cost is $51.50 and is payable online when ordering.
The clinical coordinator is Kathy Erickson, LPN. She will contact you via email to give you instructions on additional testing that will need to be completed prior to the first day of class for the hospital clinical day. Please reach out to her by calling or texting her at (208) 520-8262 or by email at kathy.erickson@cei.edu if you have any questions or have not heard from her once your registration has been approved.
- 10 panel drug urine test or higher
- N95 mask fitting
- IFCH/MVH booklet completion
Step 5: Start your program
Join your fellow classmates for your 120-hour CNA program. The program includes hands-on work, classroom instruction and clinical hospital experience.
Step 6: Take your state exams
Upon successful completion of your program, you can take your state skills and written exams. You will have six months after your graduation to pass the tests.
Step 7: Start Work
Once you have your credentials, you are ready to work! Our team will work hard to help you find the perfect first job.