Certified Nurse Aide
What is a CNA?
Under the direction of nursing staff, a CNA provides basic patient care. A CNA assists nurses in nearly every aspect of care in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, assisted living, and home health.
CNA's are responsible for recording vital signs (pulse, respiration, blood pressure,
and temperature), fluid intake and outputs, weights, and other observations.
Job duties include:
- Feeding
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Grooming
- Moving patients
- Changing linens
Training Overview
The Mat-Su College (MSC) Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) training has been developed to provide highly skilled and qualified CNA's to meet the growing needs of the State of Alaska and the Mat-Su Valley (MSV). Demand for nursing and related professions is expected to increase steeply over the next several decades in the MSV. These demands will come from an aging population, new long-term care facilities, and expansions to existing acute-care facilities around the MSV.
The 6-credit hour CNA training course at MSC prepares students for the State of Alaska CNA certification exam. The course is designed to train entry-level workers in basic skills needed to assist nurses and to be efficient health care team members. The course includes a minimum of 60 hours of classroom instruction and 80 hours of supervised skills and clinical training.
The clinical portion of the training is held at acute and long-term healthcare facilities off campus.
The required course: HCA-A105, Nursing Aide, 6 credits
Registration Restrictions: Minimum competency levels met on the ACCUPLACER placement test for English and ALEKS math placement test.